On January 25, at 7 p.m., it was the last big show of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week for Spring/Summer 2024, and the audience sitting under the dark Pont Alexandre III in Paris did not expect that they were about to witness history.
Maison Margiela, a luxury brand known for its sheep's hoof-like split-toe shoes, has been owned by John Galliano since 2014. But it wasn't until this evening that it became known to passers-by.
As soon as the show ended, it immediately went viral on social networks. For Galliano, this frenzy is no stranger. Compared to his contemporaries, his work has always been shocking and irresistible.
In her book Kings and Gods, fashion journalist Dana Thomas chronicles the rise and fall of two fashion giants in the late 20th century, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano. "With Galliano," she wrote, "you get a sense of the gorgeous possibilities of fashion — so ridiculous that he intoxicates us with excess." Let the present and the past both merge and seem to fall apart, as if you are witnessing the history of fashion through the present. ”
Back at the beginning of the century, Galliano's fashion shows were the hottest spots in Paris. People would hike to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city in search of Galliano, wait for an hour outside in the cold, and then be allowed in. Over the years, Galliano has received numerous accolades, being named "British Fashion Designer of the Year" four times. In 1996, Princess Diana wore a royal blue gown designed by him at the Gala GalaKate Moss approached him to design a wedding dress;Anna Wintour has supported Galliano from the early days of his career. In this way, no one is luckier than him.
But, like many unruly geniuses, Galliano's inappropriate remarks after a drunken explosion led to his defeat and ruthless expulsion from Dior, ending that dazzling era.
John Galliano and Mason Margiela's new collection made a splash at the recent Spring/Summer Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris. (Photo: Maison Margiela's official website).
Genius Lucky Ones.
John Galliano was born in Gibraltar on November 28, 1960. The family moved to England at the age of 6, settling in Stretham and later south London.
As a child, Galliano took the ferry to the Moroccan port of Tangier Made every day for school, and the markets of North Africa became his initial inspiration**. My love for clothing fabrics comes from Muslim souks, bazaars, knitted fabrics, carpets, scents, herbs and spices, and the colours of the Mediterranean – all of them. Galliano said.
After being admitted to the ** San Martin Academy, Galliano's talent began to attract attention. His painting teacher, Howard Tangi, at St. Martin's, described: "John was extremely talented. He can sketch shapes, contours, details, proportions very beautifully with lines. He painted so beautifully. The collections he later showed me made me feel like he was still painting, but with fabrics instead of brushes and paints. ”
In 1984, Galliano's graduation show, "Les Incroyables," hit the industry with an instant hit. He was inspired by the frivolous and fashionable aristocrats of the French Revolution (1789), young men and women who took to the streets of Paris in fancy costumes to express decadence and extravagance.
Joan Bernstein was in attendance for the legendary runway. As the owner of the long-established boutique Browns, she has a lot of admiration for the fledgling designer. As soon as the show ended, she went backstage and announced that she would "buy it all".
The next morning, Galliano's work appeared in the window of a Browns boutique on London's South Molton Street. Soon, the collection sold out. Years later, Galliano said: "My love for this collection remains the same. I love the romance of walking briskly through the cobbled streets in a beautiful organza outfit. ”
Overnight, Galliano created his eponymous label and assembled a team. He moved to Paris, where he was appointed to Givenchy in 1995 by LVMH president Bernard Arnault, and the following year he moved to Dior, where he launched the classic saddle bag, created those spectacular runway shows, and put fashion on the front pages.
Wrestling. On February 24, 2011, Galliano got into an argument with a couple sitting next to him at the "Pearl" café in central Paris. In an interview with Radio France, he said that Galliano had insulted them in English in a discriminatory nature.
Afterwards, Galliano was "disgusted" by his actions. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he told contributing editor Ingrid Sischy: "It's the most vicious thing I've ever said in my life, but I didn't mean to ...... it."I'm very upset with myself. He continued, saying that he hadn't touched alcohol in two years, "and if I hadn't, I would have ended up in a mental hospital or a grave."
At the beginning of 2013, Galliano accepted an invitation from Oscar de la Renta, and with the mediation of Anna Wintour, Galliano took a temporary residence in the design studio of de la Renta in preparation for his Fall ready-to-wear collection at New York Fashion Week 2013. In the same year, an article in The Guardian described the events in Galliano, saying that "Vogue (the world) forgave John Galliano".
In fact, long before Galliano was "exiled" by Dior and the fashion industry, he was already behind bars. He said in an interview that he had been suffering from self-destructive tendencies and alcohol addiction. "Creating is an extremely draining process, one of my character flaws that I have to control. When I tried it on, I didn't do anything even if the house was on fire. ”
John Galliano suffered from self-destructive tendencies and alcohol addiction. (Picture unsplash).
According to reports from Ingrid Sishi, the owner of Dior's parent company, LVMH, spoke to Galliano at least twice before he was fired. First, Dior CEO Sidney Toledano took Galliano to lunch to talk about his health problems, but Galliano not only did not listen, but advised Toledano to change his eating habits. Soon after, Bernard Arnault, president of the LVMH group, warned Galliano that he would die if he did not take steps to address his health problems. In response, Galliano ripped off his shirt, revealing his toned torso, and asked, "Does this look like the body of an alcoholic?"”
During Galliano's low ebb, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss stayed with him. In 2011, Kate Moss Liano designed her own wedding dress. "The making of Kate's wedding dress saved me because it was my creativity in **. She gave me the courage to be myself again. "I wouldn't have gone this far without Kate." ”
Kate Moss recounts the touching scene at the wedding: "My father mentioned Galliano and thanked him for making me a dress. Everyone stood up and applauded John. This is the most touching thing, because John suddenly realizes that he is not alone. ”
Regression. On October 6, 2014, Italian luxury group OTB announced that Galliano had joined Mason Margiela to lead the creative direction. Two months later, at the annual British Fashion Awards, Galliano presented Anna Wintour with the Outstanding Achievement Award, and Wintour showed her blessing to the old friend by appearing in Galliano's ready-to-wear for Margiela.
Ten years later, Galliano is once again building on the glory of his time at Dior. Vanessa Friedman, the chief fashion commentator for The New York Times, enthused, wrote, "No one seems to be able to stop talking about it — neither the fashion industry nor its millions of followers can stop." I'm talking about John Galliano's Margiela show. It left the audience ecstatic and full of praise, and stimulated a discussion ...... about 'history', 'genius' and 'sublime'It is luxurious, excessive, and full of the ...... of exciting emotions conveyed with fabricIt's the kind of immersive show that hasn't been seen in more than a decade. ”
Ten years after his return, Galliano has created a new glory of his own. (Photo: Maison Margiela's official website).
Harper's Bazaar journalist Tara Gonzalez said Galliano's title of the show "Through the Heart of Paris" was inspired by a widely cited period in history: Paris at the end of the 19th century, infested with prostitutes and gamblers. "[The whole show] is like a painting by Toulouse Lautrec", González describes, "those who can only exist in a city like Paris, where people with deviant lives, jobs and stories come together in a shabby *** trying to recreate a bygone era." ”
Whether it is art or fashion, it has been suffering from "mediocrity" for more than ten years. In this era, there are few superstars. Luxury brands are unanimously looking to the market, as can be seen in the documentary "Valentino: The Last King". No investment group is willing to pay for romanticism and the arrogance of artists, who want these designers to fight in the market, abandon unrealistic fantasies and make decent ready-to-wear, invite ladies from all over the world to the brand's couture runways, or make a splash on social occasions such as Met Gala.
Pierpaolo Piccioli, Helentino's artistic director, told Vanessa Friedman that "money wins," regardless of the art form. He said: "Just as a producer is more powerful than a home, a gallery is more powerful than a painter, and a large group is more powerful than a designer. ”
Vanessa Friedman writes that with the rise of superbrands, the multibillion-dollar fashion industry, and the globalization process, we have lost some important things and don't know how to get them back. However, Margiela's big show, lacking obvious commercial intent, represents a response to all this. ”