Galliano’s Two-Year Partnership With Zara and What It Really Means for Fashion
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Galliano's 10-year tenure as creative director of Maison Margiela ended with his final Artisanal couture show back in January 2024, which went viral. There was much speculation about Galliano's next move. The expectations were high. The news of his return as a designer of seasonal collections for Zara during an upcoming two-year partnership came as a shocking surprise and divided the internet.
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John Galliano, Gazette Panties, S, International, Never worn (with tag), Multicolour, Cotton / Elasthane, 80€
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Zara's long-standing pivotal partnership with artistic director Fabien Baron who has defined Zara's visual aesthetic across all channels for years and paved the way for Zara's rise has paid off. The campaigns they produced and Zara's e-commerce content are of high calibre, realized by the industry's best talent, from photographers to models. Zara understood early on the power of visual image-making. That's where its budgets go: spent on talent and image, not on fabrics, design, product, or sustainability. None of these matter to Zara as much as the image does. Zara's high-fashion visual content and its strategy of copying the hottest designer trends paid off and contributed to its widespread success. Even the industry's favorite stylist Lotta Volkova had a short collaboration stint with Zara. Do you remember the Zara x Barbie collection campaign and lookbook images photographed by Marili Andre and styled by Lotta, which featured models Adit Priscilla and Evie Harris? Then think of Bad Bunny wearing Zara during his recent Super Bowl performance. Now Galliano is tapped to design for Zara. This is a strategy that ties Zara's name to music and cultural moments — Bad Bunny — and now to high fashion and fashion history — Galliano. Ethically speaking, it raises serious questions! It signals a shift in perception. So the tide has turned, and a fast-fashion brand is making its way into a space that was usually reserved for high-fashion brands. It's worth noting that H&M has been doing the same with its designer collaborations for years, the last notable one being with Glenn Martens and so has COS, which has staged fashion shows since 2024.
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John Galliano, Denim Print Jacket, S, International, Very good condition, Black/ Pink, Denim, 137,20€
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I have always wondered why leading designers and photographers would collaborate with a fast-fashion brand when they technically have better options. There is of course the economic pressure that everyone feels. Zara is known for cutting big cheques. And as for values and ethics, these have been long blurred in an industry that has historically thrived on unethical practices and hypocrisy. Few truly “walk the talk”. Interestingly, I have recently noticed a shift in my own fashion circles: a genuine enthusiasm about working with Zara. Some good photographers are keen to shoot for the brand, because everyone knows they pay well and produce great content. This is exactly the trajectory that Zara's savvy marketing wants the narrative to follow. It has already managed to shift how the public and now industry professionals perceive the brand. By consistently working with top-tier talent, and now Galliano, Zara is engaging in what could be described as a form of luxury-washing - redirecting attention away from what it fundamentally is: a fast-fashion brand that pollutes the planet and produces products under poor working conditions.
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John Galliano, Gazette Bag, Onesize, International, Good condition, Black/ White, Cloth, 276€
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But here is the catch. At a time when luxury brands like Loro Piana, Dior, and others are increasingly scrutinized for producing high-priced goods under precarious and often unethical conditions, it is easier than ever for Zara to continue building an empire and recalibrating its image. Because ultimately, the question is: do luxury brands that have been long associated with craftsmanship and quality actually do better? And in many cases, the answer is sadly no. And yet, it still boggles my mind why a designer like Galliano who has been creative director at houses such as Givenchy, Dior, and Maison Margiela would enter into a partnership with a fast-fashion brand. There’s no real logic to it other than money, no way to frame it more positively, but people make their own choices. That being said, I don’t buy into the arguments of the so-called democratization of fashion and the excitement of buying Galliano pieces at affordable prices. Zara clothes will always be Zara clothes in terms of quality and production, no matter who designed them. I think people are better off buying vintage and second hand Galliano pieces rather than being enticed into buying clothes that are ultimately destined for a land fill.
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John Galliano, Gazette Pumps, 41, International, Never worn (with tag), Multicolour, Silk / Leather, Sold at 570€
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