Carolina Herrera Creative Director Wes Gordon Shares His Life Lessons

Harpers Bazaar Arabia

5 days ago

His gowns have glammed-up red carpets across the globe since he took hold of the creative reigns of Carolina Herrera at age 31, seven years ago. Today, Wes Gordon gives Bazaar Arabia a backstage pass into his fashionable family life…
Is it more important to be liked or respected?
Respected. Of course, ideally both, but relationships are always built on a foundation of respect.
What book changed your life?
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I read it in high school and it confirmed in me my desire to go to art school.
What did your last Spotify Wrapped look like?
My what?!?
What's your greatest extravagance?
Family vacations. I love exploring new places, culture, art, food with my family and spending as much time with them as possible. Perhaps that is not an extravagance but rather a necessity.
What trait do you admire most in others?
Kindness.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My inability to speak more than one language fluently. When we did our show in Rio de Janeiro in 2023, I was so touched by the warmth and the kindness of its people. I wish I could have communicated with them in Portuguese. I am trying to learn Spanish as we speak for our upcoming show in Madrid.
What do you most value in your friends?
Wit. Joy and laughter are so important for your health.
What is your motto?
Be kind. Kindness is the most important motto that I try to instill in my children.
What does success mean to you?
Discovering what brings you joy and being rewarded for it. I feel very lucky that I wake up every day excited to come into work and that I get to collaborate with the most brilliant team and have the chance to create beauty.
What's your most treasured possession?
My family – they bring me so much joy every day.
What inspires you most about your job?
The opportunity to create beauty. The world does not need more things. This is why what I do is important; we create and design pieces that are bold, beautiful, and special. Pieces that speak emotionally to the Herrera woman. I want them to feel their most beautiful and confident, and that they can wear Herrera and make any occasion feel special.
What's your guiltiest pleasure?
Ice cream. It is hard to pass by an ice cream shop and not pop in for a scoop. Now, I have my son as my accomplice.
If you could be anyone else, who would it be?
There's nobody else I'd rather be.
Who are your heroes?
Good parents – they are shaping the future.
What would you ban?
Fast fashion.
What experience taught you most about life?
Fatherhood. Nothing could have prepared me for welcoming our children into our lives, but it has been the singular most important chapter in my life.
What would you tell your younger self?
To stop worrying about what other people think. When I was studying at Central Saint Martins, it was the time of punk and grunge, an aesthetic that was never my style but that I appreciated. My sensibility has always been about the pursuit of beauty. Over the years I've learnt that it is important that I stayed true to my own North Star.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Self-deprivation. It is never a good thing to deny yourself of something you might love or enjoy. It is better to consider things in moderation.