As the menswear editors return from Paris and couture week commences in its place, this morning the fashion industry learned of another leading designer taking a step back from ready-to-wear as Brit fashion favourite Giles Deacon announced the temporary closure of his main line collection to focus on couture. Following on from the recent shocking revelations of the end of Jonathan Saunders' eponymous brand and the departure of Alexander Wang, Raf Simons and Alber Elbaz from Balenciaga, Dior and Lanvin respectively, isn't it time the industry addressed the worrying fact that the current way it operates is indisputabily broken and ineffective? If many of the most successful creative directors in the field are buckling under the temporal and financial pressures, what hope is there for emergent, green talent who presumably don't have backing or mentorship? Unless change happens soon, and we mean very soon, the fashion world could be on the brink of implosion.
"We want to focus on what we do well, and maximise the success of the red carpet and private client work we've been doing over the past four years. We want to be the go-to business for super special daywear and eveningwear, to focus on what we are known for, and what our customers want from us," Deacon explained to WWD. The designer's new approach will bring him closer to his clientele and significantly decrease the amount of time between showing his collection and when it is available to buy.
"With couture, it means I get to show fall in July, with delivery in September. My clients will be getting their pieces in season," continued the designer. His couture collection will retail between £3,000 and £5,000 for a bespoke dress and £50,000 to £70,000 for red-carpet creations.
As London Fashion Weekend encourages designers to show current collections that are available to buy immediately, and designers such as Henry Holland have begun experimenting with see-now-buy-now ranges over London Collection: Men, is this the new direction the fashion industry ought to be moving in?
"This business gives you a lot more control, because it means everything that's ordered is sold, and each customer gets an individual piece," Deacon elaborated. His new business plan will see the designer expand his teams in Paris and London where he will open a new Mayfair showroom and potentially offer virtual fashion shows. We wish Giles the best of luck, look forward to the return of his RTW in the future, and wait to see if other designers and brands also adapt for this more viable approach to design and retail.
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