The Creative Director Role
Hello Foundational Community,
Throughout the month of March, fashion industry insiders and fans have been getting a drip-drip-drip of names for the slew of creative director positions currently open. Some have been a surprise – Demna going to Gucci and Miguel Castro Freitas to Mugler – while others have been rumors circulating for months (Proenza Schouler to helm Loewe). Many journalists have commented how this slow churn of designer announcements is unnecessary because it needlessly prolongs the awkward transition period of whoever is the current creative director or – in the case of no one leading the design department - then the in-house teams who design those “in-between” collections (see Chanel). The sole benefit of the who-is-going-where game seems to be for the numerous social media pundits, who enjoy posting videos of themselves commenting on creative director appointments. And I say that because I don’t know anyone in the industry who finds this designer merry-go-round engaging any longer. It’s the same names moving between houses, frequently to create the same product, familiar looks and similar ad campaigns. As Jordan Richman stated in his article for 032C, “From Milan to Paris, I can’t tell you how many colleagues have shared how they have lost all interest in what was once an engrossing industry.” (“Transmissions: Déjà Démodé | 032c”) It has left me wondering if executives want to hire creative directors who can amplify and reinvent their brand’s creative DNA or are they just interested in creating temporary media hype?
I ask that question because the job of a creative director increasingly feels like a showman. Of course, it wasn’t always this way; it used to be that a designer with a distinct fashion point of view and technical dressmaking knowledge led a fashion house. Today, we have creative directors who are the visionary leader of a brand. From conceptualizing products and setting design direction to maintaining a consistent visual image, the creative director’s job is to ensure all creative aspects come together cohesively while also maintaining a brand’s uniqueness in a competitive industry.
Kering and Balenciaga headquarters, Paris. Photo courtesy of Andrei Antipov / Shutterstock.
But it is the fashion show event that increasingly feels like the most important part of the creative director job. And not from the perspective of clothing, because the clothes frequently featured are created to keep a brand “relevant” – which in this case simply means talked about on social media and worn by celebrities. That an influencer or celebrity’s audience may not actually cross-over with a brand’s customers is irrelevant, and ditto for whether the clothes shown are wearable, functional or even produced. And with many creative directors designing clothing that is not for the real world, it means fashion shows have become more about the performance rather than the actual clothing and what that says about the options available to women when dressing for and living a modern life.
It's also why the only creative director appointment of the past month that I have found exciting is Simone Bellotti, who is headed to Jil Sander. Bellotti created quite a buzz while at Bally for his minimalist-inspired looks that also showcased excellent tailoring and a fresh twist on traditional silhouettes. Jil sander said Bellotti has “developed a keen obsession for detail, interpreting archival references with innovative directions.” (“Jil Sander: Simone Bellotti is the new creative director”) I’m eager to see how he thoughtfully approaches the Jil Sander codes while simultaneously offering women that increasingly rare thing in the world of fashion: a versatile wardrobe that one can genuinely wear in the real world.
