ACT II
RANDOM IDENTITIES
by Stefano Pilati
Acreative directorship at a heritage-steeped house used to be the holy grail of fashion, with young designers gunning for top positions at brands owned by conglomerates such as LVMH, Kering and Richemont. Scoring one meant an instant stamp of approval from the establishment, and provided a shortcut to stardom and huge paydays. Designers who made their name helming heritage houses include John Galliano and Alexander McQueen at Givenchy, Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, Christopher Bailey at Burberry and Tom Ford at Gucci.
In the past decade though, as fashion and media changed beyond recognition, cracks started showing in the system. Both Galliano and McQueen experienced falls as dramatic as their ascensions. Galliano’s successor at Dior, Raf Simons, burned out from the intensity and was later unceremoniously ousted from his next job at Calvin Klein. Alber Elbaz suffered the same fate at Lanvin, despite turning the fortunes of the French brand around. Ghesquière left Balenciaga embroiled in an ugly spat while the stint of
