Oct
25
A crop of younger designers will make their debut on Tuesday at Paris Fashion Week, in what will be the fashion world’s grand finale, after major events in New York, London and Milan, to showcase the Spring-Summer 2012 ready-to-wear collections.
There will be 92 shows, but the speculation and gossip about top jobs is creating as much buzz as the outfits.
At Friday’s Christian Dior show, many are expecting an announcement about who will succeed John Galliano at French couture house Christian Dior.
The British designer was sacked in disgrace on the eve of the March ready-to-wear shows after using anti-Semitic insults in a bar in Paris, an outburst which led to a court conviction in September.
New York designer Marc Jacobs is tipped to move from Louis Vuitton for the job, but negotiations over salary are still ongoing.
Dior’s Spring-Summer collection for Friday has been signed by Bill Gaytten, Galliano’s number two, who has overseen the house’s collections since March.
US rapper Kanye West is expected to make his pret-a-porter debut in Paris – he has reportedly recruited London fashon students to work on his collection.
And there’s a new face at Balmain, where chief designer Olivier Rousteing, the 25 year old who took over in April, will unveil his first womenswear line for the French label.
At Kenzo, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim make their debut after replacing Antonio Marras who was at the helm for eight years.
Paris Fashion Week kicked off on Tuesday under a cloud of economic pessimism mixed with uncertainty about the creative direction of some of the world’s biggest fashion brands including Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine and Yves Saint Laurent.
After New York, London and Milan, Paris closes the season of presentations for next spring and summer with nine days of shows at which designers will be fighting for buyers and media attention amid worries about a possible economic slowdown.
In an early sign of trouble, Barbara Bui (BBUI.PA), one of France’s few listed fashion brands, said earlier this month trading had become more unpredictable as it was concerned rising European taxes could affect consumer spending.
The next three months to Christmas is the make-or-break period for fashion brands when they sell the most products at full price. It is also when orders for next spring are made.
In France, business and consumer confidence slumped in September as investors questioned the solidity of the banking system, future growth prospects and whether the current euro zone debt crisis could be solved .
Making the industry’s future even more of a guessing game, many top fashion houses are looking to for a next generation of designers to inject youth and excitement.
Christian Dior’s show on Friday will be the talk of the town as the brand is still without a designer six months after the departure of John Galliano whose career at the French house ended abruptly after making anti-Semitic remarks at a Paris bar.
Dior’s first show without Galliano in July was panned by critics as confusing and too zany.
Sources close to LVMH (LVMH.PA), the world’s biggest maker of luxury goods which controls Dior, say Marc Jacobs, currently designer at sister brand Louis Vuitton, could succeed Galliano.