The Most Overrated Designers...

[gallianostan]

miuccia prada deserves very little praise for anything

 

[Lola701]

I'm gonna say Miuccia Prada. I really wonder how much of her success was due to the people around her. I know she knows how to look good, and of course she could be great at being the head and final say of creative decisions and editing, but I really do wonder...

I agree that Pavesi played a huge role in the construction of Prada but she is quite great herself. Miuccia is an interesting designer because it’s her taste that informed her success and not a particular design language. It’s really about a taste of a woman. Manuela Pavesi played a huge part gathering talents and push the taste even further.

I wouldn’t call her overrated because I think fashion owes her a lot in terms of taste.

However, I do think replacing her by Raf was a terrible idea. Prada is quite above all, an Italian POV and Raf seems to be quite into himself to really immerse himself into the culture in a way that Karl or even Christopher Kane did.

^ Miuccia Prada hired Raf for the CO-CD position, which says a lot about her vision and taste, lol. I don't understand why she gets more praise than people like Rei Kawakubo, Azzedine, Giorgio, Castiglioni,...

Come’on, Azzedine was seen in very high regards! Rey and Giorgio are legends.
Castiglioni is different because it was very much seen (for obvious reason) as a by-product of Prada.

And Azzedine respected Prada a lot! They had a mutual respect. That’s why when Carla Sozzani asked Miuccia to help Azzedine, her and Bertelli agreed. Samuele Failli, who build the identity of Alaia footwear and who designed some of the most iconic shoes for Prada and MiuMiu worked alongside Fabio Z for the success of Alaia.

 

[Kanzai]

While i actually like Miuccia as a person and her works ( a big credit to Mr Fabio too ), i really hate how the label has became for years. Patrizio Bertelli/Miuccia Prada is hands down the worst duo in fashion industry, it's the whole Prada Group itself makes me lose the love for Miuccia, she should have stepped down years ago imo.

 

[Nimsay]

miuccia prada deserves very little praise for anything

Tenor.com

 

[Mrs.T]

I would say Demna [insert last name]. He was cool at some point. But now all he has is repetive ideas and ideas that are just too awkward. Or even try hard.

 

[Alquimista]

TFS, you disappoint me. Miuccia Prada in this thread but no JW Anderson? Anderson is the king of this thread!

Jonathan is like one of those aristocrats that had impeccable taste, knew everything about art, them tried to do it themselves and they couldn't produce anything but reductive, poor or even monstrous simulacrums of their favorite artist's artworks. He's the eternal dilettante of fashion design. His collections are all riffs on other people's works but the interpretation is always literal, his eye only see surface or the impirical features of a piece. He don't have that oracular sense of seeing the essence of somebody's work. Karl did that with Chanel, imo.

If you want proof of what I said, just look at his instagram. Full of cool references, sofisticate taste but no MEAT.

I think his sucess is greatly attributed to the english fashion establishment need of a new golden boy. And Jonathan was perfect. Not tortured or polemical like Mcqueen or Galliano. He is pure good taste.

 

[Darko]

Demna
Galliano
Blazy
M.G.Chiuri
Stella McCarthy
Alessandro Michele
V Beckham
And many more

 

[youthinasia]

At this point, it's the trifecta: Alessandro Michele, Demna Gvasalia, Pier Paolo Piccioli

 

[Alquimista]

TFS, you disappoint me. Miuccia Prada in this thread but no JW Anderson? Anderson is the king of this thread!

Jonathan is like one of those aristocrats that had impeccable taste, knew everything about art, them tried to do it themselves and they couldn't produce anything but reductive, poor or even monstrous simulacrums of their favorite artist's artworks. He's the eternal dilettante of fashion design. His collections are all riffs on other people's works but the interpretation is always literal, his eye only see surface or the impirical features of a piece. He don't have that oracular sense of seeing the essence of somebody's work. Karl did that with Chanel, imo.

If you want proof of what I said, just look at his instagram. Full of cool references, sofisticate taste but no MEAT.

I think his sucess is greatly attributed to the english fashion establishment need of a new golden boy. And Jonathan was perfect. Not tortured or polemical like Mcqueen or Galliano. He is pure good taste.

damn I came in mad as hell here lol

 

[Salvatore]

damn I came in mad as hell here lol

Alright come through vocabulary ! 👏😂
Yes you were mad, but JWA is overrated indeed. It was warranted and well-pointed. I can confess that now. I was just so ready for MGC to be gone that I didn't realize what we were getting into.

Maybe he will have a personal renaissance, but I don't know anymore

 

[susseinmcswanny]

I mean technically most of them are inherently overrated because that's how it works

 

[Squizree]

Yeah but somehow they've become MORE overrated because there's so much celebrity attached to them now.

 

[jeanclaude]

I think it would be easier and faster to mention the ones who are underrated these days.

 

[reese06]

Marc Jacobs

And here I am appreciating and loving Marc Jacobs and those older collections here in 2026. Am interesting thread to read against the current crop of designers

 

[HazJW]

Demna
Galliano
Blazy
M.G.Chiuri
Stella McCarthy
Alessandro Michele
V Beckham
And many more

Think Stella and Vicky B are both underrated actually. Not amazing talents, but have survived for decades, with many popular pieces. Their success goes beyond 'I'm buying this because it's Posh Spice/Paul McCartney daughter', yet still they can't quite shake off the stigma of only having a fashion career because they're Posh Spice/Paul McCartney's daughter.

Michele is a good answer, and Virgil Abloh also comes to mind, as much as he's an easy target. Tommy Hilfiger, too.

Someone who's gone from underrated to overrated for me is Michael Kors. For years, he was seen as bland and basic, when he was a much cleverer designer than people let on. In the last 3 or 4 years, the brand has plummeted downhill and he seems to have run out of ideas, but he has been getting a bit of positive critical reappraisal to coincide with his 45th anniversary. To my eyes, that's the wrong way round.

 

[eugenius]

Going solely by the Comments section on IG, I'll vote for that, for lack of a better work, sh*tty brand from the recent PFWs. Don't ask me to spell it out.

With the way that people have been posting about them, you'd think it was the second coming of Christ, and what they're showing is oh-so-deep, and oh-so-groundbreaking, and oh-so-cutting-edge, and oh-so-avant-garde, and oh-so-groundbreaking, and oh-so-fresh, and oh-so-boundary-breaking, and oh-so-stylish, and worst, oh-so-original. And it's all just sh*t, sh*t, and more sh*t.

Oh, but, wait: Rick goes to their shows, so they must be great at what they do, right?

 

[reese06]

Going solely by the Comments section on IG, I'll vote for that, for lack of a better work, sh*tty brand from the recent PFWs. Don't ask me to spell it out.

With the way that people have been posting about them, you'd think it was the second coming of Christ, and what they're showing is oh-so-deep, and oh-so-groundbreaking, and oh-so-cutting-edge, and oh-so-avant-garde, and oh-so-groundbreaking, and oh-so-fresh, and oh-so-boundary-breaking, and oh-so-stylish, and worst, oh-so-original. And it's all just sh*t, sh*t, and more sh*t.

Oh, but, wait: Rick goes to their shows, so they must be great at what they do, right?

Fecal Matter/Matieres Fecales

Putting it here because some of these brands disappear into the night and ten years from now no one will know who the eff you’re talking about.

 

[HazJW]

Fecal Matter/Matieres Fecales

Putting it here because some of these brands disappear into the night and ten years from now no one will know who the eff you’re talking about.

I try not to be too negative on here, but they are so bad and so f*cking phony! I really hope they don't end up at McQueen, they are everything Alexander was against.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

As much as the poop brand is cringe and snooze fest, something about Rick Owens liking them is endearing. Or I don’t know lol. It reminds me of the older people I know in the art scene who see young people doing stupid sh*t and they just want to be supportive because they felt criticized and othered when they were younger themselves. But at the same time constructive criticism or just criticism in general is becoming a lost concept. Ex Mormon young adults acting out by dressing like rave monsters? Groundbreaking!

 

[jeanclaude]

As much as the poop brand is cringe and snooze fest, something about Rick Owens liking them is endearing. Or I don’t know lol. It reminds me of the older people I know in the art scene who see young people doing stupid sh*t and they just want to be supportive because they felt criticized and othered when they were younger themselves. But at the same time constructive criticism or just criticism in general is becoming a lost concept. Ex Mormon young adults acting out by dressing like rave monsters? Groundbreaking!

Rick likes Tyrone...should I say more??