Fashion Ateliers (Zac Posen out of business!!!)

(Very very old post found in my draft)

Hello my dears!

Today I want to talk about Fashion. Okay, it is not like I do not talk fashion on this blog on a regular basis. It is just that I want to talk about the fashion industry in general.

Scarf - is actually a beach cover up

Denim top - random shop near my house 

Coral pink maxi skirt - random shop near my office 

Shoes - Thrifted

I have recently heard about Zac Posen going out of business. I am not really familiar with Zac Posen except from seeing him on Project Runaway and on the red carpet from time to time. But learning that he was closing just shocked me because for some reasons I always thought he was successful. I went on to watch a documentary about him on Netflix called "House of Z". I do not want to spoil it for you but it was heartbreaking. 

As someone who wants to be a designer someday, watching a documentary on the rise and fall of Zac Posen freaked me out. Granted I do not know a lot about the fashion industry, it is sad to see someone as talented as him not making it. But what grabbed my attention in the documentary was the fact that without an Atelier, designers can never be truly successful.

An Atelier is a place where designers's sketches come to life. It is a workshop with professionals such as pattern maker, seamstresses, embroiderers, in short people who are making the garment the designers think of. Without those people, Chanel would not be Chanel, Valentino would not be Valentino, Louis Vuitton would not be Louis Vuitton. Many designers outsource their "ateliers" overseas in China, Eastern Europe and recently Ethiopia. But the major ones already have their own. Zac Posen had his own atelier in New York which is very rare for an American designer; rare and expensive. 

When I watch documentaries about Ateliers, I cannot help but be envious. It is hard finding and keeping people who are good at making clothes. In my country, it is a real struggle. I have known many designers who have shut down because their tailors were not reliable. Others had theirs poached by other designers. I saw people pamper and cajole their tailors just for them to finish a garment for a client. I know a tailor who just quit one day because he expected his boss to pay for his roof to be fixed, and she did not. I suppose the tailors and other craftsmen should be divas considering the amount of work they do, and all the beautiful things they create. I cannot go into details on how they work, just try and watch any documentary about Haute Couture in France, or embroidery in India to understand what I mean. Yet, I am not sure I have the patience to put up with all of it.

Another point I noticed in the Fashion Industry is how investors may sway the creative process. When Zac started out, he was hailed as a genius, a visionary. But as he grew and had more investors, his clothes were no longer up to par. Investors were demanding this and that, and it totally influenced him. At one point he was really lost as to what he wanted to do. This is a major problem in the fashion industry. Designers want to create, but investors want to make money. Therefore they often push the creators to do commercial things, clothes that will sell more instead of having just a wow factor and please a small amount of the population. And I understand that, because at the end of the day, you want to make money. I used to be shocked hearing designers selling their brand to investors. I was always intrigued as to what would push someone to part with something they have created. That could not be me. But when money (and other people's lives) is at stakes, sometimes it can be easier to just sell and walk away, or take on a smaller role and just do what you wanted to do at the beginning which is just create. 

Running a fashion house, or a successful fashion house takes time and energy and money. Creating also takes time and energy and money. A designer is an artist who sometimes do not have the skills to run a business. That is why it is good that he has partners or investors who are going to take care of that side of the business. The problems start when those investors are trying to limit that creative process. Investors also take risks, and they want to make sure that those risks are going to pay off, reason why they voice their opinions. To have a working partnership, I think each party needs to know its role and stay in its lane. 

Sometimes I wished I had investors who were going to put money into my business and let me create whatever I want to. And most of the times I wished I had reliable tailors who are going to reproduce exactly what I sketch. In the meantime, I am still learning, hoping to get there someday. On and all, the fashion industry is ruthless, and it should be not be a surprise to see someone like Zac Posen failing. Even Mademoiselle Chanel had her downs. The most important thing is to never give up and to get back out there. And I hope Zac Posen will get to do just that.