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EDITORIAL DIRECTION
Fashion is a business in which image is all, and certainly in this world, how you look is who you are. It might sound a bit shallow and superficial judging a person based on his or her looks, however the fashion industry’s identity of manufacturing of desire and prestige, justifies it. Season after season, trend after trend, fashion re-invents itself and with it, our wardrobes too. Paradoxically, the most well-known and established figures in fashion, the ones who actually craft this ‘fashion world’, have adapted to a relentless repetition form of dressing. From Anna Wintour being easier to spot than Waldo with her iconic bob and massive Chanel sunglasses, to Alber Elbaz’s caricature-looking voluminous suits and colourful ties, it seems uniform dressing is the norm of signifying success within fashion. Dressing is indeed a very personal matter influenced by a sea of factors; occasion, mood, funds. However, when it comes to a mathematical precision of uniform dressing by fashion’s elite, is it personal branding or the epitome of style?
An unsuited Tom Ford is as rare as a nun in a bikini. Having built his entire brand based on his idiosyncrasy of what an articulate lifestyle is, the designer is the living proof that the ‘Tom Ford Man’ can really exist outside fashion editorials and catwalks. Ford can almost always be found wearing a black suit, a white french-cuffed dress shirt and either a black tie or a three-button teasing open collar. Despite most people’s association of wearing a suit with either business or the formality of an event/place, the designer’s perpetual dedication to a black suit-white shirt combination seems to have a rather human explanation than a much expected strategical brand move. “A suit is armour,” Ford explains. “I don’t wear a black suit-white shirt combination all the time to be “iconic”, but because I am most comfortable in this and I don’t feel the need to experiment. You gotta learn in life what makes you feel comfortable in terms of clothing and that’s what you should wear.”
In an industry which thrives on change every season, the designer’s mannerism of steering clear of trends sounds a bit controversial. Probably, as controversial as finding wearing a suit comfortable. For Tom Ford being in fashion means being comfortable with who you truly are. Instead of constantly exploring potential ‘characters’ through every new season’s trends and collections, the designer triumphs on personal style, even if that gets a bit repetitive and monotonous. As Anna Wintour has stated, “Trend is a dirty word.”
Sporting the same bob hairstyle since she was fourteen years old, a devoted A-line silhouette dresser with a hemline falling to her knee or below and always accessorised with her favourite necklaces and trademark sunglasses, Anna Wintour is the definition of uniform dressing. One of the most widely regarded people in the fashion industry, Wintour’s personal wardrobe is understandably often scrutinised. Typically under the shade of her gigantic Chanel sunglasses, Wintour has become an elusive figure, surrounding her with a palpable sense of mystery. However, Wintour wasn’t always the devoted A-line silhouette dresser we all know. Maybe the bob and the sunglasses were there, however photographs of her from the late ‘80s and ‘90s, show a much more versatile, experimental dresser; baby pink satin trousers, oversized sweaters and, strangely, most often a big smile.
Anna Wintour’s style became notably consistent since her appointment as editor-in-chief of US Vogue. It seems Wintour had to create this cold-hearted “Nuclear Wintour” character in order to be respected and survive in such a hypercritical industry. “They [sunglasses] are seriously useful. I can sit in a show, and if I’m bored out of my mind, nobody will notice. And if I’m enjoying it, nobody will notice. So I think at this point they’ve become, you know, really armour.” Except from Wintour’s inseparable sunglasses, which serve a purpose beyond fashion as they are actually corrective lenses for her deteriorating vision, Wintour’s consistent form of dressing doesn’t end there. A person with a mythical access to designers' goods has chosen to wear the same pair of shoes for more than twenty years now. Customised Manolo Blahnik sandals in several shades of nude can be found in almost every photograph of her, making her look like a character from a game in dress up mode. Everything stays the same, except from the colour or print and the sleeve length of the dress. Seriously, see for yourself above.
Whether this is intended or not, being famous within the industry corresponds with Wintour being seen as a style icon. This border-line obsessively consistent manner of dressing might be truly thrilling to Wintour personally, or easily chosen due to its efficiency. However, as Karl Lagerfeld has proven, having a signature look in the fashion industry can be a business of its own.
A slicked-back white ponytail, oversized sunglasses, a high-collared shirt, a black blazer, black pants, and, of course, a pair of gloves. Who else could it possibly be, other than Karl Lagerfeld? Being the creative director of three fashion houses at the age of 84, Lagerfeld has proven that there is no limit to what you can do as long as you are passionate. The designer’s immutable trademark appearance was ‘launched’ with his extreme weight loss in the early 2000s, simply because he wanted to wear suits designed by Hedi Slimane. “Well, there came this new line from Hedi Slimane at Dior that you needed to be slim to wear. It said: 'You want this? Go back to your bones.' And so I lost it all. I lost 88 pounds and never got them back.” Unconcerned by social pleasantries and political correctness, Lagerfeld is never afraid to speak his mind. Having become a walking brand himself, from Fendi’s ‘Karlito’ fur bag charms to his very own brand, Karl, with its logo being literally Lagerfeld’s portrait, the designer hides behind no pretentiousness. “I am like a caricature of myself, and I like that. It’s like a mask. And for me the Carnival of Venice lasts all year long.”
There are numerous fashion figures that have evidently adopted the art of uniform dressing apart from Ford, Wintour and Lagerfeld; Tonne Goodman always found in a pair of white jeans and a black shirt; Riccardo Tisci in total black and immaculately clean white trainers; Carolina Herrera in crash white button-ups and A-line skirts paired with subtly pointed-toed heels. Regardless of the motives behind each uniform, there is a certain appeal to the ability to streamline, edit and define your wardrobe based on a two-three factor combination. It exudes confidence and authority. A poised personality that is not affected by trends and ephemeral likings, and doesn’t partake in any potential risk involved with experimentation. It showcases an exclusive focus on this fashion world crafted for the consumers and readers that doesn’t allow time to be wasted over what outfit to wear. Every day is a simple decision of which version of each staple to put on, and sometimes not even that. However, doesn’t that dismiss the existence of the fashion industry itself, particularly when it’s done from within?
As mentioned earlier, dressing is a very personal matter, therefore no-one can be certain for the motives behind uniform dressing within the fashion industry. Whether it is a genuine, defined personal style or a visual trademarking strategy, it is only for the person to know. However, the norm in the industry of making a caricature out of yourself to underline success, is nothing more than self-exhibitionism. Desperately trying to stand out through the monotony in an ever-changing scenery. Fashion is about the thrill of getting ready in the morning. Of craving to try new things, feel new fabrics and take ‘risks’ in those rare epiphanies. All these fashion figures who refuse to get out of their comfort zone by repeatedly wearing the same pieces, is a stance that goes against everything this industry stands and profits from. Finding your true colours through clothes is indeed the epitome of style. As well as having beloved pieces is part of it. Having a uniform is a gilded cage.
We live in a world where people aspire to look successful rather than to actually be. Measuring success by the number of social media followers, people tend to imitate stereotypically desirable online personas - defined mainly by a luxurious lifestyle -, craving desperately the validation of other people. This vast social behavioural trend, explains in a parallel manner the principle and essence of the counterfeit goods market as well as it’s potential correlation to its current most profitable days. According to The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the global market in counterfeit goods is worth nearly a trillion dollars (USD) a year. Nearly a trillion dollars a year in their very own independent market, partially overlapping with the legitimate global economy.
“the global market in counterfeit goods is worth nearly a trillion dollars a year”
For decades, fashion labels have been battling against counterfeiting in what seems to be an un-winnable war. A war against a supposedly harmless market, which steals creative originality and profits, as well as undermines luxury fashion’s prestige of craftsmanship and exclusivity. Endless lawsuits, secret police operations and anti-counterfeit technologies are just a few of the ‘weapons’ used against by the fashion industry. Specifically, according to London-based researcher Visiongain, apparel makers spent approximately $6.15 billion on anti-counterfeit technologies in 2017 alone. From Salvatore Ferragamo’s passive radio-frequency identifications tags in the left sole of each pair of shoes it produces, to Chanel’s hologram stickers with unique serial numbers in the lining of its handbags, fashion labels have been acutely trying to sustain and establish the authenticity of their products for years.
Once upon a time, buying forged goods was an intended and aware stroll in a particular corner of a street or the back-room of a store, however like much of 21st century commerce, the counterfeit goods market primarily lives online. Websites covertly or overtly selling luxury replicas; fakes abound on online auction sites like eBay, Amazon and AliExpress; Instagram boutiques using end-to-end encryption messenger apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp to communicate directly with customers. The internet is simply being used as a ‘massive amplifier’ for the counterfeit market, shedding light on the need for companies to adopt comprehensive anti-counterfeiting strategies and cross-sector collaborations to stop offenders.
The immoral nature and negative effects of counterfeiting on the fashion industry are indeed widely known. Infringed trademarks and copyrights, lost profits, lost jobs, usage of toxic materials, pollution, deplorable working conditions, unaware tricked customers, even money laundering. However, does this battle exist because counterfeiting actually has such a tremendous direct impact on these multi-million fashion companies, or is it just fought on an ethical and theoretical basis?
Primarily, the counterfeit market provides all these fashion brands with free advertising both through its online and offline presence. Particularly, the quality of counterfeits has become so high that fakes are nowadays often indistinguishable from their legit counterparts. As Alibaba’s founder and executive chairman, Jack Ma, stated referring to the ‘yuandan goods’, “The fake products today are of better quality and better price than the real names. They are exactly the [same] factories, exactly the same raw materials, but they do not use the same names.” Therefore, for a consumer to be exposed to these identical forged product, triggers the exact same reaction as to the real one; a subconscious desirability due to the ‘proven’ success of the -in this case- mimicked fashion brand. Even though most people would like to think that they are terribly original, consuming behaviour is indeed heavily based on imitation, proving that these counterfeits products might actually be more profitable for the company rather than paying an influencer to wear them, as the resistance barrier of direct marketing doesn't exist.
As in every market, the counterfeit goods are consumed for different reasons. Largely, knockoffs are acquired by people who either can’t afford the real price or by people who don’t want to spend a tremendous amount of money for a designer’s product, even if they have the funds to. Of course, luxury fashion is not only about the price tag. It’s about the craftsmanship, the extreme accuracy of detail, as well as a holistic shopping experience, from the service a customer receives in store down to the packaging. Nonetheless, luxury fashion prices nowadays are often unreasonably high. For instance, there is no logical explanation or justification behind an 80% cotton and 20% polyester Vetements hoodie costing £660. Therefore, as Jack Ma stated, if the production of a lot of these counterfeits are made in the exact same factories with the same materials, then why is it unreasonable for a person to spend probably £100 instead of £700 for the almost exact same product?
Of course, as an anti-luxury fashion representative, Guram Gvasalia, the co-founder of Vetements, in an interview for the New York Times he disclosed not only to be okay with the counterfeit market, but also that he admires the creativity hidden behind it. Specifically, Gurum said, "It’s funny because we see our things, but they have been changed. For example, we had a hooded dress in green with writing on the arms, and I looked online and saw they had turned it into a hoodie. They do things that are closer to the originals, but sometimes they become very creative."
The loss of a brand’s potential profits is another widely used argument when it comes to the moral nature of the counterfeit goods market. It is argued that if forged goods are being purchased, all these legitimate companies lose potential profit, which eventually can trigger a catastrophic chain reaction of money within the company. People lose their jobs and at last even the brand cannot sustain itself. Truly, this argument is indeed accurate and comprehensive, however only on a theoretical basis. Undoubtedly, counterfeits infringe on a brand’s profits but it’s almost impossible to accurately determine the extent to which it affects it. Every penny spent on a counterfeit doesn’t necessarily mean that it was destined to be spend on its legitimate counterpart. Therefore, once again a counterfeit consumer might not be directly profiting the legitimate manufacturer, although as mentioned above, the free advertisement it offers is probably more profitable in the long run.
Apart from free advertising, counterfeits have also been proven to have a direct effect on their buyers themselves. Particularly, Renee Richardson Gosline, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducted a two-and-a-half year long study that focused and documented 112 women that attended “purse parties”, where they would buy counterfeit handbags. Through her study, Gosline found that nearly half of the 112 party-goes abandoned their counterfeits and decided to purchase an authentic luxury brand item within two and a half years. These replica handbags worked more as a gateway purchase rather than a substitution for their legit counterparts. As Gosling states, “On some level, these women are uneasy about the fake bag on their arm. As Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell sang, their counterfeits help them realise that there “Ain't Nothin’ Like the Real Thing, Baby.”
“every penny spent on a counterfeit doesn’t necessarily mean that it was destined to be spend on its legitimate counterpart.”
Fashion is a complex market, and counterfeit fashion is just as complex. Regardless of pros and cons, the counterfeit goods market is indeed a despicable crime, unfortunately harming many more than just the companies whose profits are affected and whose creative work is infringed. There is though a symbiotic relationship between the two. No-one knows or can predict the resonance that all these luxury brands would have without counterfeits, or the quality and the attention to detail of the genuine products if they didn’t have to desperately prove and establish their authenticity. The battle against counterfeiting will continue, and surely there will be some ‘victories’ along the way. However, is it all just symbolic?
On November 28, Benaki Museum’s historic neoclassical building on Koubari Street hosted a fashion show featuring creations by the philhellene and iconoclast of Modern French fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier. Referencing the Benaki Museum as a consistent source of inspiration for his collections influenced by Greece’s history and traditional costumes, the designer organised a fund-raising fashion show and an after-dinner as a honorary donation to the museum. Dressed in a special edition of his trademark marinière forming the Greek flag this time, the enfant terrible of French fashion seemed ecstatic to be showcasing a retrospective body of his work in his favourite museum, as he persistently stated for the Benaki. The event promised a lesson of Greek history as told by Gaultier, showcasing particular looks from Gaultier’s archive, highlighting his distinguished ability to transform Greek antiquity and tradition into couture. The words expressed by Gaultier about Greece in the Greek media were more than just flattering. From naming Greek icons such as Melina Mercouri and Nana Mouschouri as his muses, to claiming inspiration drawn from the traditional Foustanella (multi-pleated white skirts worn by evzones soldiers) for his radically established men’s skirts in 1985, Gaultier referenced largely Greece as an everlasting source of inspiration for his successful career. Although undoubtedly a philhellene with a generous heart, Gaultier’s overtly acclaimed strong connection with Greece seems to be missing outside the borders of the Greek media. In all the interviews for eminent international publications, books written about Gaultier, the Greek reference is nowhere to be found. Intriguingly, before and post the event, Gaultier’s social media platforms didn’t seem to even mention the fashion show held in Benaki, although for the designer himself, “it was a dream come true”. Gaultier's munificent love for the country has been proven countless of times throughout the years, as much as it did this special night at the Benaki. However, the designer's acclaimed "special bond" with Greece in conjunction with Greece missing from ‘Gaultier’s world’ when not reporting to the Greek media, seems nothing more than just an overtly strategic PR move of engaging with a specific target audience. Greek-flagged marinière, anyone?
Look 1 of the Gaultier for Benaki show, "Paris To Athens" from the Spring/Summer Couture 2006 Collection, Tribute to Greece
Look 6 of the Gaultier for Benaki show, from the Spring/Summer Ready-To-Wear 2006 Collection
Look 9 of the Gaultier for Benaki show, from the Fall/Winter Couture 2014 Collection
Gaultier wearing a felt skirt from Vytina which along with its corresponding waistcoat, constituted the official fustanella costume
The finale of the Gaultier for Benaki show
“The Benaki is one of the most beautiful museums in the world. When I discovered it for the first time in 2000, it inspired a whole collection of mine,” Gaultier expressed numerous of times when asked about his collaboration with the museum. Subsequent to exhibiting the “Paris to Athens” look at the Benaki, the first look of his Spring/Summer 2006 Haute Couture Tribute to Greece collection, Gaultier generously offered to host a fund raising event. Showcasing mainly pieces from the referent collection as a homage to the museum’s influence as well as with other creations highlighting Gaultier’s couture excellence, the designer wanted to help the museum in such tough financial times but also “enrich his soul”, as he stated. Paris to Athens, a genius haute couture reinterpretation of the greek fustanella, opened the way for more Grecian references in the 2006 catwalk of Gaultier as well as for the special night at the Benaki. With looks named after major Greek figures such as 'Aphrodite' and 'Sappho of Mytilene', while incorporating significant pieces from the Greek traditional costumes, the Tribute to Greece collection was Gaultier’s most immediate attempt to translate the country’s culture and heritage into couture. “I use and respect tradition, but try to find the new elements which will make it younger,” Gaultier stated in a prolonged interview with biographer Colin McDowell, denying allegations that named him a destroyer of the past. However, as Suzy Menkes expressed in her review of the 2006 Haute Couture collection inspired by the Benaki, the scatteredly placed shishas around the show space, as well as the repeated motive of harem pants on the catwalk, contradicted the essence of the show as a tribute to Greece as it seemed “more like a romp around the Mediterranean than a couture vision that had absorbed all Gaultier’s Grecian inspirations.”
Look 1 Fall/Winter 2006 Ready-To-Wear
Look 1 Spring/Summer Couture 2006
Even though the Ottoman Empire left a vast impact on Greek culture, which eventually integrated fully within Greece, one must always remember that Greece was under the Ottoman power for four hundred years; four hundred years of slavery and oppression. Therefore, the symbiosis of symbols such as Aristotelis with shishas in a show namely tributed to Greece seems ill-informed, if not bizarre. Known for transcending geographical borders and social norms around gender and sexuality through his translation of diverse elements that inspire him into couture, Gaultier has indeed a unique way of weaving in multiple cultures and traditions to his creative vision. The designer’s invitation to the Voyage, Voyage Fall/Winter 2010-2011 collection is a great example of Gaultier’s borderless fashion world.
Gaultier's invitation to the Voyage, Voyage Fall/Winter 2010-11 Ready-To-Wear Collection
“Gaultier thinks of society as a cocktail - mixed, stirred, spiced, varied, decompartmentalised. The product of a single melting pot, society no longer consists of groups indifferent to one another while living side by side. It is made up of individuals, and each of them tells the story of our diversity,” as Nathalie Bondil, Director and Chief Curator of the Montreal Museum of Fine arts, expresses on Gaultier’s design approach of incorporating multiple traditions and cultures in his work. However, triumphing traits of another culture as a homage to Greece, as observed in the Spring/Summer 2006 Haute Couture collection, feels quite wrong from a Greek perspective. Discussing the collection with also Greek, Central Saint Martins fashion design graduate, Adonis Kozakidis, his reaction to the collection’s looks feels like a déjà vu of mine. “No, no, no,” Adonis keeps saying in a monotonous sharp manner while flipping through the looks of the collection. Sporadically, with the enthusiasm of “Eureka!", Adonis comments on the obvious Greek reference found either in a reinterpretation of the sigkouni (traditional unisex embroidered vest) or with the abstract reference to ancient Greek architecture through the pattern formed from open rib caged corsets. Still, the acclaimed tribute to Greece can be found in looks that can be counted on one hand.
For the special night at the Benaki, the designer showcased 72 creations. With the authentic traditional costumes framing the catwalk of the event, the curation of the looks shown seemed much more carefully chosen this time. This probably explains the retrospective nature of the event, showcasing a limited amount of clothes evidently influenced by Greece, and focusing more on archival creations praising Gaultier’s couture, generically. With tickets priced at 1000 euros each, Gaultier was able to raise the significant amount of 200,000 euros for the museum, while the enfant gâté of Greece was passionately applauding every time a look was sent down the runway.
The day after the event, the Greek media were flooded with photographs and articles about the spectacular night at the Benaki. An apotheosis of Gaultier’s philhellenism and generosity. With statements of Gaultier triumphing on Melina Mercouri in the movie “Never on Sunday” as a big inspiration for his iconic marinière, to highlighting the fustanella as a vital source of inspiration for his men's skirts, Gaultier's words seemed to become bigger by the second. However, on Gaultier’s online platforms not even a mention of the event could be found. As if this night never happened. As if Greece was nothing more than just another ephemeral traditional element incorporated in Gaultier's couture. The men’s skirts were once again attributed to the Scottish kilt, while his muses remained strictly international stars such as Madonna and Amy Winehouse.
Enfant terrible is defined as a person who behaves in an unconventional or controversial way. Surely, it is no coincidence that Gaultier has earned this title for himself.
In fashion, queue barriers tend to appear on special occasions, whether it is the entrance of an anticipated fashion show or the opening of a new store. However, for Gucci’s London flagship store on 34 Old Bond Street, queue barriers constraining a ‘one in, one out’ queue are an everyday necessity, regulating the chaos of customers flooding in the store until its closing time. Initially referred to as a ‘nobody’ and a ‘risk’ taken from Gucci’s then newly CEO, Marco Bizzari, Alessandro Michele has been able to transform Gucci into the most relevant fashion brand of the moment dominating the fashion scene with his maximalism aesthetic approach: the Guccify effect. From high-end designers to fast-fashion giants, the fashion industry is swamped with embroidered flora and fauna elements, while the endless copies of the iconic Gucci Princetown slipper mule has been exhausting to spot on the streets. Four years since the abrupt firing of Frida Giannini due to a stagnating creative state translated into dropped sales, the Italian brand is reliving old glory days similarly to Tom Ford’s iconic era for the brand.
Neither a fan nor a hater of Alessandro Michele’s approach, in an effort to decrypt Gucci’s unstoppable resonance, I spoke to an employee from Gucci’s London flagship store, who has experienced and worked for the brand before and after Alessandro Michele’s appointment. Wished to remain nameless, as the company's contract strictly prohibits the release of any statements to the media, Gucci's transformation from a 'leather goods brand' into an international phenomenon is unravelled.
Frida Giannini's office in Gucci's headquarters, Milan, Italy (2012)
Alessandro Michele's office in Gucci's renovated headquarters, Milan, Italy (2017)
How long have you been working for Gucci?
I have been working for Gucci since 2013. This February will be my fifth year in the company.
Why did you choose to work for Gucci?
Not any particular reason, really. As soon as I graduated from Kingston University, where I studied Fine Art, I wanted to move to London straight away and I had to somehow support myself financially. Having work experience in luxury retail in my home country, I had a couple of interviews with other brands for retail positions, however I just couldn’t turn down a name as strong as Gucci.
Working for Gucci since 2013, you must have experienced the transition and transformation of Gucci from Frida Giannini’s creative direction to Alessandro Michele’s.
Yes, I did. Actually, when I was hired in February 2013, it wasn’t long before there were internal rumours regarding [Frida] Giannini’s exit. Of course, there was nothing speculated about Alessandro Michele at that point. Yet, with the dropped sales, which I was introduced to, everyone was expecting a big change for the brand soon.
As employees of the brand, were you updated in advance on such big changes in the company?
No, never. I can’t be certain what the managers were aware of, as most of them have a closer relationship with people working in the headquarters in Milan. Usually, it would just be a detailed email the day before a story would go public. At the end of they day, Gucci has more than 11,000 employees, and people tend to talk. So, it makes sense not to share such information.
How were these months before Frida Giannini’s exit translated in retail for Gucci?
Well, I work in the Bond Street store, so as Gucci’s London flagship store it always tends to be busy. I can’t really say that it was ever quiet during those months, however you could truly see that the clothes were not much of an interest for the Gucci customer anymore. Not even for tourists that were there just to have a look in the store. Leather goods were what people wanted to look at and buy. A phenomenon that my colleagues assured me from my first day in the company. It’s funny because talking about it right now, I can’t even remember what these two last collections designed by Giannini looked like.
Look 9, Gucci Pre-Fall 2015 Collection, designed by Frida Giannini
Look 30, Gucci Fall/Winter Ready-To-Wear 2015 Collection, designed by Alessandro Michele
Based on Marco Bizzari’s statements, after Alessandro Michele was appointed creative director of Gucci, both Frida Giannini’s and Alessandro Michele’s collections were in stores, simply for financial reasons. With two completely different aesthetic approaches, how was that stage of transition for Gucci?
The process felt much more organic in a way than it sounds. At the beggining, the store was displaying most of Giannini’s creations as Alessandro had just started designing for Gucci, therefore even if people wanted to buy his designs, there wasn’t stock for these items. The two collections were visually merchandised completely different, so it was evident which one was which. Also, the customers didn’t seem to mind the contrast of this old and new era of Gucci. Considering Alessandro Michele’s maximalist approach, slowly but efficiently the store started to be dominated by his creations. Even in those early days, Michelle’s re-interpretations of classic Gucci pieces, such as the Dionysus bag or the Princetown slipper were booming. By the summer of 2016, the store was redesigned by Alessandro himself, and people have been queueing everyday ever since in order to obtain a Gucci piece designed by him.
Is it true that Marco Bizzari, himself, went to stores and explained the new mentality of Gucci under Michelle’s creative direction?
We were one of the first stores for Mr. Bizzari to visit and give us a talk about the new image of Gucci. I remember Mr. Bizzari looked beyond excited for Gucci’s new era, however no-one could predict the impact Michele’s designs would have on Gucci from a sales perspective as well as making Gucci the most relevant brand of the moment. People working for years and years for Gucci actually left, as they didn’t believe in Mr. Bizzari’s choice of hiring a nobody as the creative director of the brand. Looking back now, I am sure they all regret it. However, Michelle’s approach is so particular that if you are not fond of it, it’s hard to engage and sell it to the costumer.
Saying that, what do you think about Alessandro Michele’s design approach?
What’s brilliant in his collections is that there is so much information. In the past, luxury brands identified with limited pieces, minimalistic merchandising etc. However, as the pace of our times dictates more and faster, Michelle was able to give that to the Gucci customer, through his maximalism approach and sense of continuity in his collections. If you ask me to distinguish items from different collections, I probably won’t be able to. I am one of those people finding Michele’s designs border-line repetitive. However, it seems that this sense of longevity appeals to the Gucci customer. Also, the collaborations with numerous artists, the customisation of clothes…all these innovative moves for a luxury brand that Gucci has made under Michelle’s direction has proven to be exactly what people in fashion crave right now; individuality and exclusivity.
Who is the Gucci customer then?
I don’t think this question applies with the the current boom of Gucci or Michelle’s approach. The Gucci customer is anyone that falls in love with an item and wants to buy it. Simple as that. Of course there are customers who are just caught in the hype of the moment, not really understanding or feeling Michele’s Gucci world, but from my experience they do end up coming back to the store for more. If you want a more sales driven response, Asian and Middle East customers are the biggest part of sales.
What is the most obscure request a customer has given you?
The most obscure request, which I get all the time, is when customers show me Instagram posts of digital influencers and celebrities, demanding collection’s pieces which are not offered in-stores. I can’t tell you how many times they have made me call my manager, just so he can tell them the same exact thing.
Do they buy anything or do they leave empty-handed usually in such scenarios?
I mean they usually tend to buy at least some sort of leather good, if not a princetown slipper. Regardless, they come prepared to spend a lot of money for runway pieces, therefore the leather goods feels like a souvenir for them, I guess!
Gucci's London flagship store under Frida Giannini's creative direction (2011)
Gucci's London flagship store under Alessandro Michele's creative direction (2017)
Visiting the store this morning, I noticed there are so many products that are out of stock. Is this because you have limited stock of products or do they simply sell out extremely fast?
Both. As representatives of Gucci we cannot offer extraordinary pieces to everyone, therefore sometimes some products are “out of stock”. However, most of the time this is true as they sell out like crazy. You can’t expect to find a black leather Princetown slipper in your size that easily, however that’s the beauty of Alessandro Michele’s maximalism approach. There are so many more options to choose from, so you definitely leave the store with something else.
What is the biggest amount of money you have witnessed a customer to pay for Gucci?
It was a celebrity, who I will not name as I am already in trouble sharing all this information with you! (Laughs). But this woman, there you go another clue, left 85,000 pounds in just thirty minutes of shopping in the store. 85,000 pounds!
Do you think this Guccify effect will last? After four solid years since Alessandro’s appointment, how are sales in 2018?
If Alessandro Michele continues working in the same manner, I am certain it will. That’s the difference between Gucci and other luxury brands at the moment. Phenomenally, for someone who is not a customer, it seems as if Michele has been doing the same thing for four years. However, if you are active on our social media, campaigns etc, there is just so much diversity in products and collaborations that is inevitable for Gucci to get to a stagnating state again. On the other hand, it is fashion. As Heidi Klum always said in Project Runway, “In fashion the one day you are in, the next day you are out.” So, who knows? Maybe, Hedi Slimane in Celine will be the next new thing.
What would you suggest as a must-item from Gucci right now?
I couldn’t give a more predictable answer to this question, however, the endless editions of the Princetown slipper is a great, and affordable, start to immense yourself within the Gucci experience. Guccify yourself! (Laughs)
Editor's Letter
A couple of weeks ago, I turned 20 - I know, Happy Birthday to me - and I couldn't stop thinking that my teen years are actually over. Here I am, officially entering the adult world. However, I was (not) surprised to find that neither blowing out my birthday candles nor waking up the next morning made me feel any different; It was just the same old me. As always.
If there was one thing that got on my nerves as a teenager, it was the common phrase: "You're young. When you're my age, you will understand."
O h m y G o d.
A phrase that has no meaning and offers no particular explanation either. I remember having long conversations with people older than myself, and whenever I happened to have a different opinion on a subject, this phrase just seemed to always find its way back to me. And then we would get to the best part: "He is a teenager, it's in his nature to always disagree."
Having seen and spoken to adults from all around the world, I always find myself trying to imagine them in their teenage years, in order to understand who they truly are and get an insight into their way of thinking. I know, it might sound peculiar, however, I find that a person's teenage-self is the purest form of one's personality.
The so-called "teenage years" are indeed an endless journey of experimentation; it might be finding and understanding your sexuality, or whether or not you like Nutella. However, do people really 'become adults' or is that another one of society's tricks for people to conform and give them the illusion of being in control? People change. Opinions change. But i tend to believe that a person's personality, life and role in society is not defined merely by a date of birth.
This issue is about treating teenagers as equals and allowing us to be reminded of their journey of experimentation, dreams and aspirations for the future - before creating dull CVs and looking for a job in the 'real world'. It's a glimpse into a different way of thinking, a different aesthetic, a different but all too familiar world.
Marios Mystidis
Mount Street is considered one of the most prestigious and unique streets in London. A relatively little street, dominated by the most luxurious boutiques in the world and having rules such as in order to open a store in Mount Street presence somewhere else in London is needed, the experience of shopping there is exquisite. However, due to the changing face of fashion, and the- sometimes – outrageous spending that happens in these stores, store assistants – despite their commission – feel the need to act not only as the owners of the store but as they are doing you a favour to shop there.
Beautiful old English buildings, Range Rovers, Porsches and other luxurious cars with infinite shopping bags pushed in their trunks are what describe Mount Street in a first glance. Oh, and the quietness. Despite the fact, it is not more than a five minute walk from Oxford Street, Mount Street gives you the opportunity to avoid the chaos of Selfridges and enjoy spending your money on unaffordable essentials.
Walking up on Mount Street everything falls into place. Shop windows are on point, the streets are cleaner that they have ever been and doormen secure every single door of every store, making sure that all these expensive goodies are more than safe and sound in their boxes.
I decided to walk in Céline to start off my journey, as the bags and the fur coats in the shop window were something more than appealing to the eye. As I approached the store, the doorman opened the door for me and in a very soft voice greeted “Good morning, Sir”. The beautiful smell of vanilla as well as the minimalistic interior design of the store, automatically made you watch every step of yours as even the floor looked fragile. I started walking around expecting someone to offer me some help as you would expect even in an H&M store, and it happened to witness a middle aged Middle Eastern woman buying more than five Céline bags; roughly around 16,000 pounds. I sat there for around three minutes looking at the store assistant, expecting him to give me some attention as a customer, however the money that the woman was ‘offering’ him were too much to handle both her and me, resulting to not even saying hi. However, despite the fact I wasn’t interesting enough for him to even welcome me to the store, he found five seconds of his precious time to signal a security guard ‘to keep an eye on’ a young woman that was wondering around the store. I am guessing she didn’t have the ‘expensive look’ by wearing a tracksuit and a pair of trainers.
I left Céline with so many questions and a sense of shame due to my empty hands, feeling as even the doorman was judging me that I didn’t buy anything. Similarly, the store assistant of Lanvin told me to “Come back in maybe half an hour” as they were unable to serve me while there was only one customer in the store.
Luckily, Robert Francis Moir, store assistant in Goyard for the past seven years, happened to be normal and more than welcoming to answer some of my questions. “Poorly trained sales people will try to psychologically outwit customers,” explains thirty years old Robert Francis Moir. “It’s a defence mechanism, a projection of themselves and their ego. The ego takes over no matter whom you are.” As I explained him my experience minutes ago both at Céline and Lanvin he laughs saying, “When I came here for my job interview, I was petrified. I watched through the window and felt that not only I don’t belong here, but that I am not welcomed."
Being the exception in the rule of what I had witnessed so far, I decide to take a last look in Christian Louboutin’s store as the red sole empire looked more than tempting to enter. I had a look around the glancing red soles of the store and a little chitchat with Jourdan Pearce, a twenty years old store assistant. “It’s all about the experience. It is about coming to the store and for some peculiar reason show off the fact that you do have indeed the comfort to spend 700 pounds on shoes.” She also added laughing, “Therefore, sometimes this leads the store assistant in having a bad attitude as particular customers act like they are the Queen of England.”
I left Mount Street with so many questions still. Would I ever go there to shop my expensive goodies? How can it all be about the experience of shopping as even though they might be serving you perfume instead of coffee – that’s a fact in the Lanvin boutique – the store assistants act like you are nothing? The good news is, as Lorenzo Montaleni, twenty – seven years old store assistant at Christopher Kane, informed us that if the customer contacts Human Relations regarding a ‘snobbish behaviour’, most of the time they get fired. I guess next time I go to Mount Street, there will be no one I met that day except from probably two or three.
My conversations with Harry are mostly defined by the annoyingly striking blue colour of Facebook messages. I type and type and type... and Harry’s responses seem to be only the space between my own never-ending monologues. If you don’t know Harry, you might characterise him as distant, or if not, undoubtedly laconic. However, his encrypted personality holds safe, more than you could ever imagine.
Meeting Harry in person for the very first time was a little bit like an awkward blind date; a few messages exchanged and not a single clue about his appearance due to the lack of photographs of himself, as you would expect, on his personal Facebook profile. We decided to meet on the second floor outside the menswear studios in Central Saint Martins. The stress and the time frame to finalise his collection did not really allow him to go to fancy cafés or restaurants, which based on his Facebook Check-Ins and photographs of endless oysters and exquisite bottles of St Joseph lieu-dit hinted his expensive and very particular taste. After a few minutes of uncomfortably looking around at every single person passing by (since we didn’t know what each other looked like) I approached a young man, who seemed to be anxiously waiting for someone, and timidly said, “You must be Harry”. We sat down on one of the long, filthy tables full of paint on the second floor, and indolently started talking.
Harry’s real name is Ruihong Xu (roo-e-hong zoo) but he prefers to go by Harry, as you would imagine most people – including me – have a little bit of a hard time pronouncing it correctly; or a very hard time to be precise. Born and raised in Shanghai, China and “probably 26 years old,” as he tells me looking genuinely confused and worried: Harry has the ability to always look on point regardless of the number of deadlines, lack of sleep or if the show for his collection is only taking place in seven days time. Always calm and focused, humble but confident, with his hair slicked on the side to perfection, and always dressed in Dior Hommes from head to toe. Harry is here to go against the stereotypical ‘anti – fashion’ fashion designer who wears tracksuits and baggy sweaters and show the world that his taste does not reflect only on his garments.
Having completed work experience at Dior, Dries Van Noten and Kris Van Assche as well as having a very ambitious “Let me show you my work” attitude, Harry has the exquisite ability of earning your respect as a fashion designer; from the moment his work is on the table, chit- chat is over and business mode is on. “Menswear has to be smart but practical, a man should feel good but also comfortable in his clothes,” he says very seriously while taking packs and packs of paper including research, photographs, fabric samples and most importantly his sketches out of his deceivingly small black Dior shopping bag. “Harry is difficult but in a good way. He always has a very particular vision for what he is creating and he just simply doesn’t like people to intervene in it,” says Louis Loizou, BA Menswear and Knitwear pattern cutting tutor. As you would expect, Harry is not your average fashion designer student when it comes to organising his work. Everything is folded and bound to perfection while his design sketches for his collection are done electronically with a precision of centimetres as, “It is more efficient and business appropriate, as you can send that to a factory and they know exactly how to produce your garments.”
His collection is inspired by the contemporary Israeli photographer’s work, Michal Chelbin, and mainly her series entitled “Sailboats and Swans”, a collection of photographs of inmates both from Russian and Ukrainian prisons published in 2012. Harry was particularly fascinated by the heavy work wear and the ‘strong’ faces of the inmates in contrast to the floral, colourful and “tacky but beautiful in their own way” he describes the walls of the prisons that where used as the background for the portraits. “I think of the floral prints, as a hope and a positive element for all these men that are held in prison, contrasting the heavy, and very dull idea of being locked up in four walls.” Furthermore, the collection has been designed in a very specific manner in order to unveil a narrative of the inspiration drawn from the prisoners. “In the photographs of Michal Chelbin, most of the juvenile prisoners are half naked, while the older men wear heavy, work wear clothes. Therefore, I wanted the collection to unveil the story of this ‘vulnerability’ to ‘protection’ idea of how men and the boys are dressed, providing a lot of different silhouettes and shapes.”
The collection is dominated by the colours midnight blue and emerald green while floral pattern seems to finds its way to bloom in between the heavy and ‘cold’ work wear, either as a chiffon turtleneck or as a colourful finish to a pair of trousers. Furthermore, zippers seem to be the only ‘escape’ from Harry’s collection. “Buttons are not allowed due to their impracticality, while I also wanted to include the zippers as part of the collection rather than just for their function. Based on the context I am creating this Russian symphony, even zippers can be perceived as jewellery. This is prison we are talking about.” In addition, as a last minute epiphany, Harry embroidered Russian poetry themed around flowers as ‘inmate tags’ for his “Russian Symphony” as he likes to call his collection.
A few days after the internal BA show, which determines which collections will be included in the official Central Saint Martins Press show, I found myself carrying a few of my tutor’s bags to her office, which happens to be in the design studios. I passed by a small crowd of people who seemed to be looking at a very uninteresting, ordinary A4 piece of paper glued on the main wall. “What is this?”, I asked one girl who was squeezed between the crowd in order to reach the paper. “It’s the final list for the Press show, it just came out!” After that, I don’t remember much. Except from a million ‘Omg’, Harry responding to my messages in milliseconds for the first time and a lot of champagne. Since then, everything seems a bit blurry. The collection was in, and Harry’s encrypted personality was finally free for the world to see.
Glitter, high heels, skirts and crop tops are just few of the symptoms of the epidemic of gender-fluidity in menswear that is happening at the moment. Stereotypical masculinity is dead, and most designers are triumphing an ideal, agender and neutral fashion world, where clothes are just clothes and labelling as ‘menswear’ or ‘womenswear’ is completely irrelevant. However, from catwalks and editorials, the fashion industry seems to be overlooking the translation of this gender-fluidity domination in catwalks to everyday life, in order to fill pages and be part of a ‘supposed’ cultural revolution. From successful fashion bloggers to fashion websites and even profiles on Instagram, menswear seems to be dichotomized between the people of the industry and everyday people. While Dazed is proving that the new trend for men is wearing crop tops and glitter beards, men seem to still be obsessed with suits, expensive watches and cars. Despite the praise and the hype of all prestigious publications, there seems to be a very limited interest from people who are not working for the industry. If there is one to blame for this radical change is the epitome of gender-fluidity, J. W. Anderson, who inspired and showed the fashion world that it is beautiful to embrace your very own personal sexuality, no matter how you define it. With the latest news of the designer opening a brand new store, ‘J. W. Anderson Workshop’ – effectively a pop up store that includes collaborations with other artists -, the media went crazy once more about how he has revolutionised contemporary menswear as well as how the sales of the brand grow every season more and more; however a visit to the J. W. Anderson Workshop, proved quite the opposite.
From outside, the store is indeed intriguing with its colourful wallpaper on the wall and clothes displayed in a fridge-like wardrobe, making you want to take a closer look inside. However, the main problem was that people were entering to view a gallery space showcasing an idealistic menswear of 2016, rather than an actual store where you would try on something and possibly buy it. Sale assistants were casually having a coffee at the desk, as everyone was “Okay, just looking around”, leading once again to the question ‘Does anyone buy all these supposed revolutionary pieces that J. W. Anderson designs, or is the British fashion industry just trying make this supposed cultural revolution happen?’
Hélène Sarfati, fashion consultant and buying manager at NET-A-PORTER, commented regarding this gender fluidity issue, “You won’t really see people dressed in this agender [let’s say] way, not even in the industry. In the past, it has actually happened to use J. W. Anderson pieces for editorials but for womenswear, not for menswear. Maybe its due to the agenda of the publication, however men do not seem really interested in such products despite their hype.” Regarding the effect of this transformation of menswear she adds, “Unluckily, despite the effortful trying of the industry over and over again to convince that fashion should be agender and unisex, I believe that this ‘gender – fluidity’ obsession creates actually an even further sexual discrimination to straight people, as [let’s be honest] the majority of straight people would not really love the idea of wearing high – heels and skirts! Therefore, the fashion industry itself makes them feel left out.”
“It is indeed a forced liberation of gender and sexuality by the fashion industry itself, rather than an actual success and need of customers,” agrees Vincent Poujoula, Sales Manager in Prada’s London office. “I believe that it is indeed a wonderful concept of anyone wearing and being who they really want to be, however this would survive in an idea world, and sadly ours isn’t.”
For a non-fashion opinion, Adam Jones, architecture student at Goldsmith’s University, was shown some stills from the latest shows of London Collections: Men 2016, commenting, “This is extreme. I don’t really see any fashion or beauty either wearing a boxing gown or a thong. I might not be an expert, and I honestly don’t know the inspiration or the story that it is behind all these collections, but for me this is just desperate attention seeking from the designers. Fashion doesn’t have to be extreme to be creative.”
From left to right: Sibling Fall/Winter 2016 Collection - Photograph by Yannis Vlamos,Nasir Mazhar Fall/Winter 2016 Collection – Photograph by Yannis Vlamos, J. W. Anderson Fall/Winter 2016 Collection - Photograph by Marcus Tondo
Therefore, what is this gender-fluidity all about? Is it for advertising? Is it for a better non-hatred future? Or is it just for British fashion to prove that still in 2016, innovations and creativity such as those of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano still exist?
Through this transformation and this supposed liberation of menswear from well-fitted suits, brogues and stereotypes, the industry has actually succeeded in fending off even further men to be interested and up to date with fashion. The average man cannot identify with the collections, and he would probably not even be allowed to even wear them at his workplace. This is of course due to society’s norms and a cultural issue, however this does not mean that what menswear designers are trying to do is working. For the past few years, and due to such a high competition between aspiring and new fashion designers, creativity and originality have been identified with extremism and hyperbole. In order to draw attention and impress the industry, neither talent nor creativity is shown rather than pure signs of egomaniac ambition and arrogance. British fashion might have come to a halt in terms of creativity and originality, and that might be due to the way society is and acts in 2016. Superficiality overrules everyone, and the goal is only money and fame. Well, designers such as Alexander McQueen or Vivienne Westwood did not design for either of these. Maybe we should just accept that creativity and originality is lost, return to the old but at least relevant well-fitted suits and watches, and wait until British fashion awakens with the coming of a truly creative and talented designer. Until then, let’s see how far this propaganda of gender-fluidity can go.
Unfortunately, it cannot be unsaid that Kanye West is one of the most iconic people of our era. Yes, that’s right. An egomaniac, narcissist that calls himself a god, and also even believes that he is the most suitable candidate to run for president for the United States of America while in the meantime he is embracing the fact that before his speech he “smoked a little bit”. However, his superiority in the fashion world has raised the past two years due to his equally annoyingly egomaniac wife. The queen of nothing and everything, Kim Kardashian.
Endless photoshoots and collaborations with designers and fashion houses, Kanye and Kim or Kimye as the fans call them, have dominated the fashion scene as the ‘It’ couple. Really close friends with both Olivier Rousteing (creative director of Balmain) and Ricardo Tisci (creative director of Givenchy), Kimye even posed for the campaign of the fashion houses, thus connecting the history of two haute – couture fashion houses with the faces of a lunatic and a wannabe sex tape celebrity. This example, gives an idea of the ‘violation’ and the chaos these two have created in the fashion world. However, as we all guessed Kanye West did not stop there.
Collaborating with Adidas in 2015, he created a clothing line called ‘Yeezy’; more like “Jesus” when we got to see the collection. Long story short, oversized parkas, spanx, leggings, baggy hoodies and pants, all in neutral colors. Either way, in the New York Spring/Summer 2016 fashion week, Kanye presented the season 2 of Yeezy. Of course the hype for the show was vast, maybe the most talked show of the fashion week, and he also surprised the guests by cancelling it and then actually cancelling the cancelation; no comment. The show started, and everyone thought that there was probably a mistake since the collection seemed almost identical to the previous one. Nothing new, nothing fresh, only a very strictly coordinate color scheme of the models/clothes on the runway and of course Kanye West’s unreleased song. The show ended with the designer, Kanye – if that’s not another blasphemy to the fashion world - walking around triumphing for what he accomplished once more while Kim was applauding for the photographers in her best pose. A few hours later, fashion reports started being published; and that is the root of the problem.
Titles such as “Yeezy Season 2 is More of the Same, but That’s Not A Bad Thing” or “Yeezy Season 2: Takes Your Breath Away” bombarded the majority of the well known fashion websites, making you wonder “Am I missing something?”. The answer is no. You are not.
What is missing is actual journalism; actual opinion and harsh criticism. Most of these well known publication will definitely not go against Kanye West’s lunacy for many reasons. First of all, they want and need to sell copies.
By embracing Kanye West’s fashion show they expand their audience by having fans reading them as well as advertisement; we all know that advertisement always pays well enough. Secondly, who really wants to go against a tenacious stoner with such power and money as Kanye West? It would be a nightmare.Therefore, we have journalists such as Alec Leach, editor of HighSnobiety, not only supporting Kanye West’s fashion vision but also stating that the almost non progression that was witnessed at the show was the best choice he made as he is a new designer, experimenting with everything still. Specifically, it was argued that as a new designer he should be taking baby steps. The truth is, Alec Leach may just actually be that naïve and ‘celebrity-crazed’ brainwashed that he cannot see the untalented nature of the ‘God of music’ – and ‘God of fashion’ now -. However, as an editor of a ‘small’ online lifestyle news site he needs to attract more audience, thus conform to the majority’s opinion. This is actually an element in most of Alec Leach’s pieces of writing. Nothing fresh, nothing original just recycling the already recycled.
Thank God – No, Kanye I am not referring to you -, there are still journalists such as Cathy Horyn. who are even banned from fashion shows, she is banned from YSL and Giorgio Armani, they continue to express their true original opinion despite the fashion media fascism. Cathy Horyn’s pieces are defined by two things, raw honesty and humor. She does not conform to society’s norms and she doesn’t write things that people want to read. She writes what she actually sees and thinks. Nothing more, nothing less. Particularly, surfing through endless reviews of the Yeezy Season 2 show, she was the only on to have written lines such as “ This second round of drab, broken-down basics proved he can’t be taken seriously as a designer” or “ they [people] wouldn’t bother with this stuff if it were offered by an unknown, and if it’s the spectacle they seek, it changes as little as the clothes.” She was not writing something amazing or extraordinary; she was writing the truth. She was watching a show that looked almost identical to the previous one and she was not afraid to say it as that is the job of hers; a journalist. Truthfully, journalists such as Cathy Horyn are outnumbered in today’s society through the constant bombardment of Kanye West appraisal. They might not even be in the first articles to come up when you google “Yeezy Season 2 Review.” However, journalists and pieces such Cathy Horyn give you food for thought and to actually take a step back and form your own opinion in this media dictatorship.
So, is Kanye West fooling the fashion world or is the fashion world fooling us on behalf of him? It’s not really up to me to answer that. At the end of the day he could be God indeed, who knows.
