Leveridged

Season after season, fashion enthusiasts and spectators gather eagerly to see the new collections. Excitedly waiting to see what’s in, what’s out, who’s in and who’s out, as we’ve come to understand fashion to be a revolving door.

There is always something taking charge, leading centre stage, influencing the sartorial tides, and for that, we look to the many brands and creative teams to see whose creative impact has the strongest message. Fashion is fueled by culture, society, economy, gender and geography. Looking at these elements collectively helps intellectualise seasonal trends, with creative directors providing pictorial references. Their vision helps ease our understanding of the world around us by combining depth with design, which is why it holds significance.

In a world of complex beauty and industry, Ralph believes fashion should be understandable and reflective of the everyday…
Some fashion brands have the support of legacy on their side, where creative directors can follow a blueprint, visit the archives, and reimagine and reinterpret house codes that honour the Maison, the founder, the clients, and the supporters.

Other brands aspire to reach that stage and are currently building seam by seam, strengthening their structures and building their bodices, by establishing themselves. Consumers follow the designs shown on the runway and seen in stores, hoping that each imaginative piece will suit their personal style and support their self-expression. Returning consumers rely on design loyalty, which builds brand loyalty over time, giving shoppers a sense of ease to conduct trusted transactions.

Mature brands lean on legacy, while emerging brands aim for longevity, which is why trust in the creative team and creative process is so important, as consumers buy into this artistry.  

We see such brand loyalty with Chanel, as the Maison’s designs have been led by a select few individuals lucky enough to design for Chanel over the years, with Karl Lagerfeld’s run being one of the most successful stints in fashion. Beyond its legacy, Karl provided consistency and reassurance, offering shoppers unique pieces that always seemed to attract repeat buyers. His designs supported wardrobe building and sartorial evolution, reflecting the dynamic lives of those who support the brands.

Newer brands such as Khaite and The Row have leaned into this understanding of the individual. Both brands have grown and weathered trends, providing the consistency consumers are looking for. However, the fashion industry is vast and made up of brands with varying ethos, where some enjoy fresh interpretations and new designs year after year. As with Dior, where each creative director brings their own unique vision to the Maison, solidifying their individual legacies.

Galliano’s Dior differs vastly from Grazia’s, which stands apart from Anderson’s, let alone Dior himself. At this point, consumers are supporting the individual’s creative vision and not the brands ideas or aesthetics.

Their artistic vision is what some buy into, and they’ll follow them wherever they go

Some designers fall in love with specific aesthetics and motifs, turning them into their signature. They are artists, and the body is their canvas, as they playfully dress and mould fabrics into wearable art. They bring their artistic vision to brands where they may perfectly align with its aesthetic or beautifully disrupt it, adding intrigue and excitement.

Alessandro Michele has shared his work within fashion, carving out a colourfully captivating lane of his own that brings a level of magnetism to the brands he leads. He is one of many creative geniuses heralded for their boldness, with another being Phoebe Philo, who recently launched her namesake label.

The business of fashion keeps the wheel turning, but the designers, creative directors and creative teams are the fuel that keeps the engine going.

Fashion has been hit by a large wave of creative director changes, shifting new and legacy aesthetics alike, which has shaken consumer trust.

As with any industry, change is inevitable, and fashion is no exception. There have been many consistent debuts over the past few seasons, with more to come as fashion reels from the economic impact of the pandemic, which saw unique consumer behaviour that failed to reliably predict future shopping habits beyond the pandemic. Brands are now relying on stronger business and design teams to withstand the effects felt globally, in hopes of rebuilding consumer trust and brand consistency. This has led to the shake-up of creative directors across the industry. 

Brands are dissecting their offerings, reassessing the market, and planning future growth strategies, which involve a new creative vision led by new creative directors at the helm.

Due to these changes, brands reinvent their visuals, letting go of designers because their work no longer suits the brand’s objective or future plan, hence the shuffle. Now luxury brands search for that perfect fit that will bring them economic success.

Some are a perfect fit, some grow into it

Fashion is a dynamic realm influenced by societal factors, where brand legacy and emerging designers shape trends. Creative directors balance artistic vision with consumer trust, crucial for longevity.

Pierpaolo Piccioli, who famously led Valentino and stunned with PP Pink, has moved to Balenciaga, where the vision is shifting back to elegance and glamour comparable to Cristobal’s original aesthetic. With a similar spirit to Alessandro Michele, now designing at Valentino, whose spirited designs and romantic flair build upon Garavani’s ideology. Demna keenly mixes street wear and Italian glamour at Gucci, and Sarah Burton brings a beautiful femininity to Givenchy. Each design change and technical shift is a strategic positioning, hoping to reinforce strengths.

The fashion business is cutthroat, with many fighting for relevance amid tepid consumer demand. Creative directors, in many ways, are the brand’s spokespersons, selling a dream, a fantasy, and a vision to non-believers, hoping to convert the doubtful. Their output can make or break a brand in one season, threatening the creative journey and disrupting the sartorial world they are designing. Acting as a sort of brand’s spokesperson, they become infused with its stance and are scrutinised for personal and professional choices. Though not the CEO or president, they are the ones consumers identify with and couple with the brand’s identity.

Creative directors are the sung heroes of the fashion industry, the ones leading the fashion collective, whose presence, absence, disdain and enthusiasm are packaged and sold season after season. They build aesthetics, create worlds and sell fantasy to wishful and hopeful consumers searching for avenues of self-expression. Their impact transcends luxury, culture, livelihoods and lifestyle as their work serves to shift perspectives, engage beauty, transform art, and encourage industry.

In a world of complex beauty and industry, Ralph believes fashion should be understandable and reflective of everyday life.