French and American Fashion DNA are converging
The blockbuster signing of Raf Simons by Calvin Klein this year is a symmetrical echo to the consecutive signings of Alexander Wang and Demna Gvasalia by Balenciaga, as well as the Hedi Slimane (L.A. version) spell at Saint Laurent. Why would we say so?
It seems that globalisation of luxury fashion is pushing Paris and New York City “Fashion Weeks” to converge in brand strategies.
On one end, French houses have moved to understand and cater better to the post-modern Millenial market. Their invaluable heritage was turning from an asset into a liability. So they summoned designers who were more Creative Directors or Cultural Directors in fact than Tailors. Hedi Slimane brought a sense of revolution to Saint Laurent. Alexander Wang brought spontaneity and urban ease to Balenciaga, giving way to Demna Gvasalia for an experimental approach on luxury streetwear.
On the other end, Calvin Klein is hiring Raf Simons who left Dior, while Marc Jacobs left Louis Vuitton to focus on his own label. These moves are symbols of American fashion looking to inject institutional modernity to their brands: a certain idea of structure, rigidity and eternity of a brand by design. Raf Simons and Marc Jacobs have worked for French houses long enough to understand what needs to be done to channel heritage into creative output that luxury press, consumers and buyers would eat up.
Calvin Klein has never been an insider of the luxury game, but Raf Simonscould change that. Respectability seems to still be found in Parisian flair. Another indicator of this DNA crossover can be found in the efforts of luxury streetwear labels like Supreme, Off-White, or Hood by Air to set foot in Paris, where Colette has become a hub.
Maybe this is why Vetements is so relevant now: the brand bears the heritage of European modernism and intellectual edge (referencing much of Margiela’s work), all the while embracing fully the functionalism of American-led streetwear. Territories have shifted for fashion and Instagram may not know how to differentiate local cultures of design.
Exciting times for fashion, design strategists and creative marketers, but challenging ones for the notion of luxury.
(post initially published on Medium, discussion welcome on Twitter)