What happens when the underground is co-opted by the mainstream? Well, it depends. History has proved that some independent music heroes lost their credibility (but not their talent) when they signed with a major. In the fashion industry things are trickier, though: in the last few years we have seen for example independent bloggers happily accepting of being co-opted by luxury brands and losing their objectivity as soon as they were invited to this or that show.
It will be therefore interesting to see what will happen at Balenciaga now that Alexander Wang is out and Demna Gvasalia, head of Paris fashion label Vêtements, is in.
Appointed in 2012 at the helm of the historical fashion house (a decision that puzzled us at the time and that didn't produce any cutting edge collection or extraordinary growth for the label), Wang showcased his last collection for Balenciaga (a pile of ill fitting lingerie pieces that could be deemed as simply offending to the sculptural prowess of the house's founder, but that most publications defined as sublime "Victoriana") last week in Paris.
Balenciaga announced Wang's exit in August and, since then, the traditional betting and guessing fashion game started. It must be said that, though Demna Gvasalia's name was rumoured, many thought it was just another gossip that should have maybe been taken more seriously considering how the creative collective he started with his brother Guram and with five other friends, has become painfully hip in the last few seasons. The choice was therefore pretty obvious from the point of view of luxury conglomerate Kering (Balenciaga is part of its luxury brands group).
Born in Georgia, Gvasalia studied international economics at Tbilisi State University, then moved to Antwerp and, in 2006, got a master's degree in fashion design at the local Royal Academy of Fine Arts (in 2004 a young Gvasalia won the third edition of the Trieste-based ITS competition).
Gvasalia, now 34, worked at Margiela (from 2009 to 2013) and at Louis Vuitton, where he became senior designer of women's ready-to-wear collections, working under Marc Jacobs and, for a short time, also under Ghesquière.
The democratic Vêtements (meaning "clothes" in French) collective project started in 2014 with seven designers who initially worked for other labels and therefore desired to remain anonymous.
Vêtements' unusual and energetic shows during Paris Fashion Week (one was staged for example in the basement of seedy gay club Le Dépote; the latest took place instead at Le Président, a Chinese restaurant in the Belleville neighbourhood) have featured so far raw and edgy reconfigured and reconstructed streetwear, wardrobe staples of young and cool kids such as sweats with flippable hoods, T-shirts, bombers and oversized motocross leather jackets, bodysuits and kitsch plastic apron dresses with floral prints.
Most pieces showed a clear derivation from Martin Margiela's designs and the models who donned them were scouted from social platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. So Vêtements' shows turned into the hippest places to be, and key items from the collections quickly entered the wardrobe of prominent and trendy fashion editors.
Honoured and excited at the prospect of the new appointment, Gvasalia will now have to think about how to push the boundaries at Balenciaga, how to reinvent and recreate it in a cool way, developing new silhouettes and volumes, or producing innovative ideas for new consumers especially in the men's and footwear departments.
While you could argue that the new appointment was part of a clever plan by Kering against its rival, the LVMH group (this year Vêtements was named a finalist for the LVMH Young Fashion Designers Prize…), the decision follows a recent fashion industry rule that has proved incredibly successful – bet on the unlikely young designer.
Gucci gambled with Alessandro Michele and things turned out pretty well for them; Balenciaga seems to be doing the same with Gvasalia. Yet there are differences: Michele has a longer experience and is also slightly older, while Gvasalia doesn't seem to have such an extensive curriculum and knowledge, especially when it comes to fabrics and accessories.
Yet again this passion for choosing young or relatively young designers who are also desperately hip, is also reducing their lifespan at specific fashion houses: Nicolas Ghesquière spent 15 years at Balenciaga; Alber Elbaz has focused on Lanvin for 14 years and Karl Lagerfeld has been working at Chanel since 1983. It looks like the fashion rhythms are becoming fast and faster at the moment with new designers staying with a fashion house for a limited amount of time: Wang only lasted three years at Balenciaga (though apparently this happened since it was difficult to reconcile the work for his own label in New York with his commitments in Paris with the French fashion house), while Marco Zanini vacated his seat at Schiaparelli's in April, leaving it to Bertrand Guyon.
Gvasalia & Co. love challenging perceptions, conventions, and industry practices, but you seriously wonder if he is the best bet when it comes to reinventing Balenciaga and enrich its architectural glossary.
Gvasalia could be a good bet if he would destroy the fashion industry from the inside, rather than be destroyed by it (once you are on their payroll, you have to abide to certain rules and regulations, the first and foremost being increasing sales and make a brand and its fashion group rich and richer).
Will Gvasalia change direction and opt for cocoon coats and perfectly structured skirts or will he take Balenciaga down the streetwear or avant-garde route, maybe firmly keeping in mind Margiela, while preaching an anti-fashion democratic approach to fashion and a commitment to wearable and financially accessible clothes (mind you, Vêtements clothes and accessories are not exactly that cheap, have a look on sites such as Net-a-Porter and you'll spot an oversized leather jacket that costs €2,950, €40,00 less than a Saint Laurent cape, while a ribbed turtleneck sweater will set you back €585, just €10 cheaper than a similar one at Gucci)?
Besides, will Gvasalia stay in place until 2017, the 100th anniversary of Balenciaga's founding and the 80th anniversary of its landmark store on the Avenue George V in Paris? As usual in these cases, time will tell: Gvasalia's first show for Balenciaga is due in March, but he will also continue working on his Vêtements project. In the meantime, Gvasalia is the new wunderkind designer of the year, with or without the experience needed to rise to the occasion. After all, in the fast-changing fashion business in love with the power of social media and thirsty for fresh blood, hipness is the only thing that genuinely counts.
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