How will heritage fashion houses survive this winter?

In the past two months, we have seen several creative directors part ways with legacy houses.

From Benjamin Huseby and Serhat Isik at Trussardi, Ludovic de Saint Sernin at Ann Demeulemeester, Bruno Sialelli at Lanvin, and Rhuigi Villasenor at Bally. Even titans like Alessandro Michele and Jeremy Scott have left Moschino and Gucci.

It has become a game to see who will stay and who will go.

The more significant conundrum that needs answering is whether this is just a symptom or if there's a bigger problem at hand.

To explain the big problem, we need to understand the moving parts of this game we call the fashion industry. Legacy houses are founded and have survived more than a century of commerce. Think Gucci, Prada, Christian Dior, and Balenciaga — all houses that have been named after someone.

In the last few decades, many of these pioneers have sold a percentage of the ownership or have had the house bought by a group or corporation such as LVMH, Richemont, or Kering.

After the person has passed or chooses to leave, the group would often keep the house going because it is another stream of revenue. In the past the business would be passed down to family members, but in modern times a new creative director would be hired to continue the legacy. For example, when Valentino decided to retire in 2008, the house was led by Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri, with MGC leaving to head up Dior in 2016. As these houses grow in age, wisdom follows.

These brands have a wealth of history, artefacts and lessons that are more challenging to come by in the shape of trained artisans, ateliers with unique skill sets, and industry relationships.

As a person starting your own brand, you don’t know where to get the best fabrics at the best prices. You don’t know which production house to outsource to that is the best at embroidery, you don’t have a well-established supply chain, and you most certainly do not have relationships with buyers or a loyal customer base. You can see how prestige isn’t the only reason a designer may take on this role.

The world has completely changed. The idea of leading a legacy house is not as lauded as it was because of how many emerging brands are at the forefront of the conversation. There is a lot more freedom and a lot less politics in running your own brand.

If you have watched Kingdom of Dreams, you get to see the pressures that faced the Fab Four of Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen as they led LVMH and the Gucci Group (now known as Kering). There are demands that need to be met. You need to churn out the new hit accessories while making the brand grow in popularity. The expectations exceed the payoff. 

The role of the creative director has changed drastically. The head honcho is no longer solely responsible for every design that makes it to the runway. There is a decline in the need to even have a formal education in fashion. Designers like Rick Owens and Virgil Abloh came from the world of architecture. Miuccia Prada had a PhD in Political Science before joining the family business. These designers have yet to traditionally work up the ranks of the design team to gain these positions. 

On the other hand, there has been a big push to promote the lieutenants of these houses to the head position. Matthieu Blazy is the first example that comes to mind and has had major success at Bottega Veneta. Designers like Alessandro Michele and Pierpaolo Piccioli worked their way up the totem pole to become senior designers at their respective houses before they were promoted and achieved acclaim. Virginie Viard was Karl Lagerfeld’s second in command and has achieved record sales no matter how contentious her Chanel may be. This may be the key to their survival.

There is a vacuum forming which questions the way we have been running these massive institutions. How do we even determine who is qualified to do such? It is so case-dependent that I cannot even make generalisations. All that matters is that there is a massive amount of knowledge and experience that comes from interacting with these houses.

Look at how so many of the leaders of fashion’s past spent time at other houses. Hubert de Givenchy, Oscar De La Renta and Andre Courreges worked under Cristobal Balenciaga. Karl Lagerfeld worked under Pierre Balmain. Yves Saint Laurent worked under Christian Dior. These titans subsequently built heritage fashion houses that live on today. 

How do these heritage houses survive? The first idea is to open up the ranks. They have the unique opportunity to create leadership positions that aren’t just a revolving door but involve growing talent. Start giving young designers access to the archives and interpret the codes and tropes alongside your lieutenants, who will keep the consistency the house needs to satisfy its customer bases.

JeanPaul Gaultier has pioneered the idea of rotating the couture outings and creating the opportunity to honour the legacy of the house while introducing designers to the art form of couture. There is the trade that is mutually beneficial. These houses are constantly reinvigorated by young popular talent while these emerging designers get the experience and lessons of the inner workings to help build their own.

At the end of the day, there is a need for these houses to stay alive. They are museums of fashion’s legacy. Simultaneously, there is a new drive for designers to create their own legacy. It is clear that this divergence has created turmoil, and a lot of people do not want to go back into the trap of yesteryear. These two pathways need to come together, or else no-one will survive.