Designer Downfall

We can hardly imagine it anymore, but in the past, in the twentieth century, most fashion houses presented a new collection twice a year. One for winter and one for summer. Those shows were watched by journalists, buyers, and here and there a celeb, and when the respective season came around six months later, we – the general public – were only then informed of the new trends. We would look in fashion magazines and then go to the store to buy what we had seen in the magazines or something that looked like it. A handful of brands also had a haute couture division and showed four collections a year. That was it.

Fast forward to 2017 and most brands now often have a cruise and pre-fall collection in addition to their regular collections, and all those shows are streamed live on the internet by almost everyone present at the event, so that consumers are bombarded by hundreds of mini-broadcasters (the brand itself, journalists, models, bloggers, stars) with the new collection. Stars, models, bloggers, and all sorts of other influential types have access to the most striking signature pieces from the collections months in advance (sometimes even on the day of the show itself), and photos of those pieces circulate at lightning speed online.

From fashion designer to creative director

The responsibility for coming up with all these insta-friendly situations lies with the fashion designer, or ‘creative director’, as the job is called nowadays. Simply designing a few clothes would do the job a disservice. Because in addition to all those collections that need to be designed, multimedia concepts must be developed and there must be collaborations with celebs, models, and influencers to bind them to the brand. If possible, some co-labs should also be launched with trendy streetwear brands or large fashion chains, so that a new (insta) target audience can be tapped into. And simply sending a few clothes down the catwalk is really no longer enough; fashion shows have become full productions that are almost on par with the average musical, because that scores well on Instagram.

“Alexander McQueen struggled with a toxic cocktail of drug use and depression”

And ultimately, all this creative directing must lead to just one thing: sales. Because in this world, especially in this world, it ultimately comes down to one thing: money. So it's not surprising that the list of burned-out, exhausted, and disillusioned designers has grown in recent years. It started in 2010 with the tragic suicide of the brilliant Alexander McQueen, who designed for Givenchy in addition to his own brand. A toxic cocktail of the depression and drug use he struggled with, combined with the constant pressure to perform at the highest creative level, proved fatal for him. A year later, John Galliano fell from grace. The creative director of Dior was arrested in February 2011 when he hurled racist and anti-Semitic insults at the heads of an unsuspecting couple on a terrace in Le Marais. A media storm erupted, and less than three weeks later, Galliano was fired by Dior and disappeared from the scene for a long time to go to rehab. Since early 2015, he has returned as creative director of Maison Martin Margiela. And if they don't burn out themselves, it's often the big brands that unceremoniously push designers aside if they don't consistently perform at a high creative and commercial level. In 2013, Marc Jacobs left Louis Vuitton after sixteen years and was succeeded by Nicolas Ghesquière, who left Balenciaga and was succeeded by Alexander Wang, who in turn was replaced after a few seasons by Demna Gvasalia. Alber Elbaz was dismissed by Lanvin after fourteen years, and Yves Saint Laurent has had a true parade of designers in service since the retirement of the master in 1999: from Tom Ford through Stefano Pilati and Hedi Slimane to Anthony Vaccarello. Raf Simons joined Dior in 2012, but he himself threw in the towel in 2015 because he found the pressure to perform too high and wanted to focus on his own brand. He is now the creative director of Calvin Klein.

Top sport

Of course, there are also designers who have no problems at all. Or let's put it another way: there is one designer who has no problems at all, and that is, how could it be otherwise, the most hyperactive elderly person on earth: Karl Lagerfeld, who has been at the helm of Chanel for almost 35 years and annually churns out two prêt-à-porter, two haute couture, and two cruise/pre-fall collections. Oh, and in addition, he has been designing for Fendi for decades and has his own brand. In an interview on this subject with Women’s Wear Daily, he stated: ‘I have no problems with it, but not everyone has such dream teams doing all that work. It is part of our time, and there is no going back. For some people and smaller companies, it might become too much, but large brands like Chanel, Dior, and Vuitton are organized to handle this pace.’ According to Karl, designers shouldn't complain: ‘What I hate the most are designers who accept a well-paid job and then feel that too much is being asked of them and are afraid of burning out. It is a full-time job, not something you do on the side. Fashion is top sport nowadays, and so you will have to run.’

Consumer burn-out

But fitboy Karl is probably more of an exception than the rule, and not only designers are getting exhausted; as a consumer, it is also quite a challenge to keep up with everything. Many people are no longer able to do so. The hunger with which we used to wait to see what Miuccia or Karl would show us next has somewhat faded, because we know that two months later the next pre-fall, or cruise, or couture collection is already coming. Moreover, the fact that we have seen all those items on so many different media and worn by so many different celebrities leads to the worst enemy of fashion striking by the time they finally hit the stores: boredom. Then we no longer want them, because six months is simply too long for the modern consumer to wait for something that has already been seen so many times. Fashion must, after all, rely significantly on the fresh-for-the-eye factor.

Karl Lagerfeld:

“What I hate the most are designers who are afraid of burning out”

No one is hungry when they are constantly being fed, and we are starting to suffer from something that we could describe as fashion obesity. Additionally, the shock and awe effect of all those over-the-top shows where icebergs are shipped in from the North Pole (Chanel) or dozens of hot air balloons are released in a desert (Dior) is starting to wane. Because no matter how spectacular and beautiful those shows are, sometimes it is difficult to remember afterward which clothes were actually shown. And ultimately, the purpose of a show is to bring attention to the clothing. It even seems that the sales effectiveness of influencers and insta-models like Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and their ilk is diminishing. Followers and fans are not stupid, and if a star associates with too many brands or with brands that do not suit them or that are simply seen everywhere, they lose interest. Moreover, the peak in this regard was definitively reached this year when Dolce & Gabbana did not have their last two collections shown by models, but by an army of famous people; from bloggers and celebrity kids to minor royalty. No one needs to try to top that.

Quo vadis?

Where is this going? There are several scenarios. Some brands and designers are stepping out of the rat race. The prime example in this area is Azzedine Alaïa. The great little Tunisian with the most loyal clientele in the world has not done shows since the nineties. He showcases his consistently stunning craftsmanship whenever it suits him, usually for a select audience in his studio. He rarely shows images of that on Instagram, he does not advertise, and he does not have a stable of insta-models and other it-girls to serve as his billboard. Other brands like Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger are trying to bring order to the chaos by implementing the see now, buy now principle to break the fashion jet lag we are collectively suffering from. No more months of waiting, but see, click, and buy. And there are also large brands that dare to take risks by giving their creative director the time to quietly build something. Alessandro Michele was a total unknown to the general public when he became the creative director of Gucci almost three years ago. He came up with a completely new vision for the brand, and it seems he may stay for a while (the fact that his designs are an instant success undoubtedly contributes to that). But many young designers do not have the luxury of a clientele built up over forty years, and only large brands like Burberry can afford a shift to the see now, buy now principle and the logistical puzzle that comes with it. In the near future, fashion will, in the words of Karl Lagerfeld, remain top sport for a while longer. Also for us.

Written by: Stefanie Bottelier