Is there an ending to Galliano’s story ?

Dior show by Galliano - Photo: Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times

As always Cathy Horyn compacted the feeling of us all in her article published last night. As expected lots of stories about John’s addiction problem are surfacing.

As I mentioned his problem was well known by many and it is said that John did not design. Apparently, has said by Horyn the executive of Dior, Sydney Toledano, suggested many times that he should seek help (rehab) but of course they were not insistent enough…

“But increasingly one had the feeling that Mr. Galliano was indulged in ways that went beyond the normal — the driver, the bodyguard, the research trips, the vacations, the teams of assistants — and might have caused even the steadiest soul to lose touch with reality. Mr. Toledano is known to have repeatedly encouraged him to seek professional help for some issues (presumably, drinking), but Mr. Galliano’s replies were indirect. Or he said he would go to a spa.” Read the full article here at the NY Times, by Horyn.

Rosane Ribeiro

Galliano’s full statement

“Since the events of last Thursday evening I have not been able to make any public comment on what took place based upon advice from my French lawyer. However, given the continuing delays at the French Prosecutor’s Office I should make my position clear.

I completely deny the claims made against me and have fully co-operated with the Police investigation.

A number of independent witnesses have given evidence and have told the Police that I was subjected to verbal harassment and an unprovoked assault when an individual tried to hit me with a chair having taken violent exception to my look and my clothing. For these reasons I have commenced proceedings for defamation and the threats made against me.

However, I fully accept that the accusations made against me have greatly shocked and upset people.

I must take responsibility for the circumstances in which I found myself and for allowing myself to be seen to be behaving in the worst possible light. I only have myself to blame and I know that I must face up to my own failures and that I must work hard to gain people’s understanding and compassion. To start this process I am seeking help and all I can hope for in time is to address the personal failure which led to these circumstances and try and earn people’s forgiveness.

I have fought my entire life against prejudice, intolerance and discrimination having been subjected to it myself. In all my work my inspiration has been to unite people of every race, creed, religion and sexuality by celebrating their cultural and ethnic diversity through fashion. That remains my guiding light.

Anti-Semitism and racism have no part in our society. I unreservedly apologise for my behaviour in causing any offence.”

Speaking by the first time since this drama circus started, Galliano is said to have left Paris and is en route to rehab. Although not confirmed there is a speculation that he is going to the famous The Meadows.

As John obviously has an addiction problem, why nobody at such a big company did anything before ? I agree that the designer has to be responsible for his behaviour, but should not his bosses be helping him ? I am more than sure it was not the first time something unpleasant happened, so why did they not stop it before ? The truth is, in this industry there is highly tolerance for substance abuse and outrageous behaviour and surely the reason Dior is taking such measures is because everything was out in the open. This should had been approached way before this all happened !!!

Joh, get help and come back to the top of the game !

Roxy Ribeiro

The new Vuitton Man is British

Vogue.co.uk reveals the new Vuitton man

Surprise, surprise the new man is British and studied at Central Saint Martins, the place that feeds the world with the best fashion talents.

Kim Jones has been made Louis Vuitton’smenswear style director with immediate effect. The designer stepped down from his role as creative director of Alfred Dunhill in September.

The French fashion house today confirmed Jones (read full article here)

A Galliano situation

The John Galliano situation advances. From Thursday to today there has been many many news about a drunken Galliano extravagantly declaiming his love for Adolph Hitler in a bar and today it culminated with him being fired from his job at Dior.

After Hillary Alexander’s brilliant article at The Telegraph, I believe there is not much more needed to be said. I agree with every single word, but I feel I should point out few things that seem to have been forgotten in the heat of the moment.

Firstly let me remind you all that Galliano was provoked. While there is no excuse for his behaviour he was clearly under the influence of alcohol and God knows what else.

There is something else: designers of the level of Galliano live in a bubble. A glamorous, expensive, huge bubble. They hold a hedonistic life in a completely different world and sadly, yes very sadly, feel they can be immune to the real world consequences.

It is a life of lavishness where nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible and problems are always dealt by PRs, PAs, executives and the list goes on. The overdose of luxury (and many other substances) makes the world of high fashion a world set apart, a billion dollar world apart. Although everybody seems surprised by it all to most of us who works in fashion this is no news. Thirty years ago there were many stories of drunken famous designers doing stupid things, but then there was no Twitter, Facebook or such a celebrity culture.

There is a lesson to be learnt. There is and will always be consequences for what you do and say regardless how high profile you are. And . I am sure it was not the first time LVMH had to deal with many unpleasant situations created by their creative staff. But as this time, Galliano’s detestable  and repugnant comments were scandalously broadcasted to the world and they had to, of course, stand firmly against it all.  And let me break the news Bernard Arnault as the owner of a giant fashion conglomerate wants to turn the highest profit with the least problems to liaise as possible. As one can expect Galliano is and has always being a hand full to deal with, so rumours that Arnault wants to get rid of him has some fundament.

Although this is all sad and inexcusable there is no need to worried about the designer’s future. Those who are hating him and saying it is the end of his brilliant career, calm down! I will tell you something, fast forward a season or two(if all that), Galliano will  re appear as a star who has turned things around. Get will soon go into rehab, apologise for what he has said and take a short break . Then, on top of the game, he will come back and take his bow in the end of another fantastic fashion show in one of the many high fashion maisons. Do any of you remember when the whole world thought was the end of Kate Moss when she was photographed taking cocaine and lost few very good contracts and campaigns ?

Yes, I know, we all have a tendency to forget and soon this is all going to be old news.

Roxy Ribeiro

(also see Suzy Menkes take on it)

The unkind business of fashion Part II

As I sat in front of the TV watching the British documentary on Alexander Lee McQueen’s life, the so famous fashion rebel that shortened his life a year ago, I wondered how fashion can bring the best and the worse out of people. Lee was nothing short of genius. His talent was stunning, fascinating but above all shocking. Nobody pushed fashion to such extremes. His shows were performances loved and loathed by the public and specially the press.

But what fascinated me tonight was to see the fashion industry stripped down naked. Out came some of the most realistic facts that nobody wants to touch or for this matter talk about. In the open was Lee’s tough love relationship with Isabella Blow and, of course, his long term cocaine habit.

As he made as a designer taking a job at the house of Givenchy, Isabella was left behind and was not invited to ‘join the party’ in Paris. These were difficult years for them both. As Godfrey Deeny from FWD points out, “the press hated (Lee’s Givenchy collections) and I was not going to lie to Lee”. McQueen found difficult to fit in as a creative force behind a such a traditional French house. Back in UK, Isabella was jobless and lonely.

Isabella, for those who do not know, is the British fashion journalist and editor who discovered McQueen at his Central Saint Martins MA graduation show, buying all his collection, becoming his muse and presenting him to the world. She was an aristocratic Lady Gaga, wearing mind blowing hats and extravagant outfits. The sadness, resent and unhappiness of Isabella’s life is heartbreaking. I completely sympathise with her. She made many stars in the fashion world and despite being globally well known she struggled to even keep a job. Six suicide attempts in 2 years, Isabella seemed to find difficult to fit in. To the world she seemed to have everything, but deep inside she lived a constant battle to proof herself. “She did not want to become a charicature”, says her husband.

Brilliant and outrageous at its best, fashion geniality. Isabella’s sense of fashion was inspiring, beautiful and very, very ahead of her time. But apparently expensive and not commercial, so as a visionary she found hard to have a job and like any other mortal was having trouble to even pay her bills.

Asked if fashion had let down by  she surprisingly says “No, ‘fashion’ is my everything”.

Indeed Issie, isn’t it to us all ?

Roxy Ribeiro

Romance galore

 

Love is the air ! For the last few months all we hear about in the fashion scene is who or who is not going to design the wedding dress.

Not only William, son of prince Charles and Lady Di, have decided to marry his long term girlfriend Kate Middleton but the top of the topmodels, iconic queen, fashion muse Kate Moss is marrying ex-rock star boyfriend Jamie Hince, so it is the year of the weddings apparently.

Somehow I luckily managed to avoid writing about the royal wedding, so far, but I could not ignore the news brought to me this morning.

As Catherine Middleton, princess to be of the United Kingdom, keeps the name of the designer of her dress as highly confidential information, Miss Moss, with no shame in sharing the news, told John Galliano will be designer of her own romantic gown.

And voilà, just like that, I felt my romantic genes kick back in my system as the memories of the most beautiful, chic, punk dress I have seen ever in my life rushed back to my mind. It was a Galliano, of course in the chicest wedding I have attended in France.

If I was bored by the whole wedding season, Kate just gave me hope that deep inside there is still a romantic in me.  And, oh boy, this is a wedding I am now, really looking forward to.

 

The truth behind Carine’s resignation ?

The unkind business of fashion

The last few months got me surprised, shocked, re-evaluating and in love all over again with the fashion world. It is common sense to everyone (insiders or not) that this is a very tough industry if not the toughest one. As the fashion weeks calendar kicks off in NY today I question myself on all things fashion and the implication of its ways.

Competition, betrayal, big egos, extremely self important and difficult people, believe me this is not the worst. Everybody I know who works in fashion do so mainly out of a real passion and love, but nobody, even my editors in chief (both in Brazil and UK) do not have an easy ride.

As Carine Roitfeld resigned from her post as editor in chief of Vogue Paris mid december, the questions soared in the air and made many confused. Carine has successfully taken the magazine into a wagon of glamour and exposure. Under her 10 years of work Vogue Paris experienced a staggering 40% increase in sales also becoming well known not only for its intellectual conduct but also for its inspiring visual content. In few words, Carine revitalised and re-created the magazine as a reference and desirable icon.

But what took my attention mainly was that even Carine, queen of a fashion generation, very successful as an editor in chief and adored by people across the business, can be a victim of such fickle industry.

After her controversial December issue, dedicated to all things Tom Ford, there were rumours that not only her advertisers were not delighted but (consequently) her bosses at Condé Nast. To have a magazine issue exclusively dedicated to a designer can be fiercely arguable, but so is the dismissal of a profitable and extraordinary editor in chief over the such matter.

As Cathy Horyn reveals in her interview with Carine and her successor Emanuelle Alt, nobody confirms or denies if this was the reason for Carine resignation or dismissal. On top of all the drama, the two, who worked together for 10 years and seemed good friends (at least to outsiders eyes) are no longer speaking.

As they say, “Fashion is a bitch”!!!

Rosane Ribeiro

Brazilian Preview season

Completely off the beaten track of Brazilian fashion lies Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais a southwestern state famous for its production of cachaca and coffee, exported all over the world. It is no Sao Paulo Fashion Week (the biggest fashion event in Latin America) and does not attract as much attention as Rio Fashion but as the third richest state in Brazil Minas Gerais  is managing to get some importance on the international fashion calendar.

Although now Minas Trend is an event to preview the forthcoming collections, ABC Group (holding of Luminosidade, owner of SPFW and owner of the rights to explore RFW for the next 10 years) is trying to establish it as the place for showing cruise collections.

In my mind the event  has stood out for the craftsmanship and attention to detail that the designers showed on the catwalk and Business Salon (as they call the business fair attached to it). Brazil holds few fashion weeks, Rio and Sp, being the main more famous ones, plus Minas Trend and other very local ones held in Brasilia, Salvador, Recife just to name a few.

This is still a format extremely criticised, especially by the local press, who believe it is neither efficient nor necessary to have so many fashion weeks. Although it sounds confusing I still believe there is maybe a good side to holding so many fashion weeks. This way smaller local brands get more visibility with international press and more importantly buyers that otherwise they would not.

I would like to see how (if) Minas Trend develops into a cruise collection display. “Here the season is already too short. By the time your collection get to the stores it’s almost time to do the sales. So, creating and producing a collection for early preview is complicated and maybe not profitable”, confesses to me Dudu Bertolini, creative director and owner of Neon. And so this seems to be the consensus between designers.

Roxy Ribeiro

How the fashion pack lives, somewhere over the rainbow

For those who have not experienced the fashion marathon that is the the launch of a new season it is difficult to picture the long hours and hard work that is attending the fashion weeks. A whole year of fashion is fitted in a month.

For who is used to it, it’s always exciting and new, regardless of how many years you have been doing it. Needless to say its absolutely exhausting and demanding.

Garance Doré – blogger, photographer and famous french illustrator –  and Scott Schulman – the most famous street style photographer – have made the cutest video that shows a bit of it all.

Absolutely LOVE IT !

Rio in Fashion

Aquastudio SS2010 Photo: Paulo Reis

That Rio de Janeiro is in the spotlight in every corner of the world is something that goes without saying these days. For long the favourite travel destination for the rich, glamorous and well heeled the city is now in evidence with the World Cup happening in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016.

Rio is called “The Wonderful City” in reference to its natural beauty and joie de vivre that only the brazilians and specially the cariocas (people born in Rio) know how to do. First discovered by the portuguese in 1502, it wasnt until 1763 that Rio became the capital of Brazil. Different from what most believe the decision was made considering only practical reason as gold and diamonds were found in the near state of Minas Gerais (south of Rio de Janeiro), it would be much more practical to have Rio as port rather than its then capital, Salvador. The city held that status for almost 200 years (1763 – 1960) losing its economic and political importance (but keeping its title as one of the most glamorous and decadent cities of the world) when the capital was then moved to Brasília.

As fashion goes, Rio is obviously very well know for beachwear but recently has been making its waves in chic, casual sportswear as I mentioned here last season.

Starting today, there will the second time Fashion Rio is under Luminosidade administration. Luminosidade is the biggest Latin America fashion group, owing shares in few different labels, owner of the Fashion week in SP (SPFW) and owner of the concession to explore the fashion week in Rio for the next 10 years.

The event still misses in bringing the big names of the press and international buying scene. It might not have a direct connection to the relevance of the Brazilian fashion in world, but more to do with a lack of directional of the fashion weeks and also a big sponsor. Take for example Miami fashion week, a beachwear dedicated event that manage to attract the likes of Vogue UK, Elle UK, between others.

What maybe Luminosidade may has failed to understand is that flying half way on the globe to an event in the tropics can sound like a wonderful thing but might be more of a hassle for busy editors. The Brazilian fashion has of course its relevance in the world industry but with easy access to information it sometimes make more sense to take a seat in your office and google all the information.

Vanity Fair, Wallpapper, WGSN, Notjustalabel.com, JC Report, NY Times, Vogue.co.uk have all been brought by Luminosidade to Rio. Over the week I try to catch up with them and get their views and impressions of it all.

Notjustalable.com will be dedicating a whole issue to Brazilian Fashion and as contributing editor I will choose a group of designers to be shown in their page.

Already in the international scene as one of the most desirable destinations all over the world, my hopes are high that Luminosidade puts Rio as a important destination for the fashion crowd.

Rosane Ribeiro