John Galliano
Falling from grace
Humble
Beginnings
John Galliano is arguably one of the most influential designers of the costume industry. From humble backgrounds, the designer his love for fashion and costume flourished when he attended the prestigious fashion university; Central St Martins, London. The intricacy and creativity in his design is something that is still constantly studied, in said university and worldwide. Impoverished by funds but rich in creativity, he stunned his peers for his final collection by combining his love for theatre and fashion, creating Les Incroyables; a menswear collection inspired by French Revolution and entertainment. Galliano used his daring nature to disturb the boundaries between contemporary couture and fiery costume, blurring the lines of gender whilst doing so. It was clear that this was someone that would shake the fashion industry.
Les Incroyables
March 1994 Ready-to-Wear
From the buzz of the show at Central St Martins, Galliano’s name was the matter of the moment in the industry, therefrom, he ensured his name was never in the background. Whilst he wasn’t making money from his collections, it did not stop him from consistently wowing the costume institute. Leading onto my personal favourite line of all time, Galliano’s March 1994 Ready-to-Wear collection.
What makes this one of my favourites is the humble background of the collection and the impact it had on trending fashion. As mentioned before, Galliano grew up in a poor environment, meaning he did not have the means to create bodacious clothing with expensive materials. For this collection, Galliano used a classic black satin for all of his designs, forming seductive, effortless pieces, each expressing their own individuality. Using his network of models and a Parisian mansion to bring the inspirations to life, Galliano proved that beauty and creativity cannot be limited by materials.
Whilst all of these pieces are absolutely beautiful and unique of their time, what really captivates me about this collection is the fact that it shaped the trends of the 90s. We now know the 90’s to be all about sultry slip dresses, which trickled down from this collection. The 90’s slip dress was seen all throughout the entertainment industry on popular TV shows, such as Friends, and found its way into the high street as soon as Galliano’s collection was released. This decade was truly infamous for this style of dress and John Galliano shaped this era, making it (in my humble opinion), one of the most influential collections of all time.
Moving forward...
From this, Galliano became a household name, he was known by fashion houses and designers worldwide, the question was, what did he do next. Galliano was then signed by Christian Dior to be their next Creative Director. This was a big change for Galliano, as Dior’s couture was (and still is) one of the most famous in the world, meaning the pressure was hotter than ever. Many thought that Galliano was to be unsuccessful in this role, as his designs were somewhat disturbing to the sanctuary of Christian Dior. Galliano was, however, determined to live up to his name, but not lose himself in the process. His first collection was inspired by fairy-like folklore, using whimsical materials and lace accents to portray a role of innocence. He then continued his legacy at Dior by delving into themes that the industry had not seen before, including, Opera Garnier and an aerial tour of Egypt (Valley of the Kings); distorting the idea of what fashion initially looked like, and captivated theme and culture through art textile.
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Falling from Grace
So we’ve sunk our teeth into the good, now let’s take a look at the bad and the ugly. Galliano was working endlessly through the day, and with his new found fame, he partied hard through the night. As a result, he developed a serious drug and alcohol addiction. He abused the substances as he describes them to “unlock creative freedom”, but from what outsiders perceive, this was a scapegoat, and the new highs he discovered comforted him in his high pressure career and highly prolific social life.
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The substance abuse led Galliano into controversy and scandal. Whilst under the influence, he was filmed saying racist slurs and abuse towards the Asian and Jewish community, slandering their beliefs and culture. (Which is rich when he used so many different cultures for his couture). This led to him being dropped from Creative Director of Christian Dior. Surprisingly, he had a lot of support during this time, from models including Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, with them saying that this was all due to his addiction and that the video was not a depiction of his true self. Galliano also stated that he is not anti-semitic or racist towards the Asian community and issued an apology to the people in question and the communities offended. His apology was although extremely half hearted, as he then pursued a collection based around the clothing and style of Orthodox Judaism. Which he believed to be a dedication towards learning more and educating himself about the culture, but to most was perceived as cultural appropriation. Since the major controversy, Galliano admitted himself into rehabilitation, where he was purged from substance and design. He stayed there for 2 months before leaving and is still apologetic for his racist actions.
To conclude, John Galliano was a talented, memorable designer, who had a significant impact on 90’s fashion. Whilst prolific fashion influences fortify Galliano’s actions, I believe that they have no place to be defended. Further, many in the industry have separated the brilliant costume from the Galliano name. Resulting Galliano to have a real fall from grace.
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