Act II

After going the traditional route as celebrated creative directors at fashion’s biggest houses, these designers have left the system and returned with something a little more personal.

- Jeffrey Yan

RANDOM IDENTITIES

by Stefano Pilati

A creative directorship at a heritage-steeped house used to be the holy grail of fashion, with young designers gunning for top positions at brands owned by conglomerates such as LVMH, Kering, and Richemont. Scoring one meant an instant stamp of approval from the establishment and provided a shortcut to stardom and huge paydays. Designers who made their name helming heritage houses include John Galliano and Alexander McQueen at Givenchy, Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, Christopher Bailey at Burberry and Tom Ford at Gucci.

In the past decade though, as fashion and media changed beyond recognition, cracks started showing in the system. Both Galliano and McQueen experienced falls as dramatic as their ascensions. Galliano’s successor at Dior, Raf Simons, burned out from the intensity and was later unceremoniously ousted from his next job at Calvin Klein. Alber Elbaz suffered the same fate at Lanvin, despite turning the fortunes of the French brand around. Ghesquière left Balenciaga embroiled in an ugly spat while the stint of his successor, Alexander Wang, was marked by lackluster showings and an abrupt exit.

Perhaps burned out by the increasingly sped-up and corporatized fashion world, a whole host of star designers have left high-profile positions in recent years and have so far opted out of rejoining the industry. The most notable absence of Phoebe Philo, who left Celine after transforming the once-forgotten brand into a moneymaker and critical darling for LVMH, had Philophiles clamoring for an eponymous label. But the famously reclusive designer has so far remained mum.