Sunday, August 1, 2010

Italian designer Giorgio Armani, who turned 75 in July, may be the pride of Italian fashion and a godfather of the industry but he is not immortal.

After suffering a bout of hepatitis, Armani says he is back in action but he looks thinner and frailer than before in spite of his permanent tan, raising the question ever more urgently of who will succeed him.

Armani will not divulge who could possibly take up the reins of his empire worth $2.4 billion in annual sales, only saying he is grooming a chosen few. Insiders predict he will keep everybody guessing until the last minute.

But if mystery around his succession is understandable for commercial reasons, it is also a powerful reminder of how taxing and emotional it is to rep-lace the founder and creative soul of a fashion house, particularly while he is still alive.

“Succession is an emotionally charged thing, especially when you talk about people like Armani who own the business,” Burberry’s chief creative officer Christopher Bailey said last month.

The history of fashion is littered with examples of traumatic experiences and designers ousted after a short-lived attempt at filling the founder’s shoes.

Tom Ford openly admitted Yves Saint Laurent made his life a misery when he took over as chief designer of the French fashion house in 1999. The founder was not supportive of Ford’s work and complained he did not respect the brand’s heritage.

Today, the web site of the Yves Saint Laurent maison does not even mention Ford in its corporate history section even though he worked there for four years.

Timing also plays a crucial role when planning a transition. Fashion experts say Valentino Garavani left his company too soon after it was bought by private equity firm Permira in 2007.

Unsurprisingly for many observers, Valentino was critical of his replacement Alessandra Facchinetti who lasted less than a year and left “embittered”.

Lars Nilsson, who replaced Gianfranco Ferre - Dior’s former designer - after his death in 2007, lasted five months at Ferre and was given the boot just days before a show.

“Few people are able to let go... Sometimes, it is just out of vanity,” said Jean-Jacques Picart, fashion adviser to Bernard Arnault, head of the world’s biggest luxury group LVMH, referring to long-standing founding designers.

The passing of the artistic torch is one of the most discussed subjects in the fashion world as it can make or break the survival of the brand - but no fashion house is willing to talk about it officially.

Aside from Armani, the clock is ticking for a number of other fashion companies headed by 70-something designers including Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta in the US and Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel in France.

The question will also eventually pose itself for Donatella Versace and Miuccia Prada.

Oscar de la Renta, whose founding designer is 77, and the team behind Ralph Lauren, aged 70, also did not respond to requests for comments.
Likewise, Chanel refused to be drawn on the subject.

“Karl Lagerfeld is the creative director of Chanel and enjoys a long-term contract which is absolutely not put into question,” it said. “His succession is not on the agenda.”

German-born Lagerfeld, 71, has successfully kept Chanel’s two-tone flat shoes, camelia brooches and woollen suits as luxury must-haves since 1983 while consistently refreshing the brand.

“Karl is not ready to pass on the torch,” said Picart.

However, other people close to the maison say it is inconceivable that Chanel is not thinking about his succession.