How Did The Luxury Fashion Brands Manage To Thrive In Past Crisis
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
(1947) Dior “The New Look”
It is often said that history helps to understand change, so it is interesting to study how the most renowned fashion houses survived difficult times of crisis, wars, and economic depression.
As the world is facing a pandemic that has transformed all industries, the fashion industry is doing everything it can to survive. Companies are showing their commitment and solidarity in multiple ways: Alexander McQueen with #McQueenCreators empowering creativity during the lockdown, Saint Laurent canceling their fashion show for Paris Fashion Week and building their own fashion calendar, Gucci going seasonless, Louis Vuitton making hand sanitizer and Vogue offering global conversations to rethink and reimagine the future of this industry.
The urge to find an answer has motivated companies to innovate in new areas and provide help in moments of need. A different future is coming ahead and we hope it is a better one.
Legendary fashion houses like Chanel and Gucci have survived at least one World War. So what did these brands do to thrive through difficult times and still be relevant today?
Mademoiselle Chanel, whom is still one of the most influential women in history, opened her first shop in Paris in 1913, one year before the first World War.
She freed and liberated women from corsets, dressed them up in pants and with her signature sun-kissed skin, she changed the idea of healthy skin. Her timeless designs have universal recognition until today, like the famous “little black dress”, a total must-have in the closet of any woman, and the classic 2.55 bag is still one of the dream bags of many fashionistas.
Her famous and best-selling perfume Chanel No.5, was born in 1921 but became popular once the dreadful times were over. Women from all over the world wanted to get their hands on this perfume. The iconic scent is not only recognizable from miles away but is also the world’s most popular perfume of all time.
She was fierce and unapologetic. She understood that women’s fashion needed a simple but revolutionary change. Gabrielle acknowledged post-war mourning and grief, but she wanted to bring women back to life through her fashion proposal. Her creations became total best-sellers that helped to overcome the difficult times.
PHOTO: PINTEREST
(1945) American soldiers queue in front Rue Cambon for the Chanel store to open in Paris and purchase a bottle of Chanel No.5 for their wives.
Along with Chanel, Christian Dior also transformed fashion after World War II. Clothing during the war period had been mostly utilitarian and practical, so Dior wanted to bring back the look to show the women silhouette and exalt femininity. In only two years, in 1947, he introduced the New Look, a revolutionary and unexpected proposal that featured a cinched waist and a voluminous A-line skirt. This look was the beginning of a new era in fashion.
“Dior helped to restore a beleaguered postwar Paris as the capital of fashion.”
Post-war, another icon was born: Cristóbal Balenciaga. Forced out of his native Spain by the country's Civil War, he managed to open in Paris his couture house in August 1937. He offered a new alternative to Christian Dior's "New Look" giving yet another new women’s silhouette. His passionate customers found ways to travel to Paris even during World War II, seeking to buy his creations but especially his innovative, extravagant and perfectly curated “square coat”.
Balenciaga quickly gained an important name in fashion and the attention of important icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Jackie Kennedy and Elizabeth Taylor in the following years.
PHOTO: WWD
But on the other side, austerity and a cut down on excess are common after difficult times, Gucci is another brand which is a clear example of this. The famous Italian house introduced its iconic signature of the red and green cotton canvas due to a material shortage of leather during World War II. Necessity made him experiment with different materials, resulting in the Japanese bamboo bag handle that later became a signature of Gucci.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF GUCCI
New leaders, icons and ideas are born during challenging situations. Crisis, wars and economic depressions require innovation and change, pandemics are no different. Actual times require to think outside the box, it is vital to reemerge and thrive through adversity.
* -Charleston, Beth Duncuff. Based on original work by Harold Koda. “Christian Dior (1905–1957).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/dior/hd_dior.htm (October 2004)
