Fashion Designer Restructuring
With the Fall shows completed, the Designer shuffle has begun. Fashion labels seek to refresh their brands with new visions and designers pursue new avenues to flex their creative muscles. Who is moving where and when and what does it all mean?
Lanvin: Alber Ebaz – OUT; Bouchra Jarrar – IN
For 14 years, Alber Ebaz has brought elegance and sophistication to Lanvin, yet from last October, Ebaz was driven out from the label. A bigger surprise after this news was that it took just five months for an announcement on Ebaz’s replacement to be made. On March 11th, the house confirmed Bouchra Jarrar would be coming on board as its new womenswear designer.
Bouchra Jarrar certainly has the credentials to replace Ebaz, already having stints at Jean Paul Gautier, at Balenciaga under Nicholas Ghesquie’re and at Christian LeCroix Couture. She earned the Haute Couture designation in 2013 which is an appropriate mark for the woman who will take over Lanvin, the oldest couture house continually in existence in Paris, into the future.
The two designers certainly have contrasting design traits. Jarrar has a vision of polished elegance which is a bit of a departure from the draped designs and seamless garment of Ebaz. She will bring a modern edge to the house of Lanvin. Her focus is sharp and is a master of cuts and fabric. Elaborate embroidaries of crystals and feathers show her penchant for luxury.
YSL: Hedi Slimane – OUT; Anthony Vaccarello – IN
The speculation of Hedi Slimane’s departure from YSL has circulating for months. But it was just last month (March 31st) that it was officially announces, then four days later Anthony Vaccarello was named Creative Director at the house.
Vaccarello has been heading his own house for the past year, as well as working at Fendi for several years. He is renowned for his precise attention to deatil and his strong, sensual clothes for women. He is the sixth RTW designer to take the helm at YSL, joining a rather notable list that inclused Mr Slimane, Tom Ford, Alber Ebaz and Stefano Pilati.
Hedi Slimane’s indie-rock, LA style brought a hipness to the label and proved quite effective at mixing a street-style sensibility with luxe overtones, Vaccarello on the other hand, has a slightly softer, sexier and more Parisian style. A prote’ge’ of Donatella Versace, he is no stranger to rock galm, which should offer a natural progression of the house DNA. His trademark sexy, seductive looks reflect a touch of masculinity and a chic minimalism. If it is true that sex sells, Anthony Vaccarello’s vision should start the registers ringing for YSL.
Still to be revealed:
Dior: Raf Simons – OUT; TBA – IN
Back in October, Raf Simons surprised the fashion world with the news that he would be leaving Dior. Simons, praised with drving sales at Dior with his fresh and modern take on the full skirts, bar jackets and florals that mark Dior’s legacy romantic looks is suspected to be planning to grow his own menswear label. To date no successor has been announced but since his departure, Serge Ruffieux and Lucie Meiler have done respectable turns with the Spring and Fall 2016 collections.
Calvin Klein: Francisco Costa & Italo Zucchelli – OUT; Raf Simmons (TBC) – IN
After months of speculation, Calvin Klein Collection creative directors Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli are leaving the company as part of a new global creative strategy unifying all Calvin Klein brands under one creative vision.
The move paves the way for Raf Simons, who left his role as Creative Director of Christian Dior women’s in October 2015 – to take the creative reins at Calvin Klein, an appointment that has been widely rumoured for several months.
It remains to be seen how Simons may approach a new creative directorship at another major conglomerate. From an aedthetic standpoint, the designer’s energetic take on minimalism might well be a better fit at Calvin Klein than it was at Dior. Simons, who continues to operate his namesake menswear line, will present his Spring/ Summer 2017 menswear collection at Pitti Uomo in June.