Creative Director Clout

Fashions playing a creative director game of musical chairs with celebs and no-name designers at the helm

Hot Takes is a place where I explore and analyse what's going on in the realm of fashion in a relatable way, basically my bullet point thoughts on fashion's hottest issues. These posts get to the heart of why people are talking about what they’re talking about, what this means and where this could go next. 

Think: what direction is fashion heading in? What’s new, innovative and exciting? What's going on in fashion that's really pissing people off?

Hot Takes ties fashion topics to a wider cultural and social context, and digs into why these topics are important and the often more significant meanings behind them. I hope they give you a little more food for thought.

So sit back, relax and let's get into it. Here’s Hot Takes #9.

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Collage by Fashion Tingz

The creative director career trajectory is on a merry-go-round spree as of late. March 2022 saw Salvatore Ferragamo announce London-based British designer Maximillian Davis as its new creative director, while gender-fluid creative visionary Harris Reed stepped into the same role at Nina Ricci in September 2022. In May 2023, Peter Do was named Helmut Lang’s new creative director, with his vision coming to life later this year that’ll debut as part of New York Fashion Week. In June 2023 Michelle Ochs, founder of Et Ochs, was named Herve Leger’s new creative director, taking over from Christian Juul Nielsen who held the post since 2018. And in the latest lineup of announcements, Lanvin has tapped Grammy-winning rapper Future as the first guest creative for Lanvin Lab, a space to conceive and incubate new ideas and concepts for the luxury fashion house alongside its main product lines.

Sometimes breathing fresh air into a heritage label is just what the doctor ordered, but with this influx of new talent comes a whole host of creative directors and CEOs that have abruptly departed from top luxury labels. In November 2022 Alessandro Michele bid farewell to Gucci, a label he’d worked at for two decades, and in December of the same year, Miuccia Prada and her husband resigned as co-CEOs of the Prada group. Rhuigi Villaseñor, RHUDE founder was appointed creative director of the Bally just over a year ago in January 2022 but, as of May 2023, they’ve gone their separate ways. And those are just a few examples of the way fashion has faced a series of major changes in leadership over the past few years. This leaves many in the industry wondering if the creative director career trajectory is built to last, and what happens next for both the creative directors and the brands alike.

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Celebrities turned creative directors

Not all creative directors are cut from the same cloth. We’re entering an era where celebs are new key figures in the fashion landscape, taking the helm and coveted roles at many luxury labels. We're talking about a new normal where it's no longer surprising to see a pop singer or socialite link up with big brands or slap their name on a clothing collection. Some veer on the side of over-hyped brand ambassadors, while others drop one-off collections and occasionally have a little more design input.

Take a look at Dua Lipa's collection for Versace, Kim Kardashian reviving archive pieces for Dolce & Gabbana, or BLACKPINK's Jennie teaming up with Calvin Klein on some wardrobe essentials. But hey, there are a few gems out there who actually shape the vision and output of big fashion houses. Think of Pharrell at Louis Vuitton or Queen B bringing couture to the masses with Balmain. Don't get me wrong, these luxury labels have teams of talented designers and pros who handle all the nitty-gritty details, but this new era of celeb-turned-creative-director figures brings something extra to the table, something that can't be taught in fashion school. And that's clout.

The rise of the no-name designer

In the blink of an eye, both Bally and Ann Demeulemeester decided to shake things up and bring in some fresh blood for their creative director positions. Bally said bye to Rhuigi and welcomed Gucci veteran Simone Bellotti to the party, and Ann Demeulemeester said adios to Ludovic de Saint Sernin and brought in Stefano Gallici, a former Haider Ackermann assistant. And let's not forget Gucci, who bid farewell to Alessandro Michele and brought in Sabato de Sarno, a design team member from Prada and Valentino. Honestly, before these gigs, no one knew who these designers were. And now? Well, now these designers can let their work do the talking. And that's the whole point.

Large luxury labels are flipping the script and putting nearly-anonymous designers in the spotlight, taking the focus away from the creative director themselves and putting it back on the clothes and the collections. It's like starting with a clean slate, with no preconceptions or expectations around what a brand should look like or do. Of course, there’s the heritage that comes into play and a bottom line has to be met, but this no-name creative director approach offers the chance for rising stars to shine. And it may also allow these individuals to focus more on their craft rather than cultivating a massive following, so it’ll be interesting to see how this approach plays out.

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My two cents.

Attaching a celebrity name to a brand or a product may seem like a surefire way to grab people's attention, but let's be real — it doesn't always guarantee surefire success. For a creative director celebrity brand partnership to work its needs to be a cleverly crafted and curated match, one that's fuelled by a like-minded design team and savvy commercial figureheads. At least with Louis Vuitton men’s SS24 show Pharrell celebrated his entire design team, reminding everyone that there’s an entire catalogue of people behind any brand's success and the celebrations shouldn’t lie solely with that of a creative director.

As we’ve reached peak celebrity creative director moment, and with the rise of no-name creative directors, some in the fashion industry may worry that this constant shuffling could eventually harm legacy houses and big brands in the long run. On the flip side, it does give promising talent a chance to rise in fashion's creative ranks and it's a shame that more brands don’t take a chance on deserving young talent. The creative director game has changed and having a clear vision is the real key to success in today's luxury market — no matter how tempting it may be to cash in on a famous face.

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What do you think of these kick-starter thoughts that I hope will encourage you to think a little more deeply about this topic? Let me know in the comments, I want to chat about it.