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Business of Fashion
2 days ago
- Business
- Business of Fashion
Delphine Arnault Confirms Jonathan Anderson's Dior Takeover
ROME — Delphine Arnault is buoyant as she explains the logic behind one of LVMH's highest-stakes designer appointments in years: former Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson will succeed Maria Grazia Chiuri at Christian Dior, putting the women's and men's sides of the group's second-biggest fashion label — and French national treasure — under a single creative director for the first time since Monsieur Dior himself. We are having breakfast in Rome, where the next day Chiuri staged what would prove to be her final runway spectacular for Dior, but Arnault's mind is already sharply focused on reviving the fortunes of a brand that quadrupled revenue from €2.2 billion ($2.5 billion) in 2017 to €9 billion in 2023, according to estimates from HSBC, before being hit hard by a sharp slowdown in luxury demand. Delphine, the eldest child of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault and Dior's chief executive, has been schooled in the luxury business for more than 20 years. Right from her early days working at Dior, where she spent 12 years before moving to LVMH stablemate Louis Vuitton for a decade-long stint as executive vice president overseeing product-related activities, she has taken a particular interest in cultivating relationships with creative talents in the industry. In 2014, she founded the LVMH Prize, which has become the industry's most prestigious award for emerging designers. When she first met Jonathan Anderson in a small apartment he had rented near the Gare du Nord in Paris about thirteen years ago, she was struck by his creativity and clarity of vision. Shortly thereafter, in 2013, the group took a minority stake in his fledgling JW Anderson label and appointed him creative director of the Spanish leather goods brand Loewe, founded in 1846. Loewe had a rich heritage in craft, but had failed to gain commercial traction under LVMH's ownership following its acquisition in 1996. Anderson transformed Loewe from a sleepy heritage brand without a clear fashion vision into one of the luxury industry's most desirable, culturally relevant labels. Building everything around his personal obsession with craft, which became the defining purpose for the brand, he established a consistent brand framework, created with longtime collaborators M/M Paris, that seemed to elevate and amplify whatever he put inside. The Puzzle bag, launched in 2015, became an instant brand icon, leveraging Loewe's deep expertise in leather goods manufacturing. He established the Loewe Foundation Craft Prize in 2016 to celebrate and support contemporary craft. And his Loewe fashion shows became one of the highlights of Paris Fashion Week, pushing forward his creativity while showcasing his talent for curating artists, celebrities and other cultural figures. During Anderson's eleven-year tenure, Loewe's estimated annual revenues grew from around €200 million to more than €1.5 billion, according to market sources. Mission accomplished. But to retain an energetic and ambitious designer like Anderson, Arnault knew she needed to give him a new challenge. In April, Mr. Arnault, in response to a question at LVMH's annual shareholders meeting, unexpectedly confirmed one of fashion's worst-kept secrets: that Anderson would be taking on the creative leadership of Dior's men's collections. Anderson was already in the process of assembling a team and preparing for his Dior Homme debut on June 27 during the Paris menswear shows. Dior will skip the Haute Couture shows in July, meaning we won't get a glimpse of Anderson's vision for womenswear until Oct 1, during what is shaping up to be a historic and hyper-competitive fashion month which will also feature designer debuts at Chanel and Gucci, as well as at Balenciaga, Loewe, Bottega Veneta, Versace and Jil Sander, as a number of top brands recast their creative leadership to help bolster sales in a difficult luxury market 'Having worked within the LVMH group for over a decade, I'm deeply grateful for the trust and support Bernard Arnault and Delphine Arnault have given me over the years, allowing me to develop my voice as both a designer and a leader,' told BoF in a brief written statement. 'Their decision to appoint me as creative director of Dior is the ultimate expression of that trust, and I'm incredibly humbled and honoured by this opportunity.' 'Jonathan Anderson is one of the greatest creative talents of his generation. His incomparable artistic signature will be a crucial asset in writing the next chapter of the history of the House of Dior,' added Bernard Arnault. No doubt. But Anderson surely has his work cut out for him. In revenue terms, Dior is about four times the size of Loewe so his new job comes with a significant increase in scale and responsibility. Anderson will go from designing nine collections per year at Loewe to 10 collections per year at Dior, including, for his first time, two haute couture collections. His sprawling remit for Dior will come on top of his responsibilities at JW Anderson, where he will continue to design six collections per year, according to the brand's chief executive, Jenny Galimberti. While there will be no JW Anderson shows in 2025, the brand will be hosting a number of events and presentations, and will reveal a new go-to-market strategy in July focused on local craft and making. Then there's also the ongoing JW Anderson collaboration with Uniqlo, which is another two collections per year. That's a total of 18 collections per year, meaning Anderson is set to become the industry's most prolific, multi-tasking designer since Karl Lagerfeld. What's more, Anderson is joining Dior at a challenging moment. Sales at LVMH's fashion and leather goods group, which houses Louis Vuitton and Dior, were down 5 percent in the first quarter of 2025, missing analyst expectations. While LVMH does not break out performance by brand, chief financial officer Cécile Cabanis said in the company's most recent earnings call that Dior performed 'slightly below' the division average. Bernstein analyst Luca Solca estimates that sales at Dior were down mid- to low- teens in Q1 2025, a significant deceleration after years of unprecedented expansion. Like its main rival Chanel, Dior is contending with a value-for-money issue after implementing some of the industry's most aggressive price hikes. Between 2020 and 2023, Chanel's prices rose 59 percent on average, while Dior raised prices by an average of 51 percent, according to analysis by Bernstein. Some customers seem to have rejected the price increases and become tired of the ubiquity of luxury fashion, and are focusing more of their spend on travel, hospitality and fine jewellery. Can Anderson do for Dior what he did for Loewe? There's no doubt it's a mammoth job. But Arnault contends that his unique blend of creativity and cultural intelligence, his proven ability to design commercially successful luxury products and his experience in leading and inspiring creative teams makes him the obvious choice to write Dior's next chapter. The Logic Behind the Appointment Imran Amed: I think what everyone's really interested in understanding is the thinking behind your decision. When you're picking a designer for a brand as important as Dior and you decide on someone like Jonathan, what thinking goes into that? Why is he the right choice? Delphine Arnault: Jonathan was the obvious choice. I think he's the most talented designer of his generation. I remember going to see his collection in Paris, near Gare du Nord in this little flat on the fourth floor with no elevator. I rang at the door, and there he was. That was maybe 13 or 14 years ago. I'd never heard of him before, but even then, at maybe 24 years old, he was incredibly sharp — very talkative, super smart, and full of ideas. He's still like that today. What he's done at Loewe is remarkable. He may only be 40 years old, but for his age he brings a lot of experience. Dior is a very big house, and he'll have big teams to manage. We have the best ateliers, both in haute couture and ready-to-wear, and he's going to have to work with very large teams. That requires real skill. At Loewe, the team isn't as large, but he's proved he knows how to build and manage teams, how to bring people together, and how to choose the right collaborators. It's a gift. It's not the same to manage a small team at a small brand and arrive at a place where you have to manage a lot of people. We've talked a lot. I think I haven't missed a Loewe show — maybe one — but you know, I've been following his path for a long time. I love finding new talents, and I was a big supporter of his talent early on. My father was also involved in the choice of Jonathan, of course. He's been also following his work and seeing him often throughout the years. Jonathan is also very loyal. He stayed 11 years at Loewe, even though I'm sure that he had many [other] propositions. For all these reasons he's the perfect choice for Dior. IA: So, how and when will we start to see Jonathan's vision for Dior come to life? DA: Jonathan already started — he began working on men's in February. Even though we didn't announce it formally, my father mentioned it at the assemblée générale in April — that it had started back in February. Everyone's very excited, and there's a new energy in the men's teams. You can feel his vision. You know him too — he's someone with a very clear vision. He's passionate about Dior. I don't want to speak for him, but from his side, Dior was always close to his heart. When I spoke to him about what he might do after Loewe, Dior was the house he connected with most deeply. In many ways, he shares similarities with Monsieur Dior, who loved art — he was a gallerist. Jonathan is also passionate about art and has done many collaborations with artists throughout his career. He also loves gardening and flowers, like Monsieur Dior. And he's quite superstitious too — Monsieur Dior was as well. The day we signed the contract, Jonathan actually signed at 2:00 a.m. because he didn't like the date, so he waited for it to change to the next day. IA: Aha, he wanted a contract date that he thought was more auspicious! What about shows? DA: He's going to have many shows — it's a big rhythm. His first presentation of the women's vision will be the ready-to-wear show on October 1st in Paris. Then of course, there will be the haute couture show in January. But his first official show for Dior is only a few weeks away. It will be on June 27th, where he'll unveil his first men's collection — so that's also very exciting. One Designer, 'One Dior' IA: You mentioned the men's show, which is interesting because this is the first time at Dior that there will be a single designer doing men's and women's. It's always been two separate designers. This is the first time you're bringing it under one designer. It's a really big job. DA: It's the first time since Monsieur Dior himself, because he did a little menswear — ties, etcetera. So yes, it's the first time since Christian Dior. Of course, it's a big role, but for our maison, I believe it brings more consistency — in the product and in the communication. It's a good thing to have more coherence, and to have one designer, one vision for the house. It is a lot of work, I can see that. He will have many shows and a lot of collections to work on. But he has an amazing team. We truly have ateliers that are exceptional — the best in the world. He's going to work closely with them. IA: The 'One Dior' strategy is something that you've been working on for some time. Not only to achieve alignment between the men's and women's fashion collections, but also alignment with Dior beauty. Can you explain 'One Dior' and why it is important for you as CEO? DA: I think that the consumer doesn't know that there's a CEO of fashion and a CEO of beauty. For the consumer, Dior is one brand. Whether you see a makeup ad, a perfume ad, or a fashion ad — it's all Dior. So I think the 'One Dior' strategy is very important. That's also why we have Olivier [Bialobos], who's in charge of 'One Dior' and ensuring coherence across the communications. But if I go back to the fashion side of Dior, I think it's going to bring a lot of coherence — in the products, in the communications, in the windows. It's a lot of work. We still need to see what he's going to create, but I think he wants to bring more coherence across the collections. It's very interesting to see what he's drawn to, what interests him in the history of the brand, and to see how he'll bring those codes back into modernity. From what I've already seen on men's, it's very impressive what he's doing. Obviously, we have a lot of icons that he's really passionate about. He loves the Lady Dior [handbag], for example. He's been spending a lot of time in the archives — not just looking at what Christian Dior created, but also what all the other designers have contributed. It's not only about ready-to-wear or haute couture, but also shoes, with Roger Vivier. IA: Would you give him the opportunity to reinterpret some of these icons? When you say he's really interested in the Lady Dior, is there an opportunity for him to put his own twist on them? DA: Yes, as you know, we've always given our designers — our artistic directors — a lot of freedom in terms of creativity. It's really one of the key traits of LVMH: to give a lot of liberty and trust to our artistic directors. I'm excited to see what his full vision is going to be, because he only started a couple of months ago. I think the whole company is excited. And also the clients. Closing the Maria Grazia Chapter IA: I want to talk about clients in a minute, but before we do that — this moment clearly closes a chapter for Dior with Maria Grazia. And on reflection, it's been a pretty remarkable chapter. The business has grown substantially under her leadership. It was also the first time a woman designed for Dior. As a woman CEO, with the two of you leading the growth of this business, what do you think Maria Grazia's legacy is at Dior — and what did it mean to have a woman designing for this brand? DA: I really [want to] thank Maria Grazia so much. She impresses me every day. She's very strong, very passionate, and has such a clear vision. She developed the collections at Dior in a way that was truly remarkable, as you said. She put women at the centre of her work. For the first time, women had a voice, and also the women artists. I remember her first show. I was sitting next to Jennifer Lawrence and she already had the J'Adior shoes and the jeans and the t-shirt and the bar jacket that was with an easier fit. And you know, when you see things for the first time — because at the time I was working at Vuitton — it takes a minute, like hearing a song for the first time that you know you're going to love. And I remember thinking, 'Wow, this is so cool.' It was such a new way to present Dior. She continued to develop that with a very clear idea of what she wanted to do, empowering women, empowering women artists, empowering women photographers. She's really done so much for her house. She really has a vision. I really admire her and really loved working with her. She's super inspiring. IA: What changes now? Because once again, it's a man designing the women's collection. Maria Grazia had a real connection with women — and with a very strong, diverse female customer base. How do you make sure that connection is preserved? DA: Maria Grazia created a beautiful body of work and did so much for women. And Jonathan designs both womenswear and menswear. He also has many women in his team. As you know, when you have a studio, you have designers across all categories — bags, ready-to-wear, haute couture, shoes — and each category often has its own dedicated designers. It's a collective effort. There are also many women who inspire him. And yes, of course, it will be different — but I think that's what's interesting. And it's also my responsibility, as CEO, to know when it's time for change — and to make that change happen. IA: It took some time for all of this to be revealed ... the news had been circulating in the industry for a while — there was a lot of speculation that these changes were happening. Why did you decide to announce things in stages? Why did it take so long? DA: It's a good question. Well, we talked a lot with Maria Grazia, and we thought that it would be great for her last show to take place in Rome, her hometown. I think for her, it means a lot personally. She wanted it to be something joyful and so we agreed that we would announce that she decided to leave after her show in Rome — and not before. So out of respect for her, we decided to do that. That's why it took a little bit of time. What Luxury Customers Want IA: The luxury industry is experiencing a sharp downturn, as luxury customers' preferences are changing. From your perspective, how are they changing? What are luxury customers — particularly women — looking for now? DA: You know, in every industry, you have cycles. And it's in the tougher moments that big innovations or inventions happen. If you take the history of Christian Dior — the New Look was created in 1947, after the war. It was something totally new. So I think that, yes, big inventions often come during these cycles. As for the luxury customer — it's hard to generalise — but I think they're looking for authenticity. Quality is something that's extremely important: quality in the manufacturing, in the products. And also, having products that are iconic. We have a lot of iconic products, like the Bar jacket, the Lady Dior, just to name a few. So yes, everything moves in cycles, and I'm sure new things are going to be invented and created. IA: What is it that Jonathan offers for this critical moment when the industry needs innovation and creativity? DA: You know him very well. He's very in tune with his generation. He's very connected — especially with young people. He speaks to a wide audience. He's passionate about craft, about art — and he's proven that at Loewe. I think he's also going to surprise you, and everyone… and even me, maybe! I can't say too much about what he's going to do, but I think his vision, his passion for craft, and also for leather goods — is going to be something very exciting in the years to come. And you know, when you have a creative change, it always takes a little bit of time to really see the new vision, the new direction for a designer. As I was saying earlier with the first show of Maria Grazia — the T-shirt, the jeans, the Bar jacket — it takes a couple of seasons. You don't necessarily understand it immediately. But when you look back at all her collections, you start to understand it better. IA: One thing that's become a touchpoint for the industry is pricing. There's a lot of pushback from customers now. Brands like Dior have increased their prices a lot over the last few years. Have we reached a limit on that? DA: Yes, I agree with you. The pricing strategy is a big question. I think that prices can be increased if you have an increase in quality as well, an improvement in the product. So if you increase the quality of your product, you can increase the price. Now, there is also some inflation in the cost of materials. The production costs are higher every year. The leather costs more, as well as the metallic accessories. There's always inflation in different parts of the product. It's up to every house to decide what to do as a pricing. For us, I think, increasing pricing should be linked to an increase in quality. And recently we've had some new people come to Dior, to focus on this. We have [Deputy CEO] Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou, whom I worked with at Vuitton. He arrived at Dior on April 15. We also have a new industrial director Nicolas Carré who comes from Louis Vuitton, and chief industrial officer Giorgio Striano looking over all the activities. Of course, Jonathan is also going to bring a lot of newness with his creativity. It's hard to speak about his creations, I think he should speak about it, it's going to be better said that way. IA: Earlier, you said all industries have cycles. In your view, is the current issue cyclical, or is there also a structural issue in the way the luxury industry works that needs to be addressed? DA: I'm very optimistic about the future, and about this new direction and vision that Jonathan is bringing — especially in terms of connecting with customers. As I was saying earlier, it's all about the product — but stores are also extremely important. The service, the decoration of the stores — it's all part of the mix. We're opening a store in New York in July, on the corner of Madison and 57th. That's going to be a very big message for the American market. It will be a beautiful store, almost the size of the Avenue Montaigne store. We're also opening a store on Rodeo Drive in September — so this year, in terms of retail, is really the year of the American market for Dior. Having those stores — like Avenue Montaigne, and the new ones in New York and Rodeo Drive — is extremely important for the development of our maison. They give a full vision of the brand: the men's collection, the women's collection, perfume, jewellery, and even some restaurants. It's where you really understand the full Dior universe. And I think the attention to service, the way you're welcomed into the store — is going to be very, very important for us. You know, Dior still has very big potential. The name alone is magical. Jean Cocteau said: 'ce nom magique qui melange Dieu et or' IA: A mix of god and gold? DA: Yes, Dior is a magical name that is known all over the world. We've grown a lot, but there's still a lot more growth potential at Dior. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholders' documentation guaranteeing BoF's complete editorial independence.
Fashion United
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion United
Creative direction reshuffle: Does the trust between CEO and creative director have an expiration date?
With Maria Grazia Chiuri's departure from Dior now official, new appointments are anticipated. It seems as though all that is missing is the station master's whistle and the call of 'all aboard' to begin this latest journey towards a new creative direction in luxury fashion. We are witnessing a continuous reshuffling of creative directors; only a few weeks ago, news broke that Pierpaolo Piccioli, after years at the helm of Valentino–eight of these alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri, who left the brand in 2016 to join Dior–was moving to Balenciaga (Kering). A year prior, Alessandro Michele took the creative lead at Valentino, after Piccioli's departure in 2024. Michele left Gucci in 2022, subsequently replaced by Sabato De Sarno, who served as the Florentine brand's creative director from 2023 to February 2025, shortly before Demna Gvasalia's appointment. Gvasalia, in turn, vacated the position at Balenciaga, which was then 'assigned' to Piccioli. We'll stop here, but the merry-go-round of appointments in recent months has, of course, been much more extensive. It is perhaps worth remembering the arrival of Dutch designer Duran Lantink as the new permanent creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier, perhaps one of the few truly new entries into the Olympus of fashion in recent times. Not that Lantink is a novice; on the contrary, the designer, already shortlisted for the LVMH Prize in 2019 and winner of this year's Woolmark Prize, has designed pieces for artists such as Beyonce, Doja Cat, Paris Hilton, Billie Eilish, and Solange. Let's just say he's a fresher name. Sabato De Sarno Credits: Courtesy of Gucci, ph Riccardo Raspa The question that arises at this moment, however, is not so much whether in fashion, as in cinema, there is a famous 'inner circle' of names that move from one label to another yet always remain in the spotlight at one brand or another, but how much this sometimes frantic alternation can really contribute to the growth of brands. Or whether it contributes to the loss of the label's DNA and the partial recycling of loyal customers (who no longer recognise themselves in the brand), rather than a real expansion of the target audience, which is what, hopefully, the top management of the brands that move creative directors from one brand to another are aiming for. There is no shortage of choice, given that in LVMH's fashion and leather goods division alone, there are Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Celine, Loewe, Kenzo, Givenchy, Fendi, Emilio Pucci, Marc Jacobs, Berluti, Loro Piana, Rimowa and Patou; while Kering today has, in the fashion segment, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, McQueen and Brioni. Kering deputy CEO: 'There must be mutual trust between CEO and creative director' In this regard, on May 22 in Milan, during the Changemakers in luxury fashion meeting, organised by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) and Zalando, Francesca Bellettini, Kering's deputy CEO, stressed: 'There must be mutual trust between the CEO and creative director, but each must have their role with mutual respect.' In complex times like the ones luxury is going through, brands must be true to their DNA and 'generate appeal and desirability thanks to creative directors'. But this trust, instead of consolidating over time, season after season, seems undermined in a short time and influenced by a turnover that, these days, has to do with the crisis, weak demand and the complicated geopolitical situation. Even the authenticity, transparency and coherence demanded by consumers and mentioned just two days ago by Matteo Lunelli, president of Altagamma, during the foundation's shareholders' meeting, do not always seem to be at the top of the list of priorities for brands. Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Balenciaga Credits: Courtesy of Kering and Balenciaga, ph David Sims Demna Credits: Courtesy of Kering This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
Fashion United
08-05-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
Major fire devastates Ecco Leather factory in Dongen
In the night from May 4 to 5, the leather factory of Ecco Leather in Dongen, the Netherlands, was completely destroyed by a very large fire. The entire complex, including production and storage halls, went up in flames. This was reported by the local press, including the Brabants Dagblad and Omroep Brabant. The first flames were observed at the building on the Vierbundersweg around 21:45 CEST. The fire brigade allowed the building to burn down in a controlled manner and had the fire under control around 5:30 CEST. Little to nothing of the 14,000 square metre building remains. It is not clear how the fire at Ecco Leather started. The fire means the loss of the last tannery in the municipality of Dongen — a village with a rich history in the field of leather processing. Mayor Hans Slagboom speaks of a great loss for the community: 'The soul of Dongen suffers if the tannery disappears,' the mayor told Omroep Brabant. He hopes that Ecco will rebuild the factory. According to the Brabant Historical Information Centre, Dongen had seven tanneries in 1816. The favourable location near cattle breeding areas made the village an important player in the leather industry. In 1891, there were 85 active tanneries. After the crisis years of the previous century, that number quickly decreased, until eventually only one remained: Ecco Leather. Ecco Leather: An innovative tannery Founded in 1991, Ecco Leather started out as part of the Danish footwear brand Ecco. Today, the tannery operates as a separate division. The company develops over a thousand unique types of leather each year and employs over 1,750 people worldwide. Ecco Leather is known in the fashion and footwear industry for its innovative approach to leather production, with a focus on sustainability and technical development. Ecco Leather has leather factories in the Netherlands, Thailand, Indonesia and China and works with customers and partners all over the world. The factory in Dongen played an important role in this as a knowledge centre and production location. The leather factory is known for its progressive approach to production, both in terms of design and sustainability. In 2020, the organisation collaborated with Bonne Suits for a series of made-to-order leather suits. Ecco Leather is also a partner of the Dutch fashion company and LVMH Prize finalist Zomer. Whether the company has plans to rebuild the factory is not yet known. In a message to FashionUnited, Ecco Leather states: "We are now fully focused on our employees and resuming our operations so that we can continue to serve our consumers around the world." Response from Schoenenkwartier: 'Deep traces' The destruction of the factory affects the broader creative and craft sector. From Waalwijk, the Schoenenkwartier reports that it is deeply affected. On LinkedIn, the organization writes: 'The fire at Ecco Leather BV in Dongen has left deep scars. A place where years of work have been done on leather innovation and craftsmanship has been destroyed in a short time. Ecco is part of our partner program — a collaboration in which we greatly value their vision on material, sustainability and design. The team and volunteers of the Schoenenkwartier in Waalwijk express their support to the entire team of Ecco Leather. In the creative industry, we are connected.' A look from Zomer's SS25 collection in collaboration with Ecco Leather during Paris Fashion Week. Credits: ©Launchmetrics/spotlight This article was amended on Wednesday, May 7 at 11:50am. More information was added following a response from Ecco Leather. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
South China Morning Post
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Interview with Susan Fang: on the fashion designer's flowy and colourful looks that evoke a pastoral innocence, and her Dolce & Gabbana collaboration at Milan Fashion Week
In an industry as cutthroat as fashion, where profit margins take precedence over personality and greed often wins out over generosity, Susan Fang – both the designer and her eponymous brand – feels like a breath of fresh air. Long fascinated by her ethereal designs, which I can only describe as looking and feeling like billowy, colourful cotton candy sculptures come to life, I'm pleased to find Fang is equally effusive, energetic and bubbly in person when we catch up during her recent visit to Hong Kong with Cocktail Select Shop, a bohemian-esque boutique with locations across the city. A sample of Susan Fang's billowy, cotton candy-esque designs. Photo: Handout 'Actually a lot of the brands here, I also like myself,' Fang muses in the middle of Cocktail's Pacific Place store, surrounded by dozens of her floral fairy-tale creations – a fitting setting for the woman who has infused fresh new magic into the term boho chic. 'Even as a student, I've always liked to go to really selective shops that show craft – brands that have a lot of storytelling and emotion. It's not about luxury as a status.' Advertisement Storytelling and emotion, inspired by the designer's immediate surroundings growing up – a vast array of cultural influences acquired across years spent everywhere from the United States to the United Kingdom, Canada and mainland China – inform the nomadic, nymphlike beauty which the Susan Fang brand has become so well-known for. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, Fang launched her eponymous brand in 2017 and was shortlisted for the LVMH Prize a mere two years later. Now based in London, the designer travels frequently to Shanghai, where she also staged regular runway shows before making her Milan Fashion Week debut earlier this year, supported by Dolce & Gabbana's young designers programme – alumni of which include talented contemporaries like Tomo Koizumi and Sohee Park of Miss Sohee. A model wears a striped knit top and a gauzy, flowerlike skirt by Susan Fang. Photo: Handout 'We really wanted to show the story that's true to our hearts,' Fang says of the brand's autumn/winter 2025 collection, which was inspired by the invisible element of air in nature – the designer's signature 'air-weave and 'air-whirl' techniques minimise waste by using small strips of fabric to create her voluminous silhouettes – juxtaposed with the similarly intangible quality of our memories. Several stand-out looks, including one showstopping rainbow number which encapsulates the lightness and lightweight airiness of the brand, played on this motif by floating down the runway in a mesmerising blur or appearing suspended in mid-air. Susan Fang made her Milan Fashion Week debut earlier this year through Dolce & Gabbana's young designers programme. Photo: Dolce & Gabbana 'Even in this luxury world, we can still connect with something that's very pure,' says Fang, who certainly speaks with a kind of purity and childlike innocence which feels enviable. It's that exact same play on purity – of fashion, fabrics, the essence of nature and human nature – which has quietly fuelled her meteoric rise over the years. 'Our Milan show was about the happiness of memories that creates us,' the designer says of the collection's various prints, which were recreations of her mother's own paintings. 'So we connected with my mom's memories, Chinese arts and cultural memories. It's about embracing the moment and appreciating all the memories in our past from our parents or people we love that become a powerful part of us.' Susan Fang's Milan show was inspired by the theme of memories. Photo: Dolce & Gabbana In that sense, Fang's heritage serves as more than just fodder for future collections – it's an invisible string which firmly establishes the designer's own place in the pantheon of her culture and the longer lineage of artists who have preceded her. Like dreams passed down from generation to generation, Fang's designs are living proof that the simplest things are often the most difficult to achieve; her deceivingly carefree creations are far from effortless, but instead testament to the technical know-how and artistry she's inherited and built upon.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alexandre Vauthier Out at Namesake Brand: Sources
PARIS — It seems no designer is immune to the ongoing great shuffle — not even those with their names on the door. According to industry sources, French designer Alexandre Vauthier has been pushed out of his 16-year-old namesake brand. More from WWD Meet the Eight Finalists of the 2025 LVMH Prize What Happens When Melania Trump Wears Your $11,000 Coat and No One Tells You David's Bridal Debuts Diffusion Line With Amazon Storefront U.S.-based retailer Revolve, which purchased the brand out of administration in June, declined to comment. Vauthier, an ESMOD graduate who cut his teeth at the side of Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier, launched his couture house in 2009 and received the 'haute couture' appellation in 2014. He became one of the red carpet's go-to couturiers thanks to unabashed glamour that telegraphed a strong, confident female character. In addition to his couture line, the designer parlayed his volumes, fabric developments and embellishments into more readily reproducible ready-to-wear variations on his daywear tailoring and sultry evening looks. Despite a roster of A-list wearers that included Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Rihanna and French First Lady Brigitte Macron, the company joined a long list of smaller independent brands faced with slow payments from retailers, political and economic uncertainty, and lingering effects from the COVID-19 pandemic. After defaulting in November 2023, the brand subsequently filed for court protection with the Paris commercial court in February 2024. It went into receivership later that month, seeking buyers. According to French court documents, a joint offer was made by Chinese businessman Zhong Sun and the American e-tailer, a longtime stockist of the French label. After Zhong pulled out of the bidding, Revolve purchased the company in June, pledging to invest a total of 6 million euros to relaunch the brand. Vauthier was permitted by the French court to retain a stake of up to 20 percent. In its annual report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in February, Revolve indicated that the acquisition was made through L.A. Rive Droite, a newly incorporated French joint stock company. It also mentioned that a July shareholder's agreement with Vauthier saw the designer transfer all intellectual properties and rights relating to the business in return for a 20 percent stake and voting rights in the new company. Revolve indicated that the total acquisition cost of the purchase was $500,000 'and primarily related to legal fees.' The brand, which sat out the spring and fall couture seasons in 2024, returned off-schedule to the runway in January with an understated couture lineup that had only hints of Vauthier's erstwhile party-ready exuberance. Ready-to-wear relaunched for spring 2025 on a revamped e-commerce site under the 'Vauthier Paris' moniker, with a new logo and oblique references to a namesake designer. Best of WWD Bottega Veneta Through the Years Chanel's Ambassadors Over The Years Ranking Fashion's Longest-serving Creative Directors
