Fashion is experiencing a designer shakedown

Yes, fashion is experiencing a shakedown.  

Just like the 1.2 billion Roman Catholics around the world who will soon have a new leader after Pope Benedict XVI’s surprise resignation in February, up-and-coming designers are taking over fashion houses to breathe new life into their brands.  Just like the Church, which is struggling to retain its flock in an increasingly secularized world, outdated and declining power-house brands infuse new talent to bring them back onto the fashion map.

In the last two decades, fashion has shifted drastically. Small family or founder-run companies have been taken over by global, publicly traded corporations. These corporations make bil-lions of dollars in sales each year. With this pressure to bring in the bucks, fashion houses hire hot and emerging designers, launch aggressive AD campaigns, get celebrity endorsers and secure an A-list clientele to reinvent their brands into critical and commercial triumphs. This combination defines today’s fashion businesses.  Just take a look at global fashion brands now — from Lanvin to Balenciaga, Céline, Balmain, Givenchy, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent, to name a few.

As a result, fashion-house studios have become revolving doors and a game of musical chairs. Raf Simons, who previously designed for Jil Sander, is taking over Dior from John Galliano, who is now with Oscar de la Renta. Jil Sander is back at her eponymous label, which she no longer owns. Phoebe Philo, now at Céline, used to create for Chloé. Dior’s Hedi Slimane has gone to Yves Saint Laurent, where Stefano Pilati used to work; Pilati is now with menswear house Ermenegildo Zegna.

Just recently, the revival of intimate 1940s Parisian couture house Carven received a warm welcome from the fashion set. Designer Guillaume Henry, who formerly worked for Givenchy under Riccardo Tisci, has continually produced effortless and elegant pieces for three seasons now. Carven, founded by Madame Carmen de Tommaso on the Champs-Elysées initially for petite women, soon became an alternative to Dior’s more formal fashion during the ’40s.

Givenchy has become a global powerhouse since Riccardo Tisci’s tenure at the brand. At the recent Paris Fashion Week, Tisci received a standing ovation for his A/W 2013 collection at Givenchy, which may be his best work yet since he joined the house.

Claudia Schiffer, Mary Kate Olsen, Lily Allen and Leighton Meester tote the Celine Boston bag.

Hermès has had its fair share of changes, from Martin Margiela to Jean Paul Gaultier and now, Christophe Lemaire, who used to work at Lacoste. It has been five seasons since he began and his pared-down masculine collection at Paris A/W 2013 resonated the house’s ultra-luxe vibe.

Phoebe Philo has brought life back to Céline. Each season, her bag designs turn out to be the It bags of the moment, from the Boston tote to the trapeze and the trio bag.

Hedi Slimane’s recent collection at YSL was received with mixed reviews. His second attempt for the house was a complete deviation from the heritage of YSL. He is one designer who wants to forge the future of the brand rather than look back to the past.

At Emanuel Ungaro, Fausto Puglisi, one of style icon Anna Dello Russo’s favorite designers, takes design control. (Dello Russo is also Japan Vogue’s editor at large and creative consultant.)

Olivier Rousteing, who used to work at Roberto Cavalli, replaces Christophe Decarnin at another French house, Balmain.  Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli have made their own mark on Valentino.

Perhaps the most talked about at present is the replacement of Nicolas Ghesquière as creative director at the house of Balenciaga. New York-based Alexander Wang took over the reins and presented his first collection last February in Paris. In the International Herald Tribune’s special report on Paris fashion, Suzy Menkes wrote, “His collection looked effortless, as though the designer, at only 29 years old, had reached the essence of what the famous couturier stood for: sculpture elegance.” Wang concentrated on the silhouettes Cristobal Balenciaga made famous. His marble-inspired collection combined the house’s heritage and the street-savvy style he is recognized for.

Not everybody hits the jackpot, though. New blood is not a guarantee of success. A few attempts to re-launch the iconic label of Madeleine Vionnet, who revolutionized women’s dressing during her time, have not proved successful yet. Designers have come and gone. Halston, though legendary, has also had the same predicament.

Since Karl Lagerfeld made Chanel into a global powerhouse from the ’80s up to the present, other fashion brands have tried to follow suit.

Skill, vision and a modern point of view seem to be the essentials for leading fashion houses today. Yet, there is still no one formula for success. At one point, some designers completely pull away from the fashion house’s past and make their own future vision of the brand. On the other hand, some are deferential to the brand and its heritage. Either way, the tough competition keeps fashion’s ever-changing players dynamic and creative. That means more remarkable fashion for all of us.
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E-mail Joyce Oreña at jo@joyceorena.com or follow her on Twitter @joyceorena.