There was no sign of global economic turmoil last night as party-goers let loose after
a busy day of shows during an even busier night of events. Following strong showings by Giles and Christopher Kane, there was the opening of the fabulous new Dunhill flagship (see here for our review of the sister store in Tokyo), an
exhibition of stunning fashion photography by Mary McCartney, and the
biggest party of London Fashion Week hosted by Giles Deacon and
Swarovski (with a huge Giles cartoon ghost made completely of flowers, pictured above).
The mood is certainly more sombre across the pond in New York. And, if there was any remaining doubt as to whether the U.S.A. is entering (or is already in) a recession, that doubt has been erased just as quickly as the market capitalisation of some of the world's most famous investment banks.
So, while many expert observers don't know what is going to happen next, The Business of Fashion caught up with noted futurist Faith Popcorn of the Faith Popcorn Brain Reserve to get the lowdown on 'recession culture', coping with the downturn, and the winners and losers.
The man who wants to fix retail (Fortune) Fortune magazine profiles NRDC's Richard Baker who is on a retail and fashion acquisition spree having bought Lord & Taylor, Fortunoff, and Peter Som and is said to have his eyes on Saks.
Giles Style (Scottish Daily Record) Giles Deacon talks to a Scottish paper about the fashion designer of the 21st century -- one who has his feet on the ground and is passionate about gardening and reading.
Levi's turns a corner (International Herald Tribune) Armin Broger , President of Levi Straus Europe, is successfully turning around the Levi's business by refocusing its collections and using cities like Antwerp as fashion business laboratories.
The first clue on Wednesday night that the Giles Deacon show was about to undergo a big
change was the glam photo of quintuple Grammy-winning Amy Winehouse on
the All Access Pass. Continuing on this tack, his tiny,
usually sparse, white showspace had been converted into a dark disco
chamber, with disco balls hanging every which way, leaving showgoers
(who included Lily Allen and Bee Shaffer) bathed in white polkadots.
His collection was mixture of mini puffa jackets, blinged-out high
heels, suede-fringed dresses and others with typically Giles intricate
construction. With all this effort, Giles seemed determined to get the biggest bang
for his buck. For the first time, he put on two shows to meet growing
demand to take part in what has become one of the most highly
anticipated events on the London Fashion Week calendar.
Fashion Rocks bills itself as the most glamorous event on the planet. If there is a night on the London fashion calendar that can compare to the see-and-be-seen status of New York's Costume Institute Gala, this is it. It was originally started by the Prince's Trust, a UK-based charity which endeavours to bring new hope to the lives of underprivileged youth. Proceeds from the event are directed to this worthy cause.
The first Fashion Rocks was held at Royal Albert Hall in London in 2003 and teamed famous musicians and fashion designers together, strutting their stuff (quite literally) in a series of fabulous performances, complete with pyrotechnics, choreographed dance ensembles, and of course, some no-bones-about-it fashion glamour. The event was reprised two years later in Monaco, taking on Swarovski as its lead sponsor.
As I looked out on the waiting crowd for Giles Deacon's show last evening, there was something special in the air. Where else could you see wunderkind Gareth Pugh nestled next to Italian eccentric Anna Piaggi and Vogue's Hamish Bowles and a raft of other notable fashion names, all crammed into a tiny space in a small schoolhouse waiting for a fashion show to start? No New York designer of similar repute would even think of forcing the fashion A-list into this cramped setting. But then again, the fashion A-list probably wouldn't even bother turning up to a show in a similarly uncomfortable setting for a New York designer.
London fashion is officially hot again. And, this time it's not just hype. Many of the New York collections were well-executed and wearable, but they were limited in terms of new ideas and came off feeling a bit flat. London has thrown this flatness into sharp relief. There has been a renewed sense of confidence about fashion in London this week, yet there could be a lot more reflection on why things haven't worked out for London in the past after other short-lived periods of creative renaissance -- and a great deal of this has to do with the business of fashion, not the creative side.
Vanessa Friedman has written an insightful article on the career of Giles Deacon, one of London's most celebrated emerging designers -- though, the 'emerging' title can't be his for much longer, especially now that he has been appointed Creative Director of the British fashion house, DAKS.
As I suggested in a previous post, I still wonder whether Giles' destiny is actually to become Creative Director for a Parisian fashion house of international renown. (Suzy Menkes asserted the same point this week in her glowing review of Giles show yesterday in the IHT). It would not be hard to fathom that DAKS is yet another stepping stone in a career that has seen Giles go from Bottega Veneta to Gucci and finally to his own label. If one were looking for a case study on how to carefully build a platform for success in the fashion industry, Giles' story is a good one. Before he set up his own label, he trained with the best at St Martins and then went on to work with the best, including a stint with Tom Ford at Gucci where he must have learned a great deal from Ford, one of the masters of luxury brand management. Now, with 6 seasons of his own label under his belt and his widespread recognition as a creative force to be reckoned with, Giles has also proved he has the creative wings to soar with the biggest names in the industry. But, before he can do that, he needs to prove that his designs have the commercial muscle to support an international fashion brand, and hence the new role with Daks.
In her article, Friedman makes much of the fact that it would have been a dealbreaker for Giles if DAKS required him to shut down his label in order to focus on their line full-time. In fact, she says, DAKS encouraged Giles to keep his own label, as a furtive playground in which he could explore his vast creative interests, while keeping to a more commercial formula for DAKS. I would have recommended that DAKS think about going even further by investing directly in Mr. Deacon's label to share further in the benefits of the increased attention that Giles will surely earn as a result of the DAKS' substantial investment in rejuventating the brand. Also, by tying Giles' own label's future to their cash and operational support, they may have at least been able to try to hold on to him for longer than his 2 year contract, by offering more support for his business in the future.
What will DAKS do in 2 years if Giles leaves, once DAKS have found some of that creative momentum they are looking for from Giles? What's to keep him from going off and designing for a big fashion house in Paris when they come knocking (and come knocking they will -- they already are). Even then, Giles may not have been open to taking any investment from DAKS because his plans may always have been to leave. Also, why give away any equity in his business when the consultancy fee may be enough to keep his business running? On the other hand, his business could surely use some professional management and operational support to grow more quickly and deliver what the buyers are expecting, when they are expecting it -- and DAKS could have brought this to the table. Now Giles will need to find someone else to help him with that if he is to truly monetise the elaborate groundwork he has put into place (either knowingly or organically) to get him where he is today. He has little room for error.
London Fashion Week has come and gone. And, it's a bit like Groundhog Day because this season, yet again, everyone has been eagerly (and vocally) anticipating Giles Deacon's latest turn down the catwalk.
You never know what to expect with Giles. Unlike many other designers, he isn't overly focused on his "signature", the technique/look that a designer develops over his or her career to the point of near perfection, for which he or she becomes famous. Sometimes, a signature can lead to being pigeon-holed, but for a man with the creative depth and flexibilty as Giles, this is out of the question. Maybe its because Giles seems to be able to execute so well on so many different styles. One season it will be Elsworth Kelly's geometric colours
and the next it will be tight, sexy leopard prints. Why be known for one thing when he is so good at so many things? Giles' way of getting around this, I think, is that he knows exactly who is designing for, where she will wear his clothes, and why.
With hype like this, and with Christopher Kane nipping at his heels for the title of the reigning King of LFW, there was much pressure on Giles to come up with the goods yet again. All the signs of the dizzying heights of expectation were there:
The sometimes pushy, sometimes friendly, eager jostling outside his show. Sharp elbows indeed.
The PRs outside were (politely) telling more than one person, "I am really sorry, but you're not on the list." People responded with everything in the book: "But I have been working on this show for months", "But I am with Teen Vogue", "But Giles told me to come".
Celebrities, fashion icons, buyers and editors packed the front row: Anna Piaggi, Thandie Newton, Jefferson Hack with Anouck Lepere, Lisa Armstrong, Suzy Menkes, Cathy Horyn, Hamish Bowles, Julie Gilhart, Ken Downing, Michael Fink, and more.
The sense of expectation was palpable, and people were literally sitting on the floor and security just gave up on trying to have people clear the aisles. So with all this pressure, the show finally began at 9:00pm.
Would Giles deliver?
It was all about birds of a feather. Giles worked with famous milliner Stephen Jones to create some of the most arresting (and yes, not commercial, but who cares?) headpieces to hit the catwalk, and given the number of hats we have been seeing this season, he had some serious competition. The collection started with leather and shearling pieces and slowly morphed into thick, heavy knits styled over top of more wearable dresses and skirts, followed by vivid short green and orange dresses that will definitely do the rounds of the celebrity party circuit, and finally into the feathery flights of fancy with some eye-catching couture-style pieces, which seemed to float down the runway. In short, he did it again and the ovation at the end of the show (captured on the video below) underlined yet another creative coup for Giles.
Here are some shots from before, during and after the show.
BEFORE: The crowd waits. Patiently.
Mesh Chhibber of MO Communications slots in the guests in a way that only the smoothest and experienced fashion PR can. / Margot Stilley in her develish shades.
DURING: Let the festivities begin.
Jefferson Hack and Anouck Lepere look on. Vivid colours.
Hard ruffles. Evening delight.
AFTER: Backstage perspectives. Giles Deacon is a fashionista magnet: Anna Piaggi. Dude in Beret. Thandie Newton. Jefferson Hack.
Postscript: So what of the business?
What remains to be seen is how Giles takes all of this talent and potential and commercialises it. Yes, there is the creative directorship of Daks and the new capsule Gold collection for New Look. But, methinks there is more up Giles' sleeve, feathered as it is with peacock plumes. Some designers seem to really want to build businesses and spend years building the necessary foundations for long-term commercial success. Others, focus on showcasing the lengths of their creative talents, hoping to be picked up as a creative director of an esteemed Parisian fashion house. Some, of the rarest breed, even manage to do both.
Last night, legendary Parisian concept store Colette feted London designer Giles Deacon's latest collaboration with Mulberry -- a link to Giles' S/S 07 collection of 'subtle' fetishism. The place was rammed with fashionistas (there were a couple of other events going on). The Parisians are into colour-blocking these days, there was a lot of red, purple and electric blue peaking out of black blazers, leather jackets and dresses. Even the cocktails of the night were electric blue.
Collaborations like this are good for emerging designers like Giles because they provide much needed cash to fund the business through working capital crunches, lend credibilty to designer's stature, and raise the profile of the designer on the back of PR events like this. Who doesn't like to have a party thrown in their honour? In return, the brands get cool products and street cred.
Who ever thought Mulberry could look like this?
The place was heaving. The colour-blocking was raging.
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