Former Dior designer John Galliano appeared in court yesterday – the opening day of Paris menswear fashion week – to defend himself about the anti-Semitic incident occurred a few months ago in Paris.
Yet, interestingly enough, Galliano’s replies to the judge inquiring about his behaviour and public insults could almost be used as a j'accuse against the fashion industry.
The designer stated he didn’t remember the incident and explained he has been recovering from addictions – to alcohol, sleeping pills and barbiturates – developed to cope with work pressures and financial crisis.
Turning to drinking to fight depression after a creative high is not rare in the creative industries, but Galliano also added that he suffered panic attacks as he struggled to raise new revenues for his brands and increasing work loads at Dior and his own label due to the financial crisis. He also explained he didn’t have time to mourn after the death of his right hand man, Stephen Robinson, and of his father.
Shown a video of himself uttering anti-Semitic remarks, he stated the man in the video was “the shell of John Galliano,” someone “pushed to the edge”.
While it’s only natural for the designer to shift the blame from himself to the fashion industry, maybe his words should make us ponder a bit about a few things.
Despite what they tell us and despite what they want you to believe, the fashion industry is in a huge crisis (why would Versace otherwise turn to H&M – democritising fashion my arse…it’s simply called "money").
The time has come to stop the fashion machine and let everybody involved rest a bit (and I know I'm repeating myself, but we have by now reached a point of no return...). The pressure on the designers may be huge, but so are the pressures on factories and on the health of our planet.
People who are not insiders into the industry probably think that the various fashion weeks are an extended movable feast full of glamorous and cool people, but the party is basically over, replaced by a a rather depressing comedown.
At the trial Galliano also highlighted that it was thanks to his creativity that Dior turned into a billion-dollar business and it was a bit shocking hearing him replying to the presiding judge Anne-Marie Sauteraud asking him about his current profession, “I have none”.
Now, while I don’t feel we should be crying on Galliano’s shoulder for his silly and immature behaviour and his mistakes, I still think his words should make us think, after all, working on four men and women's wear collections for two different houses every year is definitely not easy.
Every year new (and usually very young) designers are enlisted by historical fashion houses or huge fashion groups to revamp their fame, inject their energy into a brand, increase the sales and build powerful luxury empires.
Sometimes the collaboration works, sometimes it’s a complete failure, sometimes everything ends up with a nervous breakdown, a session in rehab or even suicide (if you are among the ones who think the fashion industry is the one to blame for Alexander McQueen’s death…).
So, while waiting for a verdict on Galliano’s case to be issued in September (the designer may face up to six months in prison and up to €22,000 in fines), his words should make us stop and ponder: if rehab, depression, nervous breakdowns and psychiatric crises are the inevitable fate awaiting many talented designers maybe it is definitely not worth pursuing a career in the fashion industry.
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