Opinion | Style Check: big things expected as designer Chalayan joins Vionnet
Such is the popularity of avant-garde designer Hussein Chalayan among fashion editors that the announcement last week he'd been appointed as Vionnet's new creative director of demi-couture sent ripples through the industry.
Chalayan is often cited for his conceptual prowess, design sophistication and individualism. Combine that with a brand that has a distinctive identity, and the results of the collaboration will be interesting.
Chalayan is one of the most creative and provocative designers
The talented designer's previous work with Puma yielded some ingenious sportswear, but his own ready-to-wear label, that has featured avant-garde, one-off pieces on the catwalk, is obviously closer to what Vionnet is looking for.
Chalayan says he is "thrilled and honoured" to take on the position at a house with "unparalleled heritage".
The French demi-couture brand was founded in 1912 by Madeleine Vionnet, who introduced the bias cut dress and spearheaded a generation of easy to wear, corset-less dressing for European women in the 1920s and '30s.
That pioneering attitude and sense of elegance, as well as modern draping and clean sensuality, is something Chalayan can relate to. His spring-summer 2014 collection was a mash-up of divine classicism in the construction of the gowns, and subtle modernity.
How will one of fashion's most independent characters interpret a label loaded with history?