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The Fashion Edit: The Relationship of Relevance

12 Oct 2018

Fashion, being an expression, finds its success in relevance and relevance is what Guccio Gucci stumbled upon in 1921, or Cristobal Balenciaga in 1919 or Fratelli Prada in 1913 and many others who went on to form global fashion empires. They tasted success and were alienated from it for a time based on how much importance they placed on Relevance or missed it. Expression and Relevance, they’re symbiotic for success. Yet it is a forgotten or often missed chapter in the designer must-do book. It deserves highlighting as its importance or its elevation connects well with the discernment of fashion consumers and makes a successful transaction. Needless to mention, the opposite of that only creates landfill and adds to the bigger environmental issues. So lack of relevance is not only just a designer issue; it’s far larger and being an accountable designer is an important tool in your tool kit. The basis of fashion is expression and fashioning a garment is based on expression of its creator and designer. A lot of emotional energy is engaged in creating that piece or that look or collection and at lot of times, it becomes about the emotion, that creative energy and the realm a designer is in and this complete immersion in this process can lead to a fatigue that avoids engaging the important success criteria we are talking about. Relevance is one of the most important success criteria and the most understated one. It is often spoken of but all it has received is a mere lip service and this has often reflected on the success on that label. Why do designers get locked up in expression and giving relevance of that expression a second place or no place? Having understood its importance in success, it needs to be awarded a place so close to the creative expression. A lot of designers don’t acquaint themselves with relevance because they think it compromises the flow of creative energy. Relevance to why that label and collection first came into being, relevance to the environment, relevance to the society, relevance to that fashion consumer who waits to consume the next creation. This consumer appreciates what you do; he connects with your creative energy. The Gucci journey If you chart out Gucci and its journey over the last 100 years, you will not only see a luxury brand but a journey of relevance closely integrated with this iconic fashion brand. Guccio, an immigrant hotel worker in Paris in early 1900’s carried and saw the luggage and bags of the privileged gentry walking into the hotel. Coming from Florence, he knew the fine craftsmanship available in his backyard which he could use to make design-relevant pieces focused on this privileged group. He started the journey of expression along with relevance. The first store in Florence followed by Milan and Rome saw the start of Gucci. Years down the line, Guccio’s three sons got into the business; they could not sustain the relevance that Guccio started with, and the years that followed showed that while it remained luxurious, the relevance started dropping and hence the success, the creative energy was not finding its end consumption. His sons in the 80’s gave it over to outsiders to revive the fortunes; since then, various designers tried to revive but couldn’t. Design, being an emotional outcome, requires soft power to connect. It was in the 90’s that Tom Ford came into the Gucci group; he followed the process many designers joining fashion houses do - he went to the Gucci archives, picked what inspired him and connected it with the fashion consumer group who were gradually departing from Gucci. Cristobal Balenciaga and Miuccia Prada Cristobal Balenciaga, a couturist from Spain, opposed in France by the fashion fraternity in the 40’s, while being established in Paris, found the perfect balance in expressing his craft and his relevance. He found appeal among the haute couture consumers of Paris, while not being accepted by Chambre Syndicale of Haute Couture, the official body of couturists. His expression was so relevant he not only defied to official body but also the media rules. By the 70’s he had done what gave him happiness and he was ready to pass the baton. Not having found anyone, he shut his business, till it was bought over much later by a group to revive a creative expression that made an impact. The other example I would like to bring forth is Prada. Miuccia Prada, at the helm, has over the years, perfectly blended creative expression with relevance to that fashion consumer. The fashion houses with heritage find it the most challenging. The owners of these glorious brands of the past have tried with designers to revive past glory but often fail, as the designers carry creative expression but fall short in raising the relevance quotient. Looking ahead In the past week or so, it was refreshing to see so many iconic fashion houses, now run by the current generation of designers, make an incredible mark with their performance and yes there was a murmur from many quarters of few brands - is the Celine magic missing? Is Balmain not being true? What the fashion consumers are missing is the fact that the younger generation of designers is doing or attempting to do what Tom Ford did with Gucci; they are making the creative expression of these houses relevant to the current fashion environment. Hedi Slimane, one of the finest minds in fashion, showed what he did with Saint Laurent. Nicolas Ghesquiere had a similar impact with Balenciaga a few years ago and Riccardo Tisci with Givenchy. Last week, Hedi Slimane showed his first collection for Celine amidst mixed reviews followed by Olivier Rousteing showcasing the collection for Balmain. They have defined creative expressions which are working in tandem with the design philosophy of these houses, each one trying to connect with the fashion consumers by making the collections relevant in every aspect. This relevance is creating a buzz among the fashion media and consumers. By Ajai Vir Singh Founder and President, Colombo Fashion Week and winner of the Global Effie, Ajai Vir Singh is a visionary who has fathered the fashion movement in Sri Lanka.   Photo/Left to right: Guccio, Tom Ford, Hedi Slimane

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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


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