“Now it’s a mess. Everything looks the same”. The words of Riccardo Tisci (pictured, from Instagram) confirm a certain homologation of luxury. Brands do it all. From clothes to accessories, from perfumes to jewellery. But in doing so, they have weakened their own identity, ending up resembling each other. A winning strategy when consumer demand is sustained. Now, instead, we need to go back and strengthen the proposals to attract customers more. But it is complicated.
Tisci’s career
Riccardo Tisci was creative director of Givenchy (a brand in the LVMH orbit) and then of Burberry from 2018 until September 2022. In an interview with the Financial Times, he says he is ready to make a comeback. “I would like to join a luxury house that already has a strong identity, to which I just have to give more. For the next project I want to be very free”, Tisci explains.
Social media
Now social media make the difference. “In the 2000s, we didn’t have Instagram, so it was all a matter of creativity”, the designer observes, hinting that today we do a bit of copying. Not only that. “Today it’s all like fast fashion. If you are cute and have good marketing, you can get to the top. Those who are talented but shy don’t have that opportunity”, Tisci points out. This is because modern creative directors are not only known for their creations, but also for the number of their followers.
The problem
The blow is just around the corner. And it comes right on time. According to the designer, the fashion industry needs to back off and return to “creativity and true identity. I hope it will also be much more open-minded. Because now it’s a mess. Everything looks the same”. Tisci confirms the widespread thought that collections in the market have flattened out. While there is a lack of interesting proposals, something that has not been seen yet. With the Chinese consumer boom there was no need to create. Whereas now, with the slowdown in consumption, designer labels prefer not to dare. They are afraid of presenting innovative and daring proposals that may disappoint the market and reduce revenues. So, it is better to rely on evergreen products, or at most on articles that are simple reinterpretations of archive pieces.
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