Ann Demeulemeester. RTW Fall 2021.

 

(Images:  Ann Demeulemeester 2021)

“Tis strange - but true; for Truth is always strange,Stranger than Fiction” George Gordon Byron"

There is, in someways, a Byronic tragedy or more appropriately a poetic irony to Sébastien Meunier leaving Ann Demeulemeester in July 2020.  I had being reviewing his shows since he was given the reigns from the Gothic Belgium creative Ann Demeulemeester who retired from the industry in 2013, leaving her signature brand in the competent hands of  Meunier who gently reworked the styles into a cross section of bohemian romanticism and Ann Demeulemeester's goth inclinations.  In what could be deemed now in its reflection of a cold irony, that fashion at the end of the day is a business and what could be cast into its poetic impression, to which Meunier on many occasions had credited the great romantic poets, are fleeting moments.

Yet, there is another indicator in all of this shifting of sentiment within the fashion industry, with the Ann Demeulemeester brand being one of the last major independent labels left, it was recently acquired by Claudio Antonioli of the retailer Antonioli fame which he started in 1987, Milan, Italy.  Which has since morphed into the well known online retailer Antonioli.eu promoting high end luxury brands.  In 2015 Antonioli founded the New Guards Group holding the distribution and production rights for labels such as Off-White and Palm Angels, with the company later being sold to the British/Portuguese online clothing distributer giant Farfetch to which Antonioli has stayed on as the New Guards Group CEO.   The fear, whether it prompted Meunier to leave after only 7 years, is of the brand being restructured or reconfiguring the original Ann Demeulemeester designs.  More specifically it could be wiping away the history of Meunier's later take on the label, which could have been a crushing blow to all of his effort and sincerity of the many seasonal designs under his name.  

With the brand in a artistic limbo without a creative director, Claudio Antonioli's acquisition of Ann Demeulemeester was to “preserve and protect” the brand rather than revamp it, however with Ann Demeulemeester herself signing off a stamp-of-approval for Antonioli in September 2020 after Meunier stepped down, although subtle at this point in time, his re-visioning of her iconic fashion house with a newer dynamic could actually be set to rediscover her original designs.  To be ordained  for a broader appeal.  As seen with the March 2021 collection showcasing a mix of Ann Demeulemeester's 1990s styles overlaid with newer pieces in homage, with what Antonioli has described as a “ghost team” that had put together a collection of past resonation.  Which in all of its retrospection could be testing the viability and interest in commercializing three decades of Ann Demeulemeester styles – of course, devoid of Meunier's imprint.

There is not such thing as a nostalgic charity in fashion and since Farfetch, the company that owns and pays an income to New Guards Group and its CEO, is also a public listed company on the New York stock exchange.  So, I can't see a financial outlay to refresh the Ann Demeulemeester brand as a expression of "love", as Antonioli has prescribed, unless there is a commercial viability to it all.

Only time will tell.