#fmi1b

Alessandro Michele is an Italian Designer and the Creative Director for Gucci who currently resides in an 18th century house in Rome with his partner, Giovanni Attili. He has received multiple awards particularly the 2015 International Designer Award at the British Fashion Awards, International Award by the CFDA in 2016 and the British GQ Designer of the Year Award. Originally hailing from Rome, Michele studied Costume Design at the prestigious Costume e Moda and got his first Fashion job in Les Copains making knitwear before moving to work under Karl Lagerfeld and Silvia Venturini Fendi at Fendi in the 1990s where he achieved notable success with the leather goods. Michele’s story then began in 2002 where he assisted Tom Ford in designing bags and became an associate designer to Frida Giannini in 2011. He eventually went on to take over her post in 2015. 

Michele is given free reign to bring his idiosyncratic sense of visual stimuli in Gucci by Marco Bizzari, Gucci’s president and chief executive. He immensely helped Gucci’s resurgence after years of struggling with underwhelming sales in the competitive industry. The Italian house currently have exceptionally financial performance that is strongest in 20 years and has doubled the revenue in the past 4 years thanks to Michele. 

Michele revealed an entirely new aesthetic and direction for Gucci and instilled his sense of eccentricity and eclectically while pivoting to gender fluidity and maximalism. This bode well with the current largest buying customers, Millennials, who needed a fresh perspective that was contemporary and less rigid.

 Michele has a unique way of juxtapositioning history with contemporary elements. For Gucci’s Autumn/Winter 2016, Michele collaborated with graffiti artist Trevor Andrew also known as Gucci Ghost who in late 2013 did street art with Gucci signature logos all over Brooklyn and Manhattan. While for Fall Winter 2018, he collaborated with Dapper Dan. A legendary 1980s Harlem designer who introduced “counterfeit” high fashion to the hiphop world. 

In contrast to Frida Giannini, Michele’s Gucci has constantly communicated with his audience especially on social media and has used Gucci as a “platform” to allow people to feel inclusive, be it different genders, sexual identity, race and nationality and giving them a brand to express themselves visually.

https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/fashion/how-alessandro-michele-made-gucci-relevant-again-20181126-p50id1.html

Commonly known as @/luxurylaw to his 494,000 Instagram followers, Law Roach is a celebrity stylist based in Los Angeles who is best known for his styling works on icons such as Ariana Grande, Celine Dion and Zendaya. Considering the term stylist to be overused, Roach prefers to think of himself as an “image architect” instead. “What I do is similar to what an architect does,” Roach explains. “The surveying, building a blueprint, sourcing materials, all that. But I’m doing it with clothes, jewellery, hair and makeup.” Moreover, regarding the word image, the term itself depicts the transformative role of celebrity stylists where one look going viral on social media can lead to overnight fame.

A TV star in his own right, Roach is also famously known for being a judge on America’s Next Top Model for cycles 23 and 24.

Unlike many other stylists, how Law Roach came to fame was rather unconventional. It was Roach’s Grandmother, Eloise, who introduced him to vintage shopping (or what she would call “junking”) that enabled his curiousity behind thrifting clothes. As Roach’s collection grew, he started stashing the clothes in the boot of his car. This then later inspired him to start his own vintage boutique located in Chicago called Deliciously Vintage. The idea came to him when he saw how his girlfriends fought over pieces during one of his many makeshift boot sales. It was then when he thought to himself, ‘Oh shit, this is a business.’.

However, luck also played a small part in Roach’s journey to becoming the stylist he is today. It was through a serendipitous encounter with a 14-year-old Zendaya and her father that led to his breakthrough in the celebrity styling scene.

Back then, no one wanted to dress Zendaya as she was still rather fresh to the celebrity scene. Upon hearing this, Roach then seized this opportunity to style her and since then, has moulded her into a fashion force to be reckoned with. This is evident through the many iconic looks we see Zendaya sporting and her brand collaborations such as her TommyxZendaya capsule collection and her most recent Lancôme Idôle perfume campaign. Through styling Zendaya, Roach not only gives her a better sense of identity but also makes her appear more relatable to her young and impressionable fans.

Furthermore, Roach’s tactic in getting Zendaya noticed is simply ingenious. He would dress her in garments that other people had already worn so as to earn her exposure in the celebrity weeklies and Who Wore It Better columns. Soon enough, people started knowing her name.

More of Roach’s remarkable works can be seen on famous singers such as Celine Dion and Ariana Grande. These are just a few noteworthy examples as he takes these singers and transforms them into fashion mavens overnight. (Evidently, Ariana Grande as Givenchy’s new face for their A/W 19 campaign)

To sum up, Law Roach is an example of what a celebrity stylist/image architect should and can be. Roach doesn’t just style women to be beautiful but he empowers them as well. His works are a reflection that he himself understands the consumers of his clientele and in that sense, he styles and dresses these iconic people to become the role models that so many of us have come to love while still keeping them true to themselves. That to me is an effective celebrity stylist.

Hong Kong’s Vogue September Issue 2019,  featuring Rihanna as the first woman of colour on its front cover

Robyn Rihanna Fenty, otherwise known as BadGalRiRi needs no further introduction. At age 31, Rihanna has influenced all industries, some even label her a quintuple threat —  a music artist, clothing designer, beauty guru, an actress and philanthropist.

Born in Saint Michael, raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, RiRi moved to USA in 2005 to kickstart her music career. Fusing genres and endless experimentation of musical styles, she topped countless charts, sold over 250 million records and become one of the world’s best-selling music artists.

Rihanna for Fenty Beauty

Music aside, Rihanna is also no stranger to the world of beauty. Let’s not forget about how she single handedly revolutionised the beauty industry in 2017 with Fenty Beauty’s 40 shade range debut paired together with stunning campaign visuals featuring people of all colours. It sparked a “Fenty Effect” where many other brands jumped on the shade wagon, featuring people of colour in their campaign covers. Fenty Beauty was then crowned as one of “The 25 Best Inventions of 2017” by Time magazine.

Getting past the icing on the cake, we finally touch on some of Rihanna’s most iconic fashion moments. For starters, our girl RiRi broke the Internet with Adam Selman’s legendary Swarovski gown at the 2014 CFDA Awards where she received the Fashion Icon Award. In a league of her own, RiRi has also served looks at the Met Gala time and time again.

2018 came another Fenty frenzy, we have lingerie line “Savage X Fenty” where her mission was to celebrate fearless individuality and broadening the definition of what is beautiful. Showcased in September 2018’s New York Fashion Week, her runway included pregnant and plus sized models.

Rihanna for Fenty

The following year, Fenty launched as a fashion line under LVMH, Rihanna became the first woman of colour to run a major luxury fashion house. The line brought in an impressive range of sizes and exclusively featuring models of colour in her catalogue images. Her Fenty empire has always kept true to their core: inclusivity.

All in all, RiRi keeps things real — she speaks up about the things that matter and practices what she preach. She actively uses her platforms, both online and offline to constantly challenge norms, take business ventures and fully embrace herself through thicc or thin.

 BadGalRiRi is truly the change of our time, a force to be reckoned with.

G-Dragon (Kwon Ji Yong) is a South Korean artist who is known as the Leader of K-Pop group, Big Bang, who also produces and writes his groups’ and his own songs, sings and raps, owns multiple businesses and is a trend-setter to many.

GD’s influences include Pharrell Williams, who is also known to be a great producer and quite the fashionista too, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Rihanna, Blackstreet, and Wu-Tang Clan. He has had so much influence in the fashion scene within South Korea itself. 

With his many different hairstyles and hair colors to the different accessories he adorns himself with and how he wears his clothes, his fashion influence is really out of this world.

He never cared about looking weird, he always liked to experiment with his own style. He even wore women’s clothes as long as they fit him. In an interview with Dazed about Chanel in 2017, he mentioned that men thought that Chanel at that time was a “woman’s thing”, but since he was relatively skinny, he was able to fit into the women’s clothing without a problem and concluded that for him it is unisex. His fashion always included mixing and matching things but not just the garments itself but also masculinity with femininity and even different brands as well.

GD loved Chanel, he wore pieces in his music videos and soon he was invited to Chanel shows during Paris Fashion Week where he became close to Karl Lagerfield. In 2016, he became a Chanel ambassador for Korea alongside many others such as Pharrell Williams, Kristen Stewart, Cara Delevingne, etc. In addition to that, he was featured in a campaign by Chanel for the Gabrielle bag. 

Additionally, Vans actually created a version of their well-known Old Skool shoes because of him. He was seen wearing the shoes by stepping on the backs as he was in a rush and out of convenience. Soon after many people started following after him and eventually Vans designed a pair with a lower back.

GD started his own fashion brand called PEACEMINUSONE, which included caps, accessories and a range of tees, which is designed by him and his stylist Gee Eun. And even though GD is currently serving his national service in South Korea, his brand has collaborated with Nike for the shoe, Nike Air Force 1 ‘07 “Para?Noise”.

It is hard not to believe his influence over many in the fashion scene. I am personally really influenced by him in the sense that he is not afraid to experiment with new things. I like how to him it does not matter whether it is women’s or men’s clothes, as long as it fits and suits his taste he will wear it. Sometimes, it is quite easy to give in to the thought of the “safer” choice, one that is less outlandish or eye-catching, be it about fashion or general choices we make in life. Which is why I appreciate his confidence and the “it doesn’t matter what you think” attitude that he has, especially in his fashion.

References: 

https://www.hallyusg.net/2018/04/23/knews-vansoldskoolmule/ 

https://www.mariefranceasia.com/fashion/latest-news/fashion-news/g-dragon-chanel-new-ambassador-218884.html#item=3 

https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/37667/1/k-pop-superstar-g-dragon-on-chanel-karl-and-gender-ss18-show-interview 

https://fashion.luxury/style/4-asian-ambassadors-elevating-the-top-fashion-houses/ 

Olivier Rousteing is a French-born fashion designer and creative director who grew up in Bordeaux and later, moved to Paris to study and work. Started off as a designer for Balmain’s women’s ready-to-wear line in 2009, Rousteing was then appointed to the helm of Balmain in 2011, at a young age of 24, making him the youngest creative director in Paris since Yves Saint Laurent.

Known for his engagement with social media, Rousteing has over 5 million followers on Instagram, making him the most followed French designer on the platform. Together with the introduction of the Balmain Army, a group of celebrities and influences including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West, Rihana, and other famous personalities, he has managed to raise Balmain’s global brand awareness and to reach a new, younger audience.

Rousteing took it upon himself, as the new creative director, to lead the then traditional Balmain into the digital age - In order to increase the brand’s visibility and to engage efficiently with customers and admirers, in 2012, Rousteing started taking pictures of himself wearing garments that he designed and also revealed his creative process and progression by posting pictures of his collections prior to the official release date, which allowed Balmain to evaluate and assess customers' reaction. These efforts were a mean to potentially democratize fashion and to make the brand accessible to everybody.

Rousteing is a strong advocate for diversity within the fashion industry, making Balmain the forerunner in promoting diversity in an otherwise all-white industry.  He is an inspiration to a number of aspiring designers, who lacked a successful mixed race role model to look up to.

“A woman who is going to wear Balmain is a warrior,”

Rousteing is constantly inspired by the strength of women, and aims to empower them with his bold designs. His vision to turn Balmain into a global, strong and powerful empire inspires many of us who are looking to be both a well-rounded designer and entrepreneur.

References:

https://www.businessoffashion.com/community/people/olivier-rousteing

https://www.out.com/fashion/2015/4/02/olivier-rousteing-selfie-made-man

https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/26807/1/balmain-s-instagram-reach-is-bigger-than-the-uk-population

By Kevin Tew Zhi Jie

The person who has influenced me the most is Tim Walker. As we all know, Tim Walker is a fashion photographer who’s works have entranced the readers of Vogue, month by month, for over a decade with his extravagant prop styling and romantic motifs. Walker was born in England in 1970 and developed his interest on photography at the Condé Nast library. He shot is first fashion story for Vogue at age 25 and has been taking British, Italian and American vogue by storm as well. Walker currently resides in London with his boyfriend, Jacob K, who is also his stylist for most of his iconic shoots seen with Kate Moss, Edie Campbell and Karen Elson.

Kate Moss by Tim Walker for Vogue Italia 2015.

When I first got into photography, I did not know where to start so I was looking everywhere for something or someone to inspire me. I found many great photographers and amongst them was Tim Walker and his dreamworld of fashion photography. Walker’s images contain so many layers of backstory, of research and hard work and of whimsicality. You’d know it’s a Tim Walker photograph because of his distinct style of communicating an idea.

Tilda Swinton by Tim Walker for Vogue Italia and W Magazine.

One of the most breath-taking work by Walker would be his portraits of actress, Tilda Swinton. Walker has proven that even as simple as portrait photography, known to be the most basic form of image making, he makes it an effort to inject a sense of particularity and wonder into them. His mind allows him to see photography as a 3 dimensional form rather than just a flat imaging of people. Utilising prop styling and make up, these images are taken to a whole new level of art form and they draw his viewers in, enticing us and make us wonder what crazy thing he’s going to do next.

What I also noticed about his photography style is that most of them were shot with a wide angled lens which allows him to distort his images ever so slightly and bring about an edge to them. Most of his works do not follow a grid format, neither do they follow the ‘rules of fashion photography’ and that to me is someone who is a true visionary of our time.

Images all from Walker’s ’Story Teller’ photographic exhibition in 2012.

Walker’s ’Story Teller’ photographic exhibition in 2012 held at the Somerset House in London was a place I wished I could’ve had the chance to visit. Following the release of his photography book ‘Tim Walker Story Teller’, the exhibition showed his creative and developmental processes, they even have the actual props used in his photographs. The whole exhibition not only showcases his works in frames but also in art installation displays where the entire place seems to come alive, as if the works are interacting with each other in their own worlds.

With fashion being as fickle-minded and as fast-paced as it is today, fashion photographers have such an important role to play and to keep up with the winds of change. Tim Walker has curated his own technique in making sure that his images are timeless and always a sight to behold. Fashion is a multibillion dollar industry with money being on everyone’s mind. People in this industry tend to gravitate towards the safer route when it comes to selling the garment rather than creating a vision that arrests and stops the audiences. Tim Walker teaches us that fashion is not just about the clothes but about a new way of creating a fantasy in make-believe reality.

References

http://www.littleluxurylist.com/2015/12/photo-love-inspiration-3.html/beauty-and-the-beast-saint-laurent-kate-moss-tim-walker-for-vogue-italia-december-2015

http://www.fashiontography.net/2015/01/tilda-swinton-by-tim-walker-surreal.html

https://cocosteaparty.com/the-tim-walker-story-teller-exhibition-at-somerset-house.html

https://smoda.elpais.com/moda/la-fotografia-hecha-ensonacion/