Without retirement: 11 grand-ladies of modern fashion
Most recently, we talked about Buddy Vinkle -An 86-year-old woman who literally exploded Instagram with her own pictures that can give odds to any young and daring blogger. "Age" heroine is no longer news for the modern fashion industry. The legendary model Carmen Dell'Orefais still continues to act and walk on the runway, Marc Jacobs Beauty designates 64-year-old actress Jessica Lang as her face, and NARS cosmetics company 68-year-old Charlotte Rampling. MAC makes a joint collection with an icon of Iris Apfel style, and Dazed & Confused magazine puts it on the cover, older models are removed in advertising campaigns of American Apparel and Lanvin. Well, if you are still not subscribed to the New York blog Advanced Style, it’s worth it right now. It is obvious that fashion today has ceased to be a hostage of the age limit, and not least thanks to women designers, who by their own example prove: after sixty life, if it does not start, then definitely does not go to sunset. We talk about eleven grand-ladies who stand behind world-famous brands (and sometimes not for one).
Alberta ferretti
Alberta Ferretti began her fashion career at the age of 18, opening a fashion boutique in the small Italian town of Cattolica in 1968, and six years later launched her own brand. In 1988, together with her brother Ferretti, she founded the company for the production and distribution of fashionable clothes Aeffe S.p.A., which today includes Alberta Ferretti, Moschino, Moschino Cheap & Chic and others. Alberta Ferretti is known to the general public as the creator of classic feminine dresses and evening dresses in rhinestones, although her contribution to Italian fashion is much greater: in 1998, the designer received the Order of Merit in Labor from the Italian President, and in 2005 the prize for life achievements .
I try to keep up with the times: I love to read, I go to all the movie premieres, listen to modern performers, besides, I am very socially active and attend almost all the events. So I try to understand what modern women want, which means my potential customers who live an intense, eventful life. Passing all this through myself, I try to predict the future desires of my clients.
Betsey johnson
The young years of the restless rave-grandmother Betsy Johnson were in the heyday of the "swinging sixties", and this explains a lot. In 1965, Johnson got a job at Paraphernalia, a New York boutique, one of the coolest stores of the time, and with Mary Quant and Andy Warhol, she became the head of a revolutionary youth movement in a fashion called Youthquake. In 1970, she retired to the position of creative director of sportswear brand Alley Cat, for which she received the prestigious Coty American Fashion Critics' Award — then Johnson was only 29 years old, and she became the youngest designer to receive this title.
Eight years later, in the wake of the punk movement, Betsy Johnson launched her own clothing brand, in 1999 she won an award from the American Council of Fashion Designers, and in 2000 she was diagnosed with breast cancer - fortunately, at an early stage. It seemed that this circumstance only prompted the designer to move forward: in 2003, in addition to clothing, Johnson began producing accessories, shoes, swimsuits and jewelry, and in 2009, she was awarded the next award by the National Arts Club Fashion Committee for her contribution to fashion. Today, at the age of 72, Betsy Johnson continues to hold regular shows as part of New York Fashion Week and to create crazy outfits in the spirit of her stormy youth.
When we grow old, all life lived is reflected on our face. I knew it from my childhood, so I always tried to do only the good and stay positive, to look great in old age! When I was young, I was crazy for Tina Turner. I looked at her and thought: “I want to be the same when I grow up”. You know, such a stunning, strong and stay in the game, despite his age. In general, today I try to be a good role model for young people.
Carolina herrera
From an early age, Carolina Herrera was familiar with the world of fashionable glamor: her grandmother, a well-known social lady, often took her granddaughter with her to visit high-ranking friends, then to the Balenciaga show. Actually, for quite a long time Herrera herself was known rather for her social life, successful marriage (in 1968 she became engaged to the rich heir Reinaldo Herrera and acquired the title of marquise), the title of one of the most stylish according to the International Best-Dressed List, which she won in 1972, and friendship with artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe and Andy Warhol, who painted her portraits.
But once Diane Vreeland gave Herrere the idea to do fashionable design - it happened at the dawn of the 80s, and the inhabitants of the Upper East Side relished expressive, almost fancy dresses. However, her most famous client was Jacqueline Kennedy, whom Herrera wore the last 12 years of her life and for whose daughter, Caroline, in 1996 created a wedding dress. In 2004, Carolina Herrera became the best designer of women's clothing according to the American Council of Fashion Designers, and in 2008 she received from them the same Jeffrey Bean Award for "Contribution to the development of fashion." Herrera's latest award today is the Couture Council Award for the Artistry of Fashion from the New York FIT Museum.
Have I ever thought about retirement? But why give up what you truly love? I grew up surrounded by beautiful things, and I have a good eye for fashion, besides, this is my real passion. And beauty is above all a reflection of your individuality and inner world. Sometimes you see a woman and you understand that apparently she is not very beautiful, but at the same time something in her makes you think: “What a beauty!” It’s not so much external attractiveness, beauty is a combination of many factors: your thoughts, and your taste, and passion in literature and art.
COMME des GARÇONS
The appearance of modern fashion as it is can not be imagined without Rei Kawakubo - women who somehow influenced more than one generation of designers. She was a pioneer in many ways: creating conceptual models in the spirit of ugly beauty, experiments in blending expensive and cheap in one image, and even using famous actors as models at shows. All this despite the fact that Kavakubo never received a special design education - instead, she studied literature and art at Keio University. That, however, did not prevent her from launching her own business in 1973 - the Comme des Garçons brand, which today brings in $ 200 million annually.
Kawakubo’s early work was nicknamed “antimoda”, “itemized” and “Hiroshima chic” for deconstruction and excessive use of dark colors, however, as the designer herself admitted, “Comme des Garcons is a gift for women to themselves, not a tool for attracting the opposite sex” . After the debut Paris show in 1981, Kawakubo became one of the main ambassadors of Japanese fashion in the global industry, and later Martin Marzhela, Anne Demeulmeister and Helmut Lang would repeatedly call Rei Kawakubo their source of inspiration. However, fashion remains far from the only field of Kawakubo’s activities: in the early 1990s, the designer released the SIX magazine, in 1996 she became a visiting editor at Visionaire, and with her husband Adrian Joffe opened the Dover Street Market concept store in London (and then in Tokyo and New York), developed the design of the showcases of his Tokyo boutique in collaboration with Future Systems studio and interior designer Takao Kawasaki, developed a capsule collection for the H & M mass market in 2008 and became part of the Paris fashion syndicate.
A recalcitrant soul always seeks battle with mediocrity and the power of injustice flourishing around. But it is impossible to enter into this struggle if you do not feel free. And I believe that the surest way for this is creativity. That is why freedom and the desire to break the rules - the source of my energy.
Diane von furstenberg
The name of Diana von Furstenberg is known even to people far from the world of fashion. In the 70s, this legendary woman became famous for being in the best New York parties and making friends with all the local studio 54 from Andy Warhol to Jane Fort. In the history of fashion, von Fürstenberg entered due to her dress with a smell - in the mid-1970s she popularized this uncomplicated jersey model so that Diane von Furstenberg dress was in the wardrobe of almost every American woman, and today is one of the exhibits of the Metropolitan Costume Institute. the museum. On the wave of success in 1976, Diane von Furstenberg became the face of the cover of Newsweek magazine, in 1998, Diana publishes the memoirs "Diane: A Signature Life".
In 2006, she was appointed President of the American Council of Fashion Designers, and now she oversees projects for young designers of the CFDA / Vogue Fashion Fund and the CFDA Fashion Incubator, in 2008 she won a star on Fashion Walk of Fame on Seventh Avenue in New York, in 2012 she released The first capsule collection of children's clothes for Gap Kids, and during the spring-summer 2013 season show, arranges a collaboration with Google Glass. However, Diana von Fürstenberg deserves respect not only for her fashionable activities, but also for charity projects: she founded the philanthropic organization The Diller - von Furstenberg Family Foundation, in which the DVF Awards was launched in 2010. In addition, von Fürstenberg leads the non-profit organization Vital Voices, which aims to support the political and economic advancement of women around the world.
The most beautiful thing about us becoming older is our past. In fact, the only thing that upsets me in aging is how I look. I no longer wear a dress with a smell, because my waist is no longer like a girl’s, and I don’t like it. But I can boast that I have never done anything with my face - neither Botox nor fillers. In general, I like to grow up. I'm getting older and kinder.
Jil sander
One of the main adherents of the minimalism of the 1990s, Gilles Zander began her career from the position of fashion editor in the German magazine Petra, and soon at the age of 24 she opened her first fashion boutique where she sold Thierry Mugler, Sonia Rykiel and her own design. Gilles Zander founded his own brand just a year later, in 1968, in 1975, for the first time shown at the Paris Fashion Week, which, unfortunately, does not bring success - the minimalist style Zander will be fully appreciated later. As well as the designer's corporate reception - the so-called onion look, built on multi-layered combinations of things. For services to the industry in 1994, Zander received the honorary order of the Federal Republic of Germany, and in 1996, the Fashion Group Award in New York.
In 1997, Gilles Zander sells a 75% stake in the brand to the Prada Group concern - and here begins a whole chain of twists and turns: due to disagreements with Prada Group CEO Patrizio Bertelli in 2000, Zander loses his post as chief designer of his own brand, leaves, then returns in 2003, but not for long, a year later, young designer Raf Simons took her place. However, Zander does not go underground: in 2009, she announced the creation of a company for fashion-advice, the first client of which is the Japanese clothing brand Uniqlo. Together, they launch the + J line, which eventually became one of the most successful examples of this kind of cooperation. The next triumphant return to the roots happened in February 2012 - Gilles Zander again became the creative director of her own brand, but, unfortunately, she didn’t linger: after three seasons, Zander announced that she was leaving for "personal reasons".
I imagine the ideal old age in this way: to live a simple life, to follow my dream and always remember that the most wonderful things can happen if you just turn the corner. But the most important thing is to remain creative.
Prada
The younger great-granddaughter of the famous Mario Prada, who founded the fashion business as early as 1913, Miuccia did not seem to be particularly interested in the idea of a family business. After graduation, she enters the University of Milan, enters the Italian Communist Party while studying, declares herself as an active feminist, receives a philosophical degree in political science, and then acts as a mime at the Piccolo Theater in Milan for five years. However, in 1978, Prada decided to continue the work of his great-grandfather and, together with her future husband Patrizio Bertelli, was taken to bring the brand to a new height. In 1985, she offered the first it bag of the brand - a nylon backpack with a laconic triangular logo (as opposed to logomania raging in those years), and by 1989 she was releasing the first collection of women's clothing in Prada history.
Three years later, Miuccia Prada launches a subsidiary brand, Miu Miu, aimed at younger buyers, and in 1996 - a men's clothing line. In 1993, Prada received an international award from the hands of the CFDA, in 2010 - the Turner Prize, one of the most prestigious in the world in the field of contemporary art, in 2013 became the first awarded the title of "International Designer of the Year" by the British Fashion Awards, and in 2014 Forbes included her in the list of the most influential women in the world. And this is not a complete list. In addition, Miuccia Prada is a big connoisseur of contemporary art: in the Fondazione Prada gallery exhibitions of artists from Walter de Maria to Michael Kaiser were held, the design of Prada boutiques in New York and Los Angeles worked as an architect Rem Koolhaas, and in 2013 the company together with artist Damien Hirst presented a joint art project “Prada Oasis and Damien Hirst's Pharmacy Juice Bar” in Qatar, polishing this business with a limited collection of plexiglass bags.
For women, the issue of aging is a real drama, especially considering that the average life expectancy has become much longer. I think the issue of aging will be decisive for the society of the future. "Ugly" attracts and excites us. Unlike cinema or painting, it was rarely used as a visual tool in fashion, and for this my work was often criticized. Researching this topic seems to me more interesting than the bourgeois idea of beauty.
Sonia rykiel
Red-haired beast of Russian-Romanian origin, Sonia Rykiel in the fashion world received the title of "queen knitwear." The story of a self-taught designer is as old as the world: being pregnant, she could not find a suitable dress in which she would be "the most beautiful pregnant girl in the world," and therefore decided to create such a thing herself. By the way, it was Rykiel who became one of the first designers to offer clothes for women in the position. After several years of work in the boutique of her husband, Laura, Sonia Rykiel opens his own shop in 1968, where he starts selling ready-made clothes and becomes one of the pioneers of the ready-to-wear movement in Paris.
Sonia Rykiel built her brand on the idea of a comfortable fashion, taking as a basis things in which women could feel free and just enjoy life: knitted sweaters, simple cut dresses, culottes. And in 1974, before the Japanese and Belgian deconstructivists came to the Parisian fashion scene, Rykiel presented a collection of items with seams out, raw edges and loose knitwear. In 1983, the designer was awarded the Order of Arts and Literature from the Ministry of Culture of France, and two years later - the Order of the Legion of Honor. In 2012, at the age of 81, Sonia Rykiel makes a public statement: she has been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for 15 years now, and tells her story in the book “N'oubliez pas que je joue”.
For me, women really need elegance and sophistication. Baudelaire once said: “You will have to cover yourself with gilding in order to worship you,” and this is exactly what women have to do. Naturalness is flat, empty and ugly. I sincerely believe that cosmetic surgery today is a necessity for women, in a century when we are so afraid of aging.
Vera wang
American designer of Chinese origin made the name on the creation of wedding dresses - every student knows about it. Since childhood, Vera Wong devoted all her free time to figure skating - the girl participated in several competitions and even somehow appeared in the magazine Sports Illustrated. However, after she was not taken to the Olympic team, Wong decides to devote herself to fashion and goes to work as a senior fashion editor in the fashion bible - American Vogue, becoming, by the way, one of the youngest editors in the history of the magazine. Leaving this position, she joins the design team of Ralph Lauren.
A couple of years later, while preparing for his own wedding, Wong realizes that wedding fashion as an industry, in fact, does not exist, and not one fashion designer does a dress that suits the expectations of modern brides. And here is the bright idea - to create the perfect wedding dresses most! In 1990, Vera Wong opened the first boutique on Madison Avenue, a business that today has grown to the size of a fashionable empire and whose income is estimated at $ 1 billion a month. By the way, Wong did not forget about her youthful passion - she created costumes for performances by such skaters as Michelle Kwan and Evan Lysacek, and silver medalist Nancy Kerrigan even performed in the costume of Vera Wang at the Olympics in 1994. За эту деятельность в 2009 году Вера Вонг попала в зал славы фигурного катания США.
Если, учась кататься на коньках, ты падаешь, то единственное, что тебе остается сделать, - подняться и начать заново. В моде все то же самое, и к тому же у тебя есть временной лимит. Иногда люди вокруг начинают давить на тебя, подгонять, и в такой ситуации очень сложно решиться принять единственно верное решение. Но я просто стараюсь сохранять голову холодной и ориентироваться на свои ощущения.
Norma Kamali
Норма Камали была ключевой фигурой 1970-х годов, которой удалось перевести понятие sportswear в ранг полноценной одежды на каждый день. Камали окончила знаменитый нью-йоркский Fashion Institute of Technology и была сперва fashion-иллюстратором, а затем сменила мир моды на работу в Northwest Orient Airlines. В конце 1960-х Камали решает вернуться в модный бизнес и вместе с мужем открывает бутик женской одежды. Постепенно ее уверенность в себе как дизайнера крепнет, и уже в 1975 году Норма Камали выпускает первую полноценную коллекцию - целиком из парашютного шелка. A couple of years after the divorce, Kamali creates a brand called OMO - an abbreviation for On My Own, which is symbolic.
In the era of creative freedom in fashion and at the same time the flourishing of the cult of a healthy body, Kamali decides to produce clothes to match the time: swimsuits of fundamentally new styles with a very high bikini line, tops and evening dresses made of fleece, which used to be exclusively for creating things for sports, and even sneakers on the platform, which were later copied by many designers (you know what we mean). By the way, it was Kamali who became the author of the famous red swimsuit in which Farra Fawcett poses on the poster of Charlie's Angels - now this item is kept in the National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution. In the late 1990s, Norma Kamali became the first fashion designer to launch her own eBay store (this was a couple of years before Net-A-Porter.com was founded). Today, Kamali continues to improve not only her brand, but her own body - as the designer admits, not a single day of her can do without sports training. What we want.
If our industry is directly related to the concept of beauty, then health care should also become an important part of it. I am very upset that the models look so exhausted. There are ways to stay thin and healthy at the same time, you only need to sensibly approach this. A woman should have a fire in her eyes, thick shiny hair and glowing skin. Starving is bad. True luxury is to be healthy.
Vivienne westwood
Punk Grandma Vivienne Westwood was born in a modest family of a shoemaker and a cotton factory worker. When Vivien was 17 years old, her family moved to a suburb of London, and Vivien enters the local art school to study design and jewelry. However, after graduation, she goes to work as a simple primary school teacher, because, in her own opinion, "the girl from the working class had no chance to break into the world of art." In order to somehow get out of poverty, Vivienne marries Derek Westwood, with whom he, however, diverges in a couple of years and meets Malcolm McLaren - later the Sex Pistols manager and the man who, in fact, opened the world of subcultural London to Westwood. In 1971, Maclaren opens the Let It Rock boutique in Kings Road (the names changed several times), in which Westwood sells clothing under its own name, inspired by bikers, fetishists and prostitutes. Soon the store gains fame among the marginal London youth and becomes a cult place for the punk movement of the time.
It was the punk-inspired aesthetics that shaped Vivienne Westwood as a designer and brought her fame in the fashion field. However, Westwood is not only an outstanding rebel from fashion, but also a notable political activist. She has repeatedly spoken in support of civil rights and freedoms, in 2005, together with the British group for the protection of the interests of citizens, Liberty released a series of T-shirts with the slogan "I am not a terrorist, please do not arrest me", and in 2008 took part in largest campaign for nuclear disarmament. In addition, Westwood has been working steadily with Ethical Fashion Africa, releasing bags, the proceeds of which go to help Nairobi slum women, in 2013 released a collection dedicated to the American Chelsea Manning involved in the WikiLeaks scandal. Vivienne Westwood cooperates with PETA, actively supports the preservation of forests on the planet, a reasonable consumption of fresh water, and several years ago organized the Active Resistance to Propaganda movement, aimed at preventing climate change.
Today, everyone looks like clones, and the only people who really stand out on the streets are people of my age. I notice only those who are not like others, and often they are about 70 years old. But young people are mostly conformists; no one wants to think in their own way. We were trained to be insatiable buyers - and now we consume everything without measure.