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:

• $2150 IKEA bag
  
  
• $1,300 t-shirt shirt 
  
  

• $10,000 parka jacket (7 jackets stacked on one another)

• $850 platform crocs

• and $795 Dad shoes
  
  

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 1^st to 3^rd place between Q1 and Q2 of 2018 and Vetements falling from 3^rd to 6^th 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