Well here is the first City to come in to the “Your City Street Fashion Stuff” section from Antwerp, Belgium by: Gladys Ferro
Look 1: Running Errands feat. Little P
Sunglasses : way old
Shirt : “borrowed” from the boyfriend
Skirt : H&M
Bag : Matthew Williamson for H&M
Watch : Swatch
Bracelet : Guess
FlipFlops : Havaianas Look 2: Running Errands feat. the pin up shirt
Sunglasses : way old
Shirt : “borrowed” from the boyfriend
Earrings : Jimmy Choo for H&M
Denim : Koolter by Diesel
Bag : Matthew Williamson for H&M
Watch : Swatch
Bracelet : Guess
Heels : way old, Armani Jeans
I would love to see photos taken by you in your city of what YOU consider stylish. Please send me your images of people wearing what is happening in your town and include the brands they are wearing, i.e. skirt by “…………” tee shirt by “…….. …..” etc. and if you can, a short video vignette similar to what we are doing here on BK Blog. Or why not photos of yourself? Would love to see them…
We will choose the best of the best and post your stuff to the link of your choice. At the end of the year, we will host a Benjamin Kanarek Fashion Street Stuff Contest.
Not sure what I am going to get from all of you out there, but would love to get stuff from anywhere around the world. Please make these the real thing, rather than set up choreographed images.
If you are not sure about what this all means, just go and have a look at some of my Paris Fashion Street Stuff posts.
Send your images and video or video link to: street@benjaminkanarekblog.com
I am not going to go in to a lengthy discourse regarding Haute Couture Designer Bernard Perris. I knew him well. I was introduced to him by Marie José Eymere Jalou the Editor in Chief of L’Officiel magazine back in the late 80′s, just before he was hired by Jean-Louis Scherrer as head designer of his Couture House.
I will say this however; he was one of the kindest, fair and compassionate individuals I had ever met in this BIZ called FASHION. Now to any of you who knew him, you will understand immediately what I mean and how rare those virtues are in our BIZ.
Working with him was a rare pleasure. He was not afraid to being open to the creative possibilities proposed to him, even to those that may have been alien to his aesthetic culture. That in itself took a lot of courage and was a sign of an artist who was comfortable with who he was. Bernard felt secure in exploring creative concepts that were outside of his familiar territory. He was a highly respected Haute Couture Designer that left his indelible mark on the industry.
My only regret was not taking him up on his frequent invitations to my wife at the time and I to visit him in the south of France.
I am as much of a shoe lover as the next. Even though I do not collect them, I definitely stake them out. The other day I happen come to upon an incredible pair of midnight blue pumps which I shall be designing my Autumn/Winter wardrobe around. The kicker was they were knocked down 70% off their retail price. Blinking twice to make sure I was not mistaken, I snatched them immediately and I could not wait to wear them!!
What I love about these shoes is the design with a nice solid heel and rounded toe. In my opinion, this gives it a fashion longevity. I hate buying pieces that quickly go out of style, loving instead items that pass the test of time and I forward to these being with me for quite some years.
Taking Sun in “My Baby Blues”
I have been wearing them for the past few days to give you my Personal Consumer Report.
If they are as comfortable as they are sexy and chic, it is a God send for us shoe fanatics. To really test the Hell out of them, I drove in my little stick shift car, walked all over town, up and down stairs and whatever else I do in a typical day with impressive results. A perfect fit!! I could not believe I did not even have a “new pair of shoe” blister!!!
Here are my ratings:
Appearance: 9.5.
I feel chic and very sexy in them. Ladies, they are great pair of work shoes for this coming season.
Quality: 8.
Being Italian-made, the quality stands with the outer and inner shoe made of leather. The sole is a nice anti-slip rubber. The heel is leather exterior but I don’t know if it is not covering a plastic core. Remember that the Italian shoe size is a size smaller then in France. For example, a French shoe size 39 equals a Italian shoe size 38.
Comfort: 8.5.
Having worn these babies for a few days, I can honestly say they are as comfortable as they are good looking.
Price: 9.5.
I paid 41,70 euros for them from 139 euros. Honestly, I was shocked they were that cheap because I would have spent more on them!!
Fashion life: 9.
This pair of shoes will not be outdated quickly. I realize we are still in the wedge-heel scene which will continue for a few seasons but if you look atPrada‘s, Sonia Rykiel‘s, Dior‘s shoes for the Autumn-Winter collections, they showed shoes with thicker heels and a nice rounded toe. These shoes would fit right in the A/W 2010-11 fashion trend.
Heads up because there may soon be very little size choices for the ladies in the HOUSE!! I found these at the San Marina on 82, rue du Faubourg St. Antoine, Paris 12th district.
The reference is: Cosmo brand – Meissa Bleu. Original price was 139 euros knocked down to 41,70 euros. Hallelujah!!!
As a designer, I love watching people in the streets of Paris. The other day by the l’Arc de Triomphe, I noticed this young woman walk past me in a wonderful eggplant colored dress with a deep watermelon colored pumps. The gorgeous color combination of her outfit gave her a fresh look with the BOLD colors, a trend we are seeing in this summer with today’s beauty products. I had to take a picture of her.
Bolting to catch up with her, I asked for her information as I took her picture. It turns out she works for Louis Vuitton which made total sense to me. Her look was very Marc Jacobs. Her choice of colors were strong, adding impact to her clean and simple lines. The Italian pumps had his signature little bow we have seen in his past shoe collections and the great color that is in Paul Smith‘s S/S 2010 collection. With barely any accessories except the headphone, she wore simple smock cut dress from Alain Manoukian could have very well been a Marc Jacob style dress. The (her) handbag was discreet which follows an article I wrote about how in today’s market, brash & opulent branding is seen as insensitive. I loved Fantine VAZ-PINTO’s no-fuss look.
It seems that Paris is going through a Trade Deficit in Fashion lately. Numerous Designers from outside of France are coming to Paris to take over French old Brands like Phoebe Philo at Céline, the revival of the centenary brand Madeleine Vionnet now shortened to just “Vionnet” by Rodolfo Paglialunga and recently Giles Deacon at Ungaro. They also often present their own Collection like Manish Arora from India and Gareth Pugh from the UK… Is Paris no longer able to produce and support a new generation of Fashion Designers?
In the meantime other Designers are beginning to occupy the market. One of them did an astonishing entry into the last Paris Fashion Week Show.
Pedro Lourenço, a Brazilian of 19 years old, presented his first Parisian Collection and cut the umbilical cord from his parents. Both of whom are considered Brazil’s leading designers; his Father Reinaldo Lourenço and his Mother Gloria Coelho. They never pushed him to enter in to the metier, but gave him all the tools and support he needed. He has designed clothing since the age of 12 and has been presenting his Collections in São Paulo since 2005!
And as for support, he has the best one can wish for…
- Brana Wolf, the American Harper’s Bazaar’s editor-at-large was not only supportive but also quite involved in his first presentation in Paris.
- KCD, the very affluent fashion’s prominent public relations and event production firm run by Ed Filipowski and Julie Mannion.
As an aggregate team effort, they were able to pull off a promising first collection. It showed a strong and assertive direction and quite mature for a 19 year old. Pedro told us in perfect English, that his influences were, “Diana the Huntress and the architect, Oscar Niemeyer.” Pedro also speaks a perfect French, Portuguese being his mother tongue.
He loves contemporary architecture, building materials and finds quite a few similarities in Fashion Design. The thick leather contrasts with a touch of metal, organza, velvet and rubber. Optical effects are given by the military applied ornament similar to Venetian Blinds, the range of colors he plays with: from beige, to dark brown, black and flesh-tones as well as see through organza tops with suspended leather geometrical trimming.
The model casting was also quite impressive for a first show in Paris. Getting the “It Girl” of the Paris Fashion Week: Jac to open his show, followed by Constance Jablonski (one of the new Estée Lauder’s faces), Jacklyn Jablonski, Sigrid Agren, etc…
But with all the support he gets, can he go wrong?
Financial difficulties and constraints are often compelling for the designer who has to find creative solutions to keep their businesses afloat…
Keep an eye on Pedro Lourenço, he might be the first ever son of known designers with talent and who is able to break through and last in the Fashion Industry.
On a gloriously balmy Sunday afternoon, as I was passing through the Place des Abbesses, I spotted a very cute couple, looked back at them, thought, “Nah, they have already passed, later…” I then spun around a called out “Excuse Me!” They turned and I felt rather embarrassed stating that I had a blog and recently commenced the “Paris Street Fashion Stuff” section and would they be willing to pose for me. They very graciously accepted after I showed them my blog on my iPhone.
I asked if they could send me the brands of the clothing they were wearing. They said they would send the brands via e-mail to me. I know he was wearing a ZARA Tee Shirt and Dim underwear, as the label was obviously above his Jean line. I will post the brand credits once they send them to me as an update. Just got an e-mail from Alizée and wanted to post it as it was received. She is French and she wrote the e-mail in English. Very charming…
Bonsoir, (Good Evening)
You have shot my boyfriend and me today (at) Place des Abbesses and you wanted me to tell you what we were wearing.
Looking around me during one of my fashion shoots, something struck me as very interesting and that was that those around me who were considered the Fashionably Fashionable were more than just Fashion conscious, they were attuned to a strongly codified aesthetic. What is it that those in the arts and in this case the creativity of those at the core of the Fashion “Mode” of expression have that gives them that proverbial sixth sense. Why is Anna Wintour, Anna Wintour? Why is Glenda Bailey, Glenda Bailey and Franca Sozzani, Franca Sozzani. Was it because of a heightened censorial aesthetic that like so many artists, is only reserved for the privileged few and has been lost in most “Adults”, remembered only as a far off beautiful imaginary place once inhabited but long abandoned.
As children, all of us were once incredibly creative, free flowing and unencumbered spirits. Expressing ones inner self was never considered a challenge. It just happened. When the inevitable iron curtain drops somewhere around adolescence, why do only a very few get through. Is it perhaps that those who did not exercise their childhood to their fullest, are able to get through? Well, rather than pondering this notion for too long, I would like to discuss what makes that artist, “That” artist.
Most great artists generally have a disregard for classic authority and consider rules for those that need to be told what and what not to do. The Greats never had to be told what to do to become great. They just flew, unencumbered by convention and the weight of rules. Now when I speak of rules, I am not referring to “Though Shalt Not Kill…” I am alluding to the “You must compose your painting using the “Rule of Thirds” or “You can’t mix THAT fabric with that Material…” or “Your photo need to be lit this way to be credible…” etc.
When you observe some of the great Fashion Designers one thing will become apparent, they broke with convention. But does just breaking with convention make you creative? I don’t think so. That is just being reactionary. The creative breaking of convention implies, I believe, in a new, radical or novel approach to perceiving reality and how you solve design problems within that new paradigm. I am not saying that one must create something to be creative. Of course a concept in the written form is a very powerful tool and mode of expression. But being that we are discussing Fashion, being able to create, concretize, discover and illuminate that creation in to a tangible form. That is what these visionaries were able to achieve. The concretization of play, of fun, of child.
From the visionary Charles Frederick Worth who created the first Couture Fashion House in Paris, to Paul Poiret with his Harem Pants and on to the legendary Gabrielle Chanel, who democratized fashion for women, there have always been creative visionaries.
From Christian Dior’s petticoats and tight waists to Cristobal Balenciaga’s multiplicity of sleeve design variations and onward to Pierre Cardin who became the first designer to license his product line.
Were these marvellous quirks of nature clairvoyant with an intuitive understanding of the human condition of their time? Or were they Adult Children, just playing, having fun and living through their creations? I believe it is all of the above and more.
Whether it was Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani, Claude Montana, Issey Miyake, Kenzo, Jean Paul Gaultier, Christian Lacroix or Alexander McQueen. They all were part of the Fashionably Fashionable Elite group of Artists.
Now back to where I was in the beginning. Looking around me and in observing those in the studio I am working in, I come to the realization that what drives all of them is one very powerful attribute. That ingredient, not purchasable, taught or learned, is Passion. I believe that passion drives creativity and creativity drives passion. Most of… No, I would say all of them still know how to play.
That may seem rather simplistic and it probably is, but simply put “through the eyes of a child…”
Paris Fashion week is finally over and now is the time to determine the “Forrest Gump” Model of the season. I see a look coming out of the model agencies. A face with highly sculpted hard angles with hollow cheek bones and jaws protruding that are accentuated by make up and pulled back straight hair. Magdalena Frackowiakis a perfect example of “The Face”.
However this trend can lead to a very unhealthy and extremely skinny look. When I see how thin Fei Fei Sun has become (I mentioned her as part of the Rising Generation of Asian Models piece I wrote), where her face is looking gaunt and has lost its attractive roundness. Looking at her recent Polaroids should raise a red flag.
Some publishing groups are already taking action and are banning extremely thin models from their editorial pages. This new directive also affects established top models. It is in my opinion a step in the right direction, however I am not sure that the brands and designers will follow suit as a small head mounted on a pin like silhouette proportion tend to match the sketches that designers render for their creations.
The New Forrest Gump
Monika Jagaciak a.k.a. “Jac”at IMG is the girl of the season. I would be curious to know how many miles she covered if we add all the fashion weeks of the season she was featured in. This Baby Top Model with Avril Lavigne features is not listed as part of the Main Board of IMG, but still considered a “New Face” as a result of her age. I guess the fact that she was banned from previous Paris Fashion Weeks due to her age, has made her even more appealing and thus in greater demand this season. (London Fashion Week has banned under-16-year-old from its catwalks and, in France, a licence is required before an under-16-year-old can model).
Born in 1994, she was signed by IMG at the age of 13 and turned 16 in January. Last year, Vogue Australiaeditor Kirstie Clements decided to pull the plug on using “Jac” when they discovered her age and suggested that Australia follow Europe’s lead and impose a minimum age requirement of 16 years old for models.
Monika Jagaciak has previously appeared in ads forCalvin Klein and Hermès.
This happened in the past with ex Super Model: Brooke Shields who also represented the Calvin Klein brand at the age of 15.
Walk, Monika! Walk!
Some of the shows she was featured in Paris for the Fall-Winter 2011 Collections
Abbey Lee Kershaw @ Next
Alla Kostromicheva @ Women
Anja Rubik @ Next
Anna de Rijk @ Viva
Anna Selezneva @ Silent
Constance Jablonski @ Elite
Fei Fei Sun @ Elite
Freja Beha Erichsen @ IMG
Frida Gustavsson @ IMG
Heidi Mount @ IMG
Iris Strubegger @ Women
Jacquelyn Jablonski @ Elite
Karlie Kloss @ Next
Karmen Pedaru @ Next
Kasia Struss @ Women
Lara Stone @ IMG
Liu Wen @ Marilyn
Magdalena Frackowiak @ Elite
Maryna Linchuk @ Viva
Mirte Mass @ Women
Natasha Poly @ Women
Olga Sherer @ Nathalie
Patricia Van der Vliet @ Elite
Sasha Pivovarova @ IMG
Sigrid Agren @ Elite
Siri Tollerod @ Marilyn
Tao Okamoto @ Women
Vlada Roslyakova @ Women
You might have read the recent interview of Hedi Slimane by Dirk Standen titled “The Future of Fashion” posted on www.style.com, where he shares his vision on the Future of Fashion. I found his article interesting enough to write about it. Hedi Slimane has a very interesting perspective on the fashion industry. A thought came to me and that was did he become conscious of this radical change and paradigm shift since leaving Dior Homme or was he aware of this change but felt incapable of sharing is view point while in the center of the storm? Now that he is no longer associated with Luxury Holding Group, his shackles have been removed.
This is the first time I have seen a world renowned fashion designer and fashion photographer with such a high profile sharing his views on how the Internet and social networking have revolutionized irreversibly the industry of fashion, as well as the fashion media business. It is also interesting to note that he believed that this change is not only a good thing but is necessary.
How do you think technology—tweeting, blogging, social media, etc…—has affected fashion? For better or worse? It has affected different aspects of fashion tremendously. From commentary to fashion design, communication, and distribution. The fashion Internet community is like a global digital agora tweeting passions and opinions. Anyone knows better, and each one is a self-made critic. This is a fascinating idea, as I always favoured amateurism (”the one that loves”) over professionalism, attraction over experience. It obliges anyone in the industry to think in a fresher way. Of course, it is hard to say if any “authority,” someone like Suzy Menkes, might one day come out and use digital means to lead with integrity, enough background, outside of any conflict of interest. On a design perspective, it has allowed any young designer or indie brand to get an instant audience, if used with wit and invention. I am not quite sure of the future of retail as we know it. This is a truly important thing, maybe the most important one, as it might already mean there is nothing standing between the design and an audience/consumer. Finally, the better and the worse have always been part of fashion, with the Internet only magnifying it and creating a joyful and noisy digital chaos. The bottom line is that any note can create music. It is only a matter of taste.
The worst, the best and the non-significant have always co-existed prior to the existence of social media. This new tool has allowed and has led to its own self perpetuating media: reviewing, critiquing, proposing, promoting within its own community confines. As a result of this new paradigm, the notoriety and the success will come to those who are not only creative, but those who can understand this new model and interact with the public. It is the democratization model that has become accessible to all that the industry will have to come grips with. The natural selection is again what will determine the success or failure of any product.
You photograph for magazines, but you also have a strong presence on the Internet with your Web site. Do you see a difference between the two mediums in terms of the presentation of your work? They complete each other. The Internet is about immediacy. Besides, I also operate my Web site directly, as I can decide if I want to post a story or reportage every day or every month. I also generally have a more complete edit on my Web site, after publication. That said, I do love the strict frame of magazines, and to tell a story in an edit of ten or 12 pages, or to sum it up in a cover. It is a discipline.
Can you envision a day when digital media will replace magazines? I totally do, and I don’t see it as a bad thing. You don’t fight but embrace a natural evolution, really, and try to figure out how it would reveal new creative fields within global access, and multimedia features. The Web site magazine will come way before the print version in the next decade. I don’t see any way around it, really. With the rise of the Internet, fashion did become part of the global entertainment industry in the last ten years, and will follow the digital evolution of the music or film industry. Besides, immediacy is better than old news. The “manufacturing” process of a magazine is far too long for this world, for the definition and idea that fashion is about “right now.” I guess it is more about “right now” now than ever before. That said, fashion magazines, glossy magazines still use their Web sites for daily news and information only. I trust it might be interesting to invest strongly in art direction, besides hiring top editors, top photographers, and top models, which is hardly enough for Internet pages. Quite certainly, the Web sites of the magazines will have to move away from the “blog” format and create an inspiring, tight template for their photo productions or editorial content, a Web site that has the [same feeling of] luxury and glamour as flipping through a heavy glossy magazine. It is interesting to think how someone like Alexey Brodovitch would have investigated this medium to create typography and layouts in motion. It is now an open field for a new generation of editors in chief and art directors. I hear one of the reasons for the lack of investment is advertising, although I trust advertising would follow immediately, if provided a reassuring image template for their costly ads. I finally believe the printed magazine will then become a collector’s item, and hopefully a reference to be kept preciously. Therefore, the commercial issues of advertising credits might move toward the Internet, [while] the most inspiring fashion stories could become exclusive to the printed collectible version.
An organizational and attitudinal change from the current printed fashion books to Web Sites is inevitable. And I share Hedi Slimane’s vision of having printed issues that are perhaps kept as collectors items, however, a shift of advertising budgets to the Web is inevitable. As a result of the drop in audience, and diminishing advertising revenues, costly glossy fashion books are having greater difficulty paying for photo productions (top photographers, super models, hair, make up, stylist, studio, location…). If those collectors fashion books cannot afford those creative and unique photo productions any longer, it will be the demise of them, as it is their raison d’être.
I see two possible outcomes:
A buy out of the “collector fashion press” by Internet Groups who will use them as a high end display tool, a “Haute Couture laboratory” so to speak, which will be financed via the profitability of the company’s overall Internet activity.
For the “Indie collector fashion press”, I see financing by a selected unique advertiser who will sponsor each issue. However, it is problematic to maintain a high level of creative freedom when an advertiser holds the purse strings.
Some people are questioning whether, in an era when information is disseminated so quickly, fashion shows still matter. As someone who has been both a participant and observer, do you think fashion shows are still an important and effective method of presentation? I understand the options, but there is something else besides information. Fashion somehow, for me, is purely and happily irrational. I like the ritual, the liturgy of a well-crafted, emotional fashion show. I will never be jaded with this side of fashion. The “catwalk” is pure anthropology, something like an esoteric encrypted parade. It can totally be replaced but it will be missed. Archaisms do have some reassuring charms, unless the Internet is used creatively, and in a poetic way. The problem is also the number of brands that insist, for vanity or desperation and beyond common sense, to squeeze into the endless fashion weeks of the world for the wrong reasons. Some of them would benefit from different methods to present their collections.
Can you envisage a different method of presentation than a fashion show? Perhaps involving video or photography? Of course, anything can be done, really, and the Internet technically allows any possible medium. This also means you can design anywhere. It is an interesting idea, no matter where and how. “Equality” could come with a random Web address, although sadly some www. addresses are more equal than others.
Between menswear and womenswear, resort, pre-fall, and ready-to-wear, some designers are designing eight or more collections a year. Is it possible for a designer to be creative under those circumstances? Designers end up needing a full-blast studio for this sort of thing, which is totally absurd. I also don’t understand what the hell people do with all those clothes. Less would be better, and shorter collections. Again, e-commerce might change this costly and overwhelming fashion avalanche.
Three of the strongest fashion design talents—Hedi Slimane, Helmut Lang, Martin Margiela—are currently pursuing other interests. Is that a coincidence or does it say something about the current state of the system? I cannot really speak for them. I guess we all have enough time to experiment with different things. That said, fashion, what you call the system, has become quite used and abused with conflicts of interest. The advertising game between the media and fashion houses might have gone too far. The meltdown did not help, to say the least. As far as design is concerned, scaling down would help a lot. The global economy meant partnerships, and partnerships in the last decade came with some risks. But there is something ironic, an absurd ending, a justice after all.
Is the commercial pressure on designers today too great? I don’t know about this. I am concerned about the relevance of strategy. Selling is a positive thing. Of course, the overhead of many global houses is so huge that the pressure is great. I don’t mind the pressure at all; it is stimulating. I mind the lack of a long-term vision, and the lack of sense. It has to make sense, no matter the size of a fashion house.
The evolution of the Fashion industry has opened up new opportunities for young designers to show off their collections without the humongous cost and ritualistic efforts of producing a fashion show. This new paradigm however, implies the need for creative and original approaches in their communications strategy. Their ultimate goal is to differentiate themselves from their competition in using the tools provided to them in social media. Young and independent designers have a great future in promoting and distributing their brand through e-boutiques. They may be picked up later by the traditional fashion press but it will no longer be essential to them, as viable and powerful alternatives are available that can offset the dependence on classic media solutions.
There is also a revolution brewing in the established Fashion Houses. The current job titles of Marketing, Advertising, Communication, Press Attachés and Sales are dramatically changing as a multitude of brand new type of client is surfacing. Those presently holding the reigns either they do not see it or do not want to see it (“it” being the writing on the proverbial wall). Perhaps they fear for their own position and do not know how to handle or adapt to the change nor deal with the inevitable tsunami. Press Attachés can no longer simply limit their jobs to nurturing close relationships to the editors in chief of influential fashion magazines to secure editorial feedback and their own position. They must develop their visibility on the net. The classic “one and one” based relationship is evolving in to the “many to many “relationship dynamic. A new position needs to be developed within their organization: The Community Manager, to communicate within the social media environment. For the Classic fashion houses who are used to controlling every single word and image coming out of them, it is indeed a Rude Awakening!
Will they continue living in glass houses? Or will they take the plunge? We shall see what we shall see…
What effect do you think the rise of fast fashion has had on consumers and on high fashion? The issue was pretty much when at the beginning of the 2000’s high fashion started to embrace (no question they had to) globalization. High fashion started to offer access to luxury and creativity. In a way it was dangerously closing the gap with fast fashion, which was incredibly effective in mimicking the style and standards (stores, merchandising, ad campaigns) of high fashion. It is mathematical. More means less rarity and less quality. This leads to the visual chaos of not exactly knowing what is what, if you forget your contact lenses and can’t read the label.
Would you have any interest in collaborating with a fast-fashion retailer? I have obviously had a few discussions, like any of us, but I don’t really like the “capsule” collection trick, which I won’t do. There is something terribly cheap about it. This validation is somehow dodgy, since fast fashion, with few exceptions, is quietly ripping off all it can, including brands that are too small to defend themselves. I would not mind and would be open to some evolution of fast retail, if it was aiming for an original design and a long-term commitment. It would become something else. Something like Apple computers, for instance, where design meets a wide audience through innovation and sense. In the future, fast-fashion retailers might change their philosophy toward real efforts to create a world of their own. One can only hope.
How can or should luxury fashion stand out from fast fashion? They have a duty to stay at the top of the game creatively and keep a distinctive voice. Luxury houses and brands are meant to be exceptional by any means and not settle for the average. They cannot run the precise wrong race, but rather [should] stick to a strict and dignified etiquette for their fashion developments, assets, and branding. Just like many Parisians, I was sad and surprised to see the historical and mythical store of Yves Saint Laurent, Place Saint-Sulpice, go. I might not have followed some episodes of the “hows and whys,” being an outsider, but walking across Place Saint-Sulpice one day, I saw a fast retailer instead. In general, luxury fashion houses are like royalty. They live to preserve and cherish the crown jewels and the symbols of their divine power, no matter what it takes. Luxury brands did also become monuments, because of the public affection and care. In other prosaic words, it might be all about tightening up long-term strategies in order to keep the respect, influence, and credibility.
What excites you about the future, personally or in terms of fashion in general? Everything, really. It is a fantastic time—difficult, of course, to some degree for many, because it is truly a revolution, led by the Internet, a digital revolution. Distribution and communication are in an ongoing fast-forward mutation. There is also a generation gap, which creates an acceleration of the treadmill for some. Not everyone is accustomed to this Internet world, which is understandable. It is just a different landscape, and as much as one might pretend to keep up, it is a tough one to follow: the freeway toward the musical chairs. I trust fashion will invent new models, shortcuts, somewhere in between luxury (analog) and fast retail (digital). In front of a beyond-informed audience and new generations being born with a wireless processor instead of a brain, it will be about having clear commitments and keeping an original voice no matter the scope and scale of fashion developments.
One more: Is there anything else you would like to say about the “future of fashion” that I neglected to ask?
Oh, well, at the end of the day, the future is always the same story, minus the digital revolution and its collaterals. The future has to be bright. It is the nature of fashion to evolve, only this time it might evolve more than ever, with seat belts optional.
Benjamin Kanarek of www.benjaminkanarekblog.com posted this comment on Style.com. He compares Fashion to what has been happening to the Music Industry.
“As someone in the Fashion Industry as well as a Pop-Rock composer in the music industry, I can see some rather stark comparisons between what has happened in the Music Industry and what is happening in the Fashion Biz. In fact it is happening everywhere. The Democratization of Creativity. When I used to do a Fashion shoot, the approach was so much more insular and Aristocratic so to speak, but in today’s paradigm, you can create your own rules as well as develop your own following, without the ritualistic acceptance of “THE FASHION POLICE”. The Dinosaurs are starting to really feel the pinch, thus one of he reason’s for this sites existence. The huge record companies are just a shell of their past accomplishments, with very little substance left of their original “raison d’être”. In fact, I consider them as a kind of huge Marketing company, picking up artist’s with an established following. Today in most cases the artists come completely packaged with a final product & video. All the record label has to do is get off their somewhat bloated asses and promote them. The Record labels (and this will not come as a surprise to you) are quite parasitic indeed! I must also add that I believe this is a good thing. ‘Better late than never’. None the less Hedi makes some very compelling points, that highlight the fact that, “The Times They are a Changin”". Benjamin Kanarek
Read the entire Hedi Slimane’s interview by Dirk Standen posted onwww.style.com
Taking Sun in “My Baby Blues”
