Demna Gvasalia Made a Killing Making Ugly Fashionable

In 2015, Vogue reported Kering was considering appointing a “Lesser-known , hidden talent” to the helm of Balenciaga following Alexander Wang’s departure. The hidden talent was Demna Gvasalia, a Georgian, Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) graduate and founder of anti-fashion streetwear behemoth Vetements. Kering’s decision was inspired by the success of their appointment of Alessandro Michele, a then lesser-known designer, to the helm of Gucci – a move which reinvigorated the brand.

Vetements, founded in 2014, is known for street-cast models, oversized-proportions and 90s influenced streetwear presented in unconventional venues, such as Chinese restaurants in Paris. Vetements’ ability to capture headlines belies the scale of the brand, with its cigarette-lighter heeled sock-boots; sell-out £185 DHL logo t-shirts near identical to the £4.50 official DHL t-shirts; and their Levi collaboration capturing media attention:



Gvasalia has continued to capture headlines at Balenciaga for his:

Context lends irony to these designs – a croc is not ironic, but the exclusive points of sale and runway appearance means that customers spend a fortune to enjoy ugly. Counterintuitively, ugly fashion has made Balenciaga Kering’s fastest growing brand, on route to achieve a billion euros in revenue mid-term. As Millennials prioritize unique designs over quality, the Millennial 65% of customers who make up 50% of Balenciaga’s sales proves that Gvasalia has tapped into the market extremely well.

However, ugly fashion has become what it mocked – mainstream fashion – meaning its lost some of its punch. The Lyst Index of the hottest fashion brands reinforces this, with Balenciaga falling from 1st to 3rd place between Q1 and Q2 of 2018 and Vetements falling from 3rd to 6th place in the same period. Regardless, Gvasalia has remarkably driven commercial success through media attention achieved through the shock value of his clothing.

TTYL

See also: CELINE Vs. Céline

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References
  • https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/apr/19/dhl-t-shirt-vetements-fashion-paris-catwalk
  • https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/demna-gvasalia
  • https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/alexander-wang-leaving-balenciaga-kering-creative-director
  • https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2016/apr/19/dhl-t-shirt-vetements-fashion-paris-catwalk
  • http://uk.businessinsider.com/balenciaga-platform-crocs-most-popular-fashion-2018-7
  • https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/brands/hype-vs-heritage-can-vetements-label-brought-us-900-jeans/
  • https://qz.com/quartzy/1408465/balenciaga-showed-comic-sans-printed-dresses-at-paris-fashion-week/
  • https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/sponsored-feature/the-hottest-brands-in-2017-gucci-vs-balenciaga
  • https://www.ft.com/content/b8da67b2-f09b-11e7-b220-857e26d1aca4
  • https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/top-10-fashion-brands-2018

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