June 7, 2016
Nicolas Ghesquière takes a bow after his first Louis Vuitton runway show
Will Louis Vuitton be added to the growing list of major fashion houses to have its creative director depart?
In a televised interview last week, Louis Vuitton Nicolas Ghesquière sat down with French talk show “Le Petit Journal,” where he discussed a number of industry-related topics and his peers that have stepped down from creative director roles in the last year. Since the interview aired, the rumor mill has been buzzing with suggestions that Mr. Ghesquière is considering an exit from Louis Vuitton to start his own line.
A line of his own
A shortened list of major houses to see their creative directors exit includes Kering’s Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Lanvin and Christian Dior. The four designing men at these helms were quickly replaced, with the exception of Dior, which still has not found a replacement for Raf Simons, but has stated the search is ongoing (see story).
During the interview Mr. Ghesquière said regarding these exits, “It’s sad, because there’s beautiful associations; there are these grand houses who bring in these designers, and the designers bring them to a new stage.
“It’s always sad to see those chapters end, but you always hope to see them somewhere else,” he said.
Louis Vuitton's cruise 2017 runway show in Rio de Janeiro
Many suspect that fashion designers have left houses en masse due to the stress of designing multiple collections per year. A number designing talent also work on their namesake lines, adding to the creative exhaustion.
When Le Petit Journal questioned if Mr. Ghesquière has plans to launch his own line, he said, “I hope so. I could do it.” Many have inferred that his statement shows his confidence, meaning that he would succeed at multitasking Louis Vuitton’s responsibilities with those under his namesake line.
While Mr. Ghesquière did not give a date to the interviewer, he did express that he’d like to establish his own brand soon.
Mr. Ghesquière joined Louis Vuitton in November of 2013, after a 15-year tenure at Balenciaga (see story).
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