The Risk-taking, Mood-making Magic Of Haider Ackermann

Born in Colombia, raised in Africa, schooled in Belgium, and based in France, fashion’s favorite nomad has found a new home as the creative director of Berluti

- John Von Sothen

I can’t remember why, but Haider Ackermann and I are talking horses. He’s a big fan of riding, which is odd considering he’s been on a horse only once.

“I was in Colombia recently, and they had this beautiful stallion,” the forty-six-year old designer tells me as we sit down at the Berluti offices in Paris one warm June afternoon. “I’d never ridden, so when I got on, he and I just turned and took off. We rode into the jungle, me just hanging on. It was near an area controlled by [armed guerrilla movement] FARC, so when I signed the insurance waiver before, they said, ‘Don’t go there!’ Of course, the horse and I went there.”

This moment sort of sums up Haider Ackermann. He’s new to this. He’s a bit unpredictable. And right now he’s saddled up for an exhilarating, and potentially risky, ride.

Last September, Berluti CEO Antoine Arnault (part of the family behind French luxury titan LVMH) hired Ackermann as its creative director. It’s the latest move in a decades-long strategy to transform the 122-year-old French shoemaker into a byword for luxury men’s wear. The transformation dates back to LVMH’s acquisition of the company in 1993, followed by Arnault’s hiring of designer Alessandro Sartori in 2011 and the expansion into ready-to-wear in 2012. Over the past five years, Berluti has increased annual sales by more than $170 million, but though the gap is shrinking, the company has yet to turn a profit. Ackermann’s ascent could mark a turning point for the fashion house, as the designer injects the traditionally elegant Berluti man with some modern-day swagger.