With Time, Comes Change: French fashion houses pass the torch…or maybe just share it.

The fashion industry, like many other industries soaked in the wave of cultural intertwining, is becoming more and more diverse as the seasons come and go. Paris, more so then any other ‘fashion’ capital of the world has been at the scrutiny of many asking why the creative directors of big French fashion houses are not even French?The answer to this question is plain and simple. It is not the fact that the French houses are full of foreign designers, (Olivier Rouseting, French creative director of Balmain was appointed last April at the ripe age of 26), it is the fact that within an international industry constantly weaving in and out of cultures, it is now no longer a state of domestic designers fronting domestic houses, but the world as a whole working together to form one unified entity.

France is one of the epicenters of style and as many may argue, the birthplace of fashion. In the past, Paris has been home to designers such as Coco Chanel, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent and today, joined with names like Jean Paul Gautier, Chirstian Lacroix and Agnes Trouble. These groups of passionate designers have devoted themselves to the world of fashion and have not only changed the way we look France’s elegance and sophistication, but how worldly trends throughout the ages are constructed.

     As fashion moves forward, this once traditional ‘mecca’ of French designers has turned into a colorful slew of creatives from not only France, but from all over the world. Italian creative director Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy and American, Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, to name some of the biggest, have proven that French high fashion houses are now a melting pot of minds. When asked her opinion on the backgrounds of most creative directors in Paris, emerging designer Caley Thompson replied, “..as a new designer, and foreigner myself, I find it inspiring that fashion as a whole has diversified from being a large majority of French CD’s, to now, fresh faces and ideas from all over.”

     Today, a large number of designers are looking to create and express themselves through fashion, not only at home, butacross the globe. Foreigners come to Paris and combine different cultures and transfer new blood in French houses. The fact that most French houses are now full of foreigners is not because the French are being replaced or they no longer possess the skills worthy of running a successful brand, it’s the sheer amount of diversity filling the walls of the cities. Thomas Langley, assistant stylist and native Parisien told us, “…when I go into the office each morning and look at the faces of my co-workers, I literally see a reflection of the world, not just of France…” We must accept the fact that as a world we are growing and expanding, meshing cultures more and more each day. Fashion, music and art in general are always at the forefront of innovation and innovation is always coupled with diversity. 

Chris Fireoved

Focus Fashion: Proenza Schouler

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough are the design duo behind the modern luxury womenswear and accessories label Proenza Schouler, founded in 2002. Proenza Schouler is named after the two designers’ mother’s maiden names, Proenza being the maiden name of Hernandez’s mother and Schouler that of McCollough’s mother.

 

 

The duo team met at 19 at Parson’s School of Design. Hernandez was an intern at Michael Kors and McCollough, at Marc Jacobs.They collaborated on their senior thesis collection and created their first Proenza collection which was entirely bought by Barneys New York. Proenza Schouler eventually played an important role for American Fashion. In fact, the luxury brand met a lot of success, in 2004, the emerging brand was awarded with the inaugural CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund. Three years later, Proenza Schouler was honored with the 2007 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award. Then, in June 2011, the designers were awarded their second CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award.

 

Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough were originally inspired by famous French fashion brands Dior and Chanel as well as the American grunge, Nirvana. Their collection is mixed with sports and youth, combining elegance and sophistication with inspirations coming from the street, skate and sometimes surf scene. Their forms are often minimal preferring neutral and dark colors.

 

Proenza Schouler is sold in over 100 of the most exclusive retail outlets worldwide, including Barneys New York, Bergdorf Goodman, Harvey Nichols, Colette, and Joyce.

 

Pre-Fall 2012 Collection by Proenza Schouler

IFA Paris student spotlight for MBA/Masters Luxury Brand Management: Elias Moussa

Our 2011 MBA/Masters Luxury Brand Management intake recently departed Shanghai to Florence to undertake the next part of this program.  Elias Moussa, the winner of the 2011 IFA Paris Graduation Fashion Show in Paris and recipient of the annual IFA Paris Masters/MBA scholarship awarded to graduating bachelor students, sat down with us to give his impression and experiences about studying in Shanghai.

 

 

IFA PARIS: Hi Elias, thank you for taking your time for this interview. Can you please first introduce yourself?

Elias Moussa: I am 24 years old. I am Lebanese but born and raised in Sweden. I originally studied graphic design in high school before moving to Paris in 2008 where I studied “Haute Couture” for two years.  In 2010, I decided to apply for a Bachelor at IFA Paris in order to pursue my studies in Fashion Design Fashion & Technology.

 

IFA PARIS: After studying in Paris, how did you make the choice to study a MBA/Masters in Luxury Brand Management?

Elias Moussa: Interestingly enough, during my year at IFA Paris in Paris, I worked diligently on creating an entire collection based on the year-end fashion show theme “Memory of the man in Movement.”   In June, IFA Paris flaunts an extravagant fashion show for its 3rd year fashion design students, where we get to work with models to display the collection we had been working on to jury members.  The winner was awarded a scholarship to one of IFA Paris’ postgraduate programs.  I was fortunate to be picked the winner of IFA’s fashion show and selected as scholarship, the Masters/MBA in Luxury Brand Management.

The opportunity to take me to 3 locations, Shanghai, Florence, and Paris, in about a year was absolutely a keen reason for me to choose this program.  Additionally, this course, which was only offered at the time starting in Shanghai, allowed me to understand the business side of fashion.  I think gaining exposure to this side and combining this new knowledge with my current skills in creative design will be a huge advantage for my career in the future. 

 

IFA PARIS: How have you liked Shanghai?

Elias Moussa: In the beginning, there was definitely a period I needed to adjust to this populous city, mainly because I have lived in Sweden and Paris for such a large part of my life.  Although I have visited a few Middle-Eastern countries in the past, China still presented me with a bit of culture shock but I’ve grown to accept the different cultures from all over the world.  I progressively found few places to hang out or eat like Citizen Café which serves great coffee and Elements Fresh which offers a nice mix of fusion and Mediterranean food for people who crave Western food. In the end I started to like Shanghai very much.

 

IFA PARIS: What has surprised you the most in Shanghai?

Elias Moussa: First of all, the people, the communication etiquette was very shocking in the beginning as well as the overall fast pace of life in Shanghai.  There were even times at supermarkets where people would not queue in a line to checkout! 

However, after just three short months, Shanghai is definitely a city that has great business potential and place I could see myself if the right opportunity presents itself in the future.

 

IFA PARIS: Were you happy with IFA Paris and its instructors?

Elias Moussa: I was very happy with the experience of our teachers.  For me, the majority of the courses were brand new.  I was a bit afraid and intimidated at the start; because the content was so foreign but as the program progressed I became increasingly comfortable with the course content and, of course, my new classmates.  Interestingly enough, when I did the application, the interview, the test to enter into the program, I thought to myself, if I was really ready for this program as I have never studied this before.  However, the knowledge I learned during my Bachelor’s studies at IFA Paris in Paris actually did help me, slightly, by laying a great foundation for a first look into the fashion industry.

 

Before ending our discussion, Elias told me how he had absolutely made a good decision in choosing the Luxury Brand Management program in Shanghai and that he would definitely recommend it to anyone interested by what is happening in China at the moment.

 

 

Focus Fashion: Joseph Altuzarra

CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund 2012 Winner

On November 12^th 2011, Joseph Altuzarra, a French and good looking fashion designer, was named the winner of the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund which was held at the Skylight Soho in New York. He will receive $300,000 in order to carry on his career plans in the fashion industry.

 

 

A fashion designer based in New York and Paris

Born in 1984 and raised by his French-Basque father and Chinese American mother in Paris, Mr. Altuzarra grasped the French fashion culture in his early childhood year.  After high school, Mr. Altuzarra moved to the U.S to study at  Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania albeit not even in fashion designing. Before branching out with his own line, Mr Altuzarra originally began his career interning for Marc Jacobs and designing for Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy.  He eventually launched his own brand in 2009 in New York with Coline Choay’s help who, at that time, just left Givenchy as their international public relations manager.

He went on to be nominated for the Swarovski Award for Women’s wear in 2010 and 2011.

 

Altuzarra for women

Mr. Altuzarra is especially known for providing practical and contemporary clothing for the modern professional woman. As shown in his collections below, his styles involve intimate detail in his draping and tailoring techniques.

The Altuzarra identity lies somewhere between the legacy of French couture and New York’s pulsating energy.

 

Have a look on the Altuarra’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection: http://josephaltuzarra.com/collections/

Spring/Summer 2012 Collection by Joseph Altuzarra

Fashion Focus: Rick Owens

Rick Owens, a Californian fashion designer born in 1961, is well-known for his avant-garde style and contemporary clothing.  Mr. Owens originally studied fine arts at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles before taking a pattern cutting class which led him to abandon his fine art studies for a career in fashion.  He launched his label in 1994 and sold exclusively to Charles Gallay and then in 2001, he began production in Italy with Eo Bocci Associati for worldwide distribution.

 A growing reputation

Rick Owens started to capture the attention of people when a photo of Kate Moss was shot by Corinne Day, which appeared in Vogue Paris wearing one of his signature leather jackets.  In September 2002, he showed his first collection during the New York Fashion Week which was sponsored by Vogue USA and Anna Wintour.  In that same year, he won the CFDA* and Perry Ellis Emerging Talent Awards thanks to the silhouettes of his leather jackets, zigzagging zippers and unconventional cuts. Today, Mr. Owens has boutique stores in New York, London, Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong.

A mix of glamour, grunge and gothic style

Rick Owens offers a line that is often known for its dark themes and unorthodox shapes.  His style has been described as “Glamour-meets grunge” but as Mr. Owens says, “I try to make clothes the way Lou Reed does music, with minimal chord changes…. It’s about giving everything I make a worn, softened feeling”.

Check out the Rick Owens’s Spring 2012 collection: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKY7XgHz8Mo

 

*CFDA: Council of fashion designers of America

Spring – Summer 2012 Collection

Fashion Focus: Phoebe Philo for Céline

Phoebe Philo, Paris-born British fashion designer, has successfully relaunched the French luxury house Céline.

Céline is a French label founded by Céline Vipiana in 1945, which was originally selling tailor-made shoes for children, then launched a footwear line for adults along with accessories and finally ready-to-wear clothing in 1960. Many designers have succeeded at the head of the creative direction of the house but not all of them have encountered great success, except for Michael Kors who designed several collections during 7 years before focusing on his own label in 2005.

Céline was slowly fading away when Pheobe Philo, graduate from Central Saint Marteens College in London and former head designer at Chloé, entered the company as the new creative director in 2009. Her vision and master of proportions took the brand back on the fashion scene, getting high recognition by her peers as well as luxury and fashion professionals. She, better than anyone else, was able to create balanced silhouette through classic, chic and minimal designs. Her timeless collections, often full of neutral tones, have been a signature style in past years.

Her graphic creativity and ability to create aesthetically and commercially attractive collections made her a star within the LVMH group – owner of Céline. Marc Jacobs being evoked to replace John Galliano at Dior, Pheobe Philo is said to be a potential successor at Louis Vuitton (http://www.guardian.co.uk/fashion/2011/oct/02/paris-fashion-phoebe-philo-celine). With her sharp perception of what women like to wear, she will undoubtedly continue to rise within the world of fashion and luxury.

Fashion focus: Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy

Since 2005, Riccardo Tisci has held the position of creative director for Givenchy, the French label founded in 1952 by Hubert de Givenchy and originally known for its contemporary and ladylike style and its famous clients like Audrey Hepburn and the Kennedy family.

Ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

Mr. Tisci graduated from London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 1999 and, after having worked for a few companies like Puma and Ruffo Research, he decided to focus on his own fashion line which he exhibited in Milan in 2004. It was at this time, Givenchy discovered him and offered him a position as chief designer. At first, he hesitated but a phone call from his mother saying that she was about to sell the family house because of a lack of money made him change his mind. Always known to be a very religious man, he believed this opportunity was a sign of god and he took it to save his family from poverty.

Since then, he has been working his magic on Givenchy’s haute couture and ready-to-wear lines. He draws his inspiration from his religious roots, and his collections strongly reflect his beliefs which feature some gothic and romantic themes. Mr. Tisci also has a very specific sense of scenography and space. For example, on the runway, he likes to give a theatrical presentation of his designs. He says “My way of showing is very melancholic… I love romanticism and sensuality.”  Considered as a genius by the fashion scene, Riccardo Tisci’s work has been greatly appreciated over the past years, bringing both financial success and excellent reputation to the house of Givenchy.

Ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

Ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2012 Collection

Some other interesting tidbits about Mr. Tisci include being the first designer to feature a transsexual model on the runway, his former personal assistant Lea T, as well as a recent rumor following the Galliano scandal in Paris that Mr. Tisci is on the top of the list as a potential replacement at Dior.  The future of fashion looks very promising in the luxury sector as Ricardo Tisci’s avant-gaude style looks to continue to seduce the fashion sphere into the 21st century.

2011 Haute Couture Collection modeled by Lea T

A teacher’s perspective: Jayne Swallow interview

On November 29^th, I had the opportunity to get to know more about Jayne Swallow, fashion buyer specialist, and her impressions about teaching at IFA Paris in Shanghai.

Jayne Swallow, pictured far left, with two students from our MBA/Masters programs

IFA Paris : Hi Jayne, thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to share some of your experiences with us. For the average reader, it would be great if you could give us a brief introduction about yourself and the experience you are able to bring to IFA Paris.

Ms Swallow: Absolutely, I initially graduated in a non-fashion related subject having obtained a degree in politics. Upon graduating, I undertook a graduate training program as a buyer in the UK for a company, for their clothing side. I had the advantage of a lot of good courses that they ran in-house; I went on to work for a company that changed its name and is now River Island. I bought accessories and hosiery there. Then I worked for the company where I spent the largest amount of time, a company called Primark. When I first joined, many years ago, it was a very little known company. In total, they only had 45 stores in Ireland and the UK. I grew from being a buyer there to be a controller then executive controller and finally director for buying, When I left, which was over 22 years later, I had responsibility for ladies wear, lingerie, footwear, hosiery, accessories – it accounted for about 2/3rds of the turnover. But by then, the company had grown from being a very small company to an international company, very well known and one of the largest retailers by volume in the UK, so it was a huge change! After this success, I wanted to give a new turn to my career, I started to teach a Masters program in the UK focused on Fashion Merchandise Management. I really enjoyed teaching Buying and Merchandising and its now been part of my passion for 25 years.

IFA Paris: How did it feel to start as a teacher compared to working in a professional environment?

Ms Swallow: In some ways, there’s a lot of correlation because at such levels, that is to say junior levels, you would present a range, use your communication skills by meeting new suppliers, etc. So there is a core set of skills that are translatable and obviously the professional side knows the actual work so it was basically learning how to adapt and to work with the students.

IFA Paris: So you definitely use practice and not only theory during lectures?

Ms Swallow: Because I come from more of the experience side of the industry, I have that aspect. But what I tried to do was really give them a taste of what it is like to be in a buying office. So what I started to do and what I have developed and am doing more and more now is set up scenarios that are truly what would happen in a buying office. For example, when we are talking about pricing and sourcing, we would go through negotiating scenarios. I also printed off huge amounts of photographs of styles so they can see what is like to have to select from a big range and what you could put into a top store and how you condense it down to smaller stores

IFA Paris: What classes are you currently teaching at IFA Paris and to which programs?

Ms Swallow: I am teaching on the MBA/Masters programs and the unit I do is Buying and Merchandising. So I am working with students on the details of what a buyer does and what a merchandiser does. I am also covering some wider aspects: they are not just only learning about the buyer and merchandiser’s skills but we are also looking at how technology is changing, fashion retail, ethical and sustainable issues and the future of fashion. So we try to embrace the bigger picture.

IFA Paris: So you have to adapt your content depending on the news for example?

Ms Swallow: Yes! In fact I wouldn’t be able to send my Powerpoint lecture notes until one week before, particularly with technology: its changes so much! For example, I just heard on the news that eBay had opened a pop-up shop: so this is an example of online retail going to bricks and mortar and how the distribution channels are changing.

IFA Paris: How have your current experiences at IFA Paris been?

Ms Swallow: I have really enjoyed the variety of the students. We have a really interesting mix and a lot of nationalities: out of 21 students, there were 15 nationalities! We do a lot of interactive work in groups and it is very interesting because the cultural background that people are bringing to how we are looking at things is very enriching as well.

IFA Paris: Is there any difference between teaching in China and teaching in the UK?

Ms Swallow: Well I do not have extensive experience teaching in the UK but on the Masters course, I also had this variety of nationalities so, to some extents, it is pretty similar.

IFA Paris: So you do not necessarily need to adapt the content of your lectures in that sense?

Ms Swallow: The content has to be truly international. Whereas when I am teaching in the UK, it would be more grounded in the UK retail picture, I am very conscious of using global companies.

IFA Paris: What is your philosophy of teaching?

Ms Swallow: What I have discovered is very much that I should really start them on certain topics and give them some initial background information. The most effective way is for them to work in groups and then I can work individually with those groups as well to prove they’ve understood what we are doing. And sometimes I think they’ve understood and it is only then that I find some gaps and some misunderstandings. Through feedback, students have mentioned this is a great way for them to understand.

IFA Paris: So there is a big focus on case studies?

Ms Swallow: Yes, but very much the type of things that I write and scenarios that I set up rather than an overall case study taken from elsewhere.

IFA Paris: Do have any thoughts about IFA Paris or any particular course?

Ms Swallow: I really like the breadth of the courses they have here, far more than in the UK for Masters in fashion business. I think students are exposed to a wide variety of courses which is interesting as a lot of students are not quite sure how they want to take their careers. So having the opportunity to dig into different aspects of fashion really helps them pick a suitable career path in the future. I also think there is a huge advantage being based in China which is where so much of the manufacturing sites are located.  With such an amazing opportunity to study in an emerging market, its great to see students capitalize on visits to fashion fairs and manufacturing factories. I would find it interesting for IFA Paris to find closer relationships and build links with the manufacturing side, the buying offices and the testing companies in Shanghai.

IFA Paris: Do you have any other suggestions or comments you would like to add?

Ms Swallow: I understand it is only the beginning now but I would suggest using more the LMS tool which represents an amazing resource in terms of teaching materials.

IFA Paris: Thank you for your time Jayne!

Industry exposure: MBA/Masters Luxury Brand Management students at Superbla! in Shanghai

Students from the MBA/Masters Luxury Brand Management program went to visit the Superbla! Office in Shanghai and got the chance to discover the team’s extensive experiences in digital marketing and PR for luxury brands.

Superbla! is a digital marketing and PR agency whose clients are mainly luxury brands. They specialize in building brand strategy through combining creativity and technology as a mean of expression. It is not just a traditional agency: their core values are extreme creativity and being at the forefront of technology to create emotion and engagement towards their clients’ customers. It is what they called “social guanxi” – network in Chinese -, a sort of interactive and digital community.

Their branch Superpress also focuses on public relations and media to build strong relationships with luxury industry influencers in China and often operates through co-branding activities to raise awareness of foreign brands in Asia.

The team members shared their knowledge of brand strategy through case studies and stressed the fact that it is important to stand out of the pack and offer something unique. For example, they differentiated themselves by using art, culture and design as leverages for their clients.

They also gave students a few tips for their career path such as “exploring your creativity, experiencing different jobs and environments and try things out before settling down.”

Apart from their expertise in digital marketing and public relations and their unique way to approach communication plans, I felt the success of the agency was all about passion and doing things that they love.

Industry guest: Stephen Cowles from Dalziel + Pow at IFA Paris in Shanghai

Stephen Cowles, Managing Director at Dalziel + Pow was keen to come to IFA Paris in Shanghai on November 19^th to talk about their store design and brand identity to students from the MBA/Masters in Fashion Business.

Since 1983, Dalziel + Pow, one of the largest retail consultancies, is focused on brand definition and brand environments, notably retail store design and brand communications.

The presentation was about what makes a good brand experience exemplified through differentiation, customer engagement and design efficiency.  He included several concrete brand examples to illustrate all of those stages. For example, a case study on a brand, in particular, helped the students understand the process and stages of brand design, including conceptualization, words, colours and textures and how it translates physically into the store design. Mr. Cowles also shared his extensive vision on by brands by referring to a brand as “not only a logo or a colour; it is an attitude, it is what’s make it desirable” and how Chinese perception of a brand is very different in comparison to other nationalities.

When asked how it feels to live in Shanghai and how it has been so far, Stephen Cowles said to be inspired by everything that surrounds him. He thinks “you have to get inspiration from what’s around you and store it in your brain. It helps a lot when you will have to look for new concepts and ideas when it comes to design”.

It seems that, to be creative and think strategically, one has to be sharp and absorb every piece of surrounding information.

It seems that, to be creative and think strategically, one has to be sharp and absorb every piece of surrounding information. To succeed in branding, it will be imperative to build upon your core skills in design and drive imaginative innovation from your local environment.