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interface news reporter | chen qirui

interface news editor | xu yue

this valentino show is2025one of the most talked about shows during paris fashion week in spring and summer.

3moon23day, onValentinowork25yearsPierpaolo Piccioliannounced his resignation,5queen alessandro michele (Alessandro Michele）he took over as the new creative director. from2015new year's eve2022in 2001, michele acted asGuccithe creative director not only successfully reversed the decline and led the brand to achieve sales of tens of billions of euros, but also experienced the difficulties of weak performance rebound after the epidemic.

in the past two years, there have been many rumors about who michael's next family will be, includingFendiandGivenchy. with the news of his final appointment to take charge of valentino design, people's eyes have turned to the collection that will be released during paris fashion week.2025spring/summer collection.

micheleonce“explosive modification”got itGucci, so people wonder whether he will treat it in the same wayValentino。

judging from the actual results,Valentinoindeed, the appearance has changed greatly.Pierpaolo Picciolithere’s something different about using bright colors with simple silhouettes. but for all expectations michele will mergeValentinothe overall visual image is nothing new for someone who has designed classics and made new styles in the past.

like all designers who work for luxury brands and are not founders, michele also studied a lotValentino's files. people can see many classic elements from the brand's past, such as billowing ruffles, polka dots and hippie-style fabrics filled with floral prints.

“i just sat in the founder's chair like a guest and had to delve deep enough to understand the brand.”michele said in an interview with women's wear daily.

however, when these elements are combined, the entire series becomes familiar. androgynous-looking models were swaddled in printed headscarves or ornate hats, beneath a pair of bulging sunglasses and towering palazzo collars. chiffon and embroidery are indispensable, and bell-bottoms and tassels can be seen everywhere.

judging from the visuals, silhouettes, craftsmanship and show choreography alone, this is undoubtedly a well-crafted collection and a well-designed fashion show. but the problem is that the whole series looks too much like michele inGuccicreativity of the times, even if it points out which ones should be usedValentinothe same goes for past design elements, which are more likely to be confused by new consumers who don’t know much about the brand.

there are other similarities. for example, there are nearly a hundred looks in a series, and fromfrom harry styles to jared leto to florence welch, faces that have appeared in gucci ads in the past are now sitting in the front row of the valentino show. they are all fans of maximalism.

regarding this, michele had obviously expected such comments. he told the new york times that he would“looks similarGucci”the comment was taken as a compliment because it fully highlighted his personal style. but he also said he had no intention of making too many changes. the most important thing was to stay true, and the founderValentino Garavanii happen to like this design too.

a bit likeHedi Slimanebehavior. take charge ofDioras creative director of menswear, he became famous for his androgynous, decadent rock and roll style. when he arrivedSaint Laurent, similar designs were brought to the show again. but perhaps the most controversial thing is that he has completely changed the style he has maintained for twenty years.Phoebe PhiloforCelinelaid out minimalist image.

Hedi Slimanehe is the kind of autocratic designer who sticks to his own opinions most of the time. for example, now that the epidemic is over, he still insists on releasing new series through online videos and rarely discloses his personal updates to the media. of course he had his few moments of compromise.Celineafter receiving a lot of criticism for his first show, he quickly adjusted the design, starting with french bourgeois style to stabilize market sentiment.

michael followedHedi Slimanedifferently, he is willing to accept media interviews and reveal his personal aesthetic origins and lifestyle. but similarly, he is alsoGuccithe design was adjusted when performance was sluggish.——still complicated, but no longer dazzling.Valentinonot much has been revealed about how to find michele, but it seems that he is still positive about his insistence on personal aesthetics.

judging from the increasingly tense relationship between designers and brands in recent years, such asValentinothere are not many cases where you fully trust a designer's personal style and give him space to create. creative directors are certainly important to the operation of luxury brands, but due to the constraints of performance, exposure and internal personnel of the brand, it is often difficult to give full play to them.

but from a business perspective, michele used a completely personal style to transformValentinopast success is difficult to replicate.

there is no doubt thatValentinoit is a luxury brand with a high reputation and presence, but its performance has been sluggish for several years. it's in2015the annual sales revenue reaches9.87billion euros, but it took another two years to break through10billion euro mark, and in2022the annual sales are14.2billion euros, to2023the year has declined5%to13.5billion euros.

almost here10over the past few years, the luxury goods industry has experienced2016new year's eve2019the era of global rapid growth after recovering from the cold winter in 2018, and2020new year's eve2022the resurgence of china’s overseas consumption in 2018 and the retaliatory consumption period after the european and american markets recovered from the epidemic. not only are large luxury brands growing rapidly, but many small and medium-sized brands are also taking advantage of this to expand globally.

Valentinoclearly not catching the trend.

times have changed. michele takes chargeGuccihe was able to achieve rapid success, partly because he completely changed the style of the previous creative director. the other side isGuccias a brand that started late in the fashion business, the creative director has more room to shape its style.

Valentinoit is a brand with a profound fashion heritage, and a large number of past classic elements and even show pictures are still discussed by netizens on social media. andPierpaolo Picciolihe is also a creative director with a very distinctive personal style. over the past ten years, he has deeply shaped theValentinoimage, which will inevitably bring challenges to michele.

not to mention,Valentinothere is never a shortage of gorgeous and complicated clothes. the novelty that michele's twist on style could bring was diminished. furthermore, there is also the problem of market mentality that plagues designers and brands today.

fromDiorarriveSaint LaurentagainCeline，Hedi Slimanebehind the three consecutive jumps is his continued leadership of the three brands to achieve performance breakthroughs. perhaps his luck is that he always breaks up with brand executives at the peak of his performance, but he can always be favored by the next brand because of his past performance.

of course michele also ledGucciturned around, but he led a sales ratioCelineseveral times the size of the brand, this process involves countless marketing activities with huge costs and traffic, and at the same time, the designer's own popularity is infinitely amplified. this will make him be promoted to the altar when he is at his peak, and he will fall even more embarrassingly when he is at his trough.

just like michele's self-deprecation, consumers say that today'sValentinolook likeGucci, but perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is2020the one that continues to decline after the yearGucci, not that2015new year's eve2019a star brand that has led the industry's growth with high spirits in the past year.

as luxury goods consumption declines, second-tier brands often have weaker conspicuous meaning than leading brands, making it difficult for people to confirm the meaning of purchase through display. this is includedValentinomany brands are facing difficulties, and the above-mentioned lenovo will obviously not have any positive significance in improving the brand's positioning in the future.

but at least one thing is certain: consumers who favor michele’s maximalist style have now found a way to buy it again.Sabato De Sarnoafter taking office,Guccihas become a minimalist brand. but what can michele's loyal regular customers do?Valentinohow much sales it will bring, only time will tell.