With the recent news that Zayn Malik is taking the role of creative director for his collaboration with the fashion house Versace, I wanted to discuss the way celebrity culture is dominating the fashion industry.
With all these celebrities creating their own lines or collaborating with existing designers, it makes it harder for fresh talent to gain success. Celebrities are taking the
jobs away from the up-and-coming designers, models and writers, who probably have more
skill in these areas then the celebrity that has been chosen in place of them.
Most of the
creators of our current big fashion brands have probably been in a similar
position to today’s graduates. By collaborating with celebrities on their lines,
they are taking these opportunities away from the real talent. This degrades the job of a fashion designer, as most of the celebrities involved in today's fashion collaborations are likely to have no previous experience in the field. The actual involvement of celebrities in such collaborations
is often very low, and in some cases the celebrity is just licensing their name
to the line in order to make a bit of extra cash.
Those who
are just starting their own lines are unlikely to have the funds required to
make a collection, let alone get their name out there once they have product.
Especially for those who have just graduated from university with huge debts, the idea of starting your own line can seem nearly impossible. Rather than
brands signing huge deals with big names, their money would be better spent in
supporting fresh talent.
Zayn Malik
has just announced his fashion line in collaboration with Versace. The singer
has gained a lot of popularity since leaving One Direction due to his solo
career and his relationship with supermodel Gigi Hadid, making him very popular right now. This will significantly help the sales of the collaboration
as his fan base are so committed. While Zayn has shown an interest in fashion,
Versace most likely wanted to collaborate with someone of his status as it
would create a buzz around the brand and bring in more money through sales,
rather than collaborate with someone because of their talent.
Kanye is
another celebrity that has come from a career in music and made the move in to
fashion. Kanye’s line Yeezy is now in its fourth season, producing clothing which
look very similar to all of his previous collections. Due to his fame in the
music business, Kanye already had a lot of money to launch his fashion line, a
luxury which many new designers do not have. I don't think Yeezy would be as popular as it is if it wasn’t for the name behind it.
The Council of Fashion Designers of
America set up the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund
to award up-and-coming designers with the funding and business expertise required
to launch their line and make a name for themselves in the business. This is
giving new designers the financial boost that celebrities don’t require,
therefore evening out the playing field a little.
As a fashion student myself (although not a designer), it bothers me that celebrities who already have
fame and fortune are seeking to further this by extending their careers in to
the fashion industry, at the expense of those who are probably much more
talented. I know how tough and competitive this industry is, and how hard I am willing to work
to get myself there. However, many of these celebrities, once they have reached
a high level of status, are handed opportunities that should go to much more
deserving creatives.
I look forward to collaborating with others like myself in an effort to support one another in this crazy industry. If I ever reach a point of great influence in my
career, I hope that I would base my decisions on raw talent rather than the financial
factor that comes with a big name.
Aderyn x
Photo Credit: Pop Sugar
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