Presentation:
- Stella McCartney
- Born 1971 in London
- Daughter of Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney
- Creative director for Chloé 1997
- Stella McCartney© since 2001 – Gucci Group
- Collaboration with adidas© since 2004
- Designer for the Olympics 2012
- Animal rights fighter
- Lifelong vegetarian
Design-DNA
- Colors: Toned down – dusty– neutral, pastels, mandatory black – a few selected colors stands out (e.g. gold wool A/W 2011)
- The clothing: Well-constructed, elegant, classic, minimalistic.
Tailor-like – contrasts meets – masculine suits and super feminine, sensual dresses.
Classic with a modern twist
- Materials: Quality in focus – nature materials; cotton, wool, silk and cashmere – Choosing the best for her clients and the environment.
- The design originates from the modern culture. The brand sells – sustainability – about the fuctonality of the design, McCartney says: "It's not about what it looks like in the studio or on the runway," she once told WWD. "It's what it looks like on a real person that matters. That isn't easy, but it's what's fun."
- Sustainable fashion
- Long life span; because of the high quality, good materials and minimalistic design.
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Target Group:
- The design touches a wide target group – with its flattering classic silhouettes and minimalistic expression.
- High price level, limits the target group.
E.g. Falabella faux-leather bag: €735
Wool coat : €900-1200
- McCartney designs have great influence in the fashion industry and course the more mainstream stores to copy specific designs or trends.
- E.g. the rose colored blazer (“Nude trend” with the colors rose, salmon etc.) The jumpsuit
Reflection:
- McCartney is conscious of her influence as a leading designer and the responsibility that comes with it.
- Tries to set a good example – remains critical to the production of the materials .
- Puts words like; eco-fashion, green living, consciousness and sustainability on the agenda.
- She is modern and innovative. Coursed hype about the oversize blazer by introducing her blazer – “the boyfriend look”.
- Helped bringing sports clothing back. Co-operation with adidas© and Caroline Wozniacki.
Presentation:
- 1945: The House of Balmain was founded by Pierre Balmain (1914 – 1982).
- He studied architeture at the renowned École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but did not complete his studies. He spent his time making dresses.
- Pierre Balmain’s creations soon very popular among the wealthy and fashion-conscious women, as he was now known for making elegant and sophisticated clothing.
- The styles he made were bell shaped skirts and jackets fitted at the waist, or princess dresses with full, frothy skirts and gorgeous embroidery. His creations were similar to that of Christian Dior’s New Look.
- Stageclothing for films: Dressed famous actresses such as Vivien Leigh, Mae West, Sophia Loren, Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot, thus immortalising his creations in classical films.
- 1970’s: Ready-to-wear collections were set up in the United States, supplying French fashion overseas
- Period of decline for the fashion house in the late 80’s and 90’s
- Today, Balmain has two ready-to-wear collections: Women’s Collection og Men’s Collection, in addition to Balmain Accessories and Balmain Perfumes.
Design-DNA/characteristics:
- Pierre Balmain was famous for saying: "dressmaking is the architecture of movement."
- Keywords for his designs: Elegant, sophisticated, structured and clear cut, detail in embroidery.
- Influence from architectural construction: ”nothing is more important in a dress than its construction”.
Balmain back in high fashion league – Christophe Decarnin as creative director (2004-2011)
- Christophe Decarnin: Responsible for kick-starting Balmain’s popularity in recent years
- Sales rose by 74% (Wall Street Journal) in 2009
- New direction: Styles edgier and sexier, but still sophisticated and with lots of embroidery
- Key items: Bejewelled, tight jackets with sharp shoulders. Shredded, short dresses with sequins and long sleeves. Sexy boots, trashed jeans and tight leather trousers. Rock’n’roll!
- Colours: Always black, gold and silver. 2-3 additional colours
- Materials: Expensive, i.e. soft leather, alligator skin, wool and silk blends, elaborate metal embellishments
- Creator of a fashion statement: It can be fashionable to wear trashy clothes with holes.
The modern Balmain – back to its elegant roots. Olivier Roustieng as creative director (2012 - )
- Still in key with Decarnin’s legacy – metal fringes, intricate embroidery. Black, gold and silver.
- But more soft colours and feminine shapes. Less tight fitted.
- Tailored pants and jackets in a more classical style – reference to the early Balmain look.
Target group:
- Younger, fashionable women. Wear the clothes because it gives them status and sex appeal.
- Not a big production. Inaccessible, hard to get your hands on. Marketing is not important.
- Scarce advertising for Balmain products, because the brand is self-promoting and are only meant to be recognized for those in-the-know
- Expenssive: 16000 € (120.000 kr.) for an embellished leather jacket from SS12, 2100 € (15.000 kr.) for a classic blazer. Very small clientele because of the excessive prices.
- Hype: Actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Connelly and style icon Sienna Miller in Balmain for premieres
Reflection:
- The Balmain culture derives from haute couture and from a world of princesses, famous actresses and celebrities in the 50’s and 60’s, making Balmain an internationally renowned fashion house.
- Success thanks to an elegant and sophisticated look with beautiful details in embroideries
- Christophe Decarnin spiked the brand’s status and increased sales by making more edgy and younger styles, attracting a rich and fashionable crowd.
- Why is Decarnin no longer creative director for Balmain, if he was so successful?
- People within the fashion industry speculate that the reason for Decarnin’s demise is due to this lack of making new approaches in his designs, claiming that he always used the same silhouettes for his collections. Furthermore it is suggested that Decarnin’s sexier and edgier styles were too far apart from the original elegant Balmain-look.
- Nevertheless, it seems that Olivier Roustieng’s first collection had more in common with the original Balmain style. It could be that those behind the brand want to return to Balmain’s original culture of feminine elegance.
See pictures from the Balmain collections
