After two years dominated by the pandemic, in 2022 the fashion and luxury industry faces new global challenges, including the war in Ukraine, the highest inflation rates in decades across the US, UK and Europe, and a slowing economy in China. But 2022 was also a year of significant change in the industry, with a new wave of creative brand directors and CEOs. Controversies, via Kanye West and Balenciaga; And big announcements, like buying Tom Ford.
Goodbye Andre Leon Talley
Andre Leon Talley in New York, 1998 © Getty Images
Designer Issey Miyake with models during Paris Fashion Week 1993 © Getty Images
On January 18th, renowned fashion editor and journalist Andre Leon Talley died at the age of 73. An unmistakable figure often dressed in a flowing cape and Manolo Blahnik boots, Tully has worked for titles including Interview magazine, Women’s Wear Daily and US Vogue. Born in Washington, D.C., in 1948 and raised by his grandmother in Durham, North Carolina, Tully paved the way for other black creatives in the industry. Fashion lost other important figures in 2022, including designers Thierry Mugler, Nino Cerotti, Issey Miyake, Hanae Mori and Peter Hidalgo.
Brands stopped their activity in Russia
Eight days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Hermès announced its decision to temporarily close stores in Russia and halt all business activities in the country, following a series of similar actions by brands such as Chanel, Burberry and Prada, as well as Richemont began. , LVMH and Kering. Luxury brands are being followed by publishing houses such as publisher Elle Hearst, which cut ties with its Russian media partners in early March, and publisher Vogue Condé Nast, which terminated its franchise agreement with Condé Nast Russia in April. became
Destination shows are back with a bang
In July, Dolce & Gabbana hosted four days of its Alta Moda collection in Sicily. . .
. . . While Chanel flew to Dakar, Senegal for its Métiers d’Art show in December
In the early days of the pandemic, travel restrictions halted luxury brands’ exotic destination shows, and some in the industry predicted a shift in the fashion calendar in favor of a more sustainable approach. However, in 2022, destination fairs are back in full force as luxury brands invest in ways to strengthen their relationships with local customers. Some of the biggest shows included the four-day Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda show in Sicily and the three-day Chanel Métiers d’Art event in Dakar, Senegal.
Patagonia gave everything
In September, Patagonia founder Yvonne Chouinard and her family transferred full ownership of the company, estimated at $3 billion, to the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the nonprofit Holdfast Collective. The trust, which owns all of the company’s voting shares, ensures that Patagonia honors its social and environmental obligations over the long term, while the nonprofit that owns all of the non-voting shares receives approximately $100 million in dividends each year. will receive be used to fight the climate crisis. Chouinard, an American entrepreneur, has made the environment a central focus of his business since founding Patagonia in 1973.
The saga of Kanye West
After a controversial show and anti-Semitic remarks, Kanye West has been dropped by Adidas and Balenciaga. . . © GC Images
. . . But the brand and its creative director Demna Gvasalia were embroiled in a controversy of their own in November © Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
In January, Kanye West and Balenciaga creative director Demna Gvasalia announced their Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collaboration. By the end of the year, the parties were no longer working together. Trouble began over the summer, with West taking to social media to complain about management and creative conflicts with Gap. A few weeks later, he terminated his 10-year contract with the US retailer, citing Gap’s “significant lack of adherence”. Then, in October, a surprise show at Paris Fashion Week to launch Yeezy Season 9 when West appeared wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt to deliver a lengthy monologue that included announcing a run against the chair of LVMH. provoked and CEO Bernard Arnaud. After the show, and a series of offensive and anti-Semitic comments by the artist, Balenciaga ended its collaboration with the designer. West, who has continued to use anti-Semitic rhetoric, has also been dropped by Adidas, Foot Locker and talent agency CAA.
Tom Ford cashed out
Estée Lauder’s acquisition of Tom Ford has fueled speculation about the American designer’s exit from fashion © WireImage
Creative director Alessandro Michele stepped down from Gucci in November © Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images
On November 15, Estée Lauder announced that it would acquire Tom Ford in a deal that valued the brand at $2.8 billion, the largest deal to date for the beauty company. Estee Lauder will operate Tom Ford Beauty, which has been licensed by the beauty company since 2006, while signing a 20-year licensing agreement with Italian luxury group Zegna for the brand’s womenswear, menswear, accessories and underwear, giving Tom Ford expanded Glasses license with the Italian Marcolin glasses company. The purchase fueled speculation that Tom Ford might be going out of fashion. The American designer is expected to stay with the brand until the end of 2023, but it is unclear what will happen after that. “She’s no longer interested in fashion,” a source familiar with the negotiations told FT fashion editor Lauren Indwick.
Balenciaga’s big mistake
In mid-November, Balenciaga wrote another of the most controversial moments of the year with the release of two (now withdrawn) ad campaigns that appeared to glamorize child abuse. The first, ‘Gift Shop’, featured children holding bags that looked like teddy bears and wearing bondage gear, while the second, ‘Garde-Robe’, featured Supreme Court documents on child pornography laws in the background. Was. As outrage mounted, the company apologized on social media but also launched a $25m (£21m) lawsuit against the production company behind one of the campaigns, a move seen as a way to deflect blame. Two weeks after unveiling the “Gift Shop” campaign, Balenciaga creative director Demna shared a personal apology on Instagram, which was followed by a note from the company’s president and CEO, Cedric Charbit, in which a note from president and CEO Cedric Charbit was released. He does not pursue a fight
Everyone changes in the top brands
A look at Rhuigi Villaseñor’s debut collection for Bally Spring/Summer 23 © Alberto Maddaloni
Matthew Blasi debuts for Bottega Veneta Fall/Winter 22 © Alessandro Lucioni
Bottega Veneta, Bally, Missoni, Salvatore Ferragamo, Etro and Virgil Abloh’s Off-White all came under new creative direction this year, with Bottega Veneta’s Matthieu Blazy making the biggest splash with his February debut. Blaze, who succeeded Daniel Lee at the helm of the Kering-owned brand in November 2021, has won acclaim for his eye for the house’s fundamental craftsmanship and elegance. Meanwhile, Lee was appointed creative director at British brand Burberry in October, following the departure of Riccardo Tisci, and is expected to breathe new life into the label, which has been under new CEO Jonathan Aykroyd since April. excuseme. Big changes are also afoot at Gucci, where creative director Alessandro Michele stepped down in November.
Prada and LVMH have announced new CEOs
In December, Prada tapped former Luxottica CEO Andre Guerra to succeed CEOs (and husband and wife) Patrizio Bertelli and Miuccia Prada, making way for their son, Lorenzo Bertelli, who is now the company’s head of corporate social responsibility. prepared to take over as the leader of this company. Group Over the next few years at LVMH, Antoine Arnaud, son of chairman Bernard Arnaud and head of communications and image at LVMH, replaced Sidney Toledano as CEO of Holding Christian Dior SE. The appointment boosts Antoine’s position in the French luxury multinational’s power structure – Christian Dior SA owns 41 percent of LVMH, or 56 percent of its voting rights – but succession plans at the world’s biggest luxury conglomerate remain a mystery. Bernard Arnault, 73, has never publicly announced a successor.
