Blog Post #4: How has the integration of celebrity figures taking on roles as creative directors of fashion houses affected the growth and trajectory of the fashion industry?

Welcome back to my inquiry project!

In my last Blog post I ventured into the deep world of fashion and explained some of the history and foundation of our current understandings of the culture which surrounds fashion. Today I will be delving even deeper and researching the relationship between the brand and its designers/creative directors.

It is important to research this aspect as the staff of a fashion house is nothing without the brand itself. The relationship between keeping a fashion house relevant while keeping the same basic principles and ideologies of its founder is one of the hardest challenges and most relevant topics when it comes to talking about the trajectory of fashion.

Before delving into some of the recent examples of this I will break this post into two parts. The past, and the present.

In the past, fashion houses have kept a very rigid stance in their direction and staff. Whether that be Coco Chanel and keeping her army of tweed pan-suits and matching sets, or the similar yet completely different English fashion brand Burberry.

Although in today’s world we regard those same Chanel tweed sets as an outdated and more “classic” styles of our time, in its own time, Coco Chanel’s classic style was an innovation and revelation. Post world war I, fashion as we know it was filled with rigid lines and modesty, where women were forced to dress for men, not themselves. The most popular styles being called the “S” style, with tight hoop skirts which forced women’s silhouette to look like an “S” shape. (1)

 

Coco Chanel’s personal experience with fashion and the culture of the post war times poverty, she was often found wearing mens clothing which not only fit her aesthetic more but also her personality. She never liked the overly hyper feminine dresses (image above) and wanted to sport better and looser options for women. This led to the creation of the tweed sets we see today.

 

 

 

This same ideations (although some controversial) has allowed her to become one of the style and fashion icons of our time, and in our definitions, a creative director of her own brand. Now, although in our times we like to think Chanel’s vision and visuals are too classic or outdated, she was still revolutionary.(2)

 

 

Now how have the some of the current Chanel creative directors commemorated the same legacy while keeping up with current trends? This very question is how we are able to dissect the relationships between a brand and its creative director. Hence, after the passing of Coco Chanel in the late 70s, the brand began its trek during one of its hardest times. With no traditional guidance from its founder and a lack of foundation for the future, the Chanel brand would continue to struggle until the mid 80s where the iconic Karl Lagerfeld  would turn the brand into the iconic one it is today. Due to the abrupt joining of Karl Lagerfeld, the relationship between the brand and designer was one of survival and hunger for a revitalized look. However, Karl not only did what he was asked but also reinstated Coco’s own classic Chanel aesthetic within his modern pieces. His ground breaking work at Chanel allowed Karl to be named one of the most influential designers of his time and almost a “creative director” before the term existed. (3)

Through this example it is apparent that the best approach to a relationship between a brand and its creative director is one filled with trust and culture. Trust in the fact that as a creative director one won’t change the the brand completely and will stay relevant to their basic principles, and trust from the brand that they will support and guide their directors, not dismiss them as history has shown.

 

While brands relationship with its creative director is never the same as another’s s, especially in the case of Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld. The most recent example of the importance of the relationship between a brand and its creative director is the British luxury fashion house Burberry and their new hire, Daniel Lee.

 

 

With their rich history in fashion and culture, and their almost unmistakable and one of a kind patterns, Burberry serves as a reminder and an homage to the fashion of our ancestors and a turn for society during the early 20th century, where they supplied uniforms for the war effort and jackets for multiple excavations in the name of science.(4)

The best way to see the progression of Burberry’s fashion and their “aesthetic” is to see it through the evolution of their actual image; their logo.

During the more capitalistic and trend based era of fashion (around peak 2014-2021) where brands were over-saturating their garments and creating lesser quality clothing as well as more “trendy” aesthetics. Many brands re-did their image, mainly their logos and went towards a monotone and blocky logo. We can see this happen with other brands like Balenciaga and Fendi.

Although Burberry was just following what every other brand was doing at the time, that specific era wasn’t the best for them and had brought the brand image a few notches down relative to the “Luxury fashion house” glory it holds today. With Daniel Lee’s recent move to Burberry he is already reinstating Burberry and reminding us of the true power the fashion house holds by changing the Burberry logo back to its former self with a little bit of a newer look. (5)

In addition, his new vision for Burberry went above and beyond, mixing classic Burberry with the current culture around the world as well as the brands birthplace, the U.K. By taking inspiration and going back to the basics, while modernizing when needed, Daniel Lee has single handedly created a new standing for Burberry that has fashion critics waiting with bated breath. (6)

 

Overall, Burberry and Daniel Lee are another prime example of the how the relationship between a brand and its creative director can change the trajectory of a brand and take it to the next level for the better.

Thank you so much for reading!

– Sanam M.

 

1. Tender, E. (n.d.). Early life of Coco Chanel. Coco Chanel. https://theworldofcocochanel.weebly.com/-early-life.html
2. Sinha, V. (2020, November 4). A feminist icon? the historical leadership of Coco Chanel. Postscript Magazine. https://postscriptmagazine.org/content/2018/05/27/feminist-icon-historical-leadership-of-coco-chanel
3. Kagan, E. (2023, January 6). Chanel’s iconic designers: Coco Chanel & Karl Lagerfeld. Sothebys.com. https://www.sothebys.com/en/articles/chanels-iconic-designers-coco-chanel-karl-lagerfeld
4. History. Burberry Plc Corporate. (n.d.). https://www.burberryplc.com/company/history
5. Why did Burberry rebrand in 2023 (again). Clementine house. (2023, March 12). https://www.clementinehouse.com/blog-news/why-did-burberry-rebrand-in-2023-again#:~:text=The%20rebrand%20was%20part%20of,lesson%20in%20brand%20building%20too.
6. Chitrakorn, K. (2023, February 21). “Change is inevitable”: Daniel Lee debuts reimagined vision for Burberry. Vogue Business. https://www.voguebusiness.com/fashion/change-is-inevitable-daniel-lee-debuts-reimagined-vision-for-burberry