時尚界突發掀起設計師離職潮
If the luxury industry needed reminding of how fraught creative leadership can be at the world’s biggest fashion houses, Raf Simons’ departure from Christian Dior could not have been better timed.
奢侈品界若需要被提醒，擔任全球時尚巨擘創意總監有多麼壓力山大，那麼47歲的比利時設計師拉夫纏餶斯(Raf Simons)選擇此時從迪奧(Christian Dior)離職最能說明問題。
The announcement, late on Thursday, that the 47-year-old Belgian designer would not be renewing his contract as creative director of one of the most revered brands at Paris-based LVMH took the fashion world by surprise.
總部位於巴黎的時尚巨擘路威酩軒集團(LVMH)旗下品牌迪奧最近發佈公告：拉夫纏餶斯將不再與其續簽擔任創意總監的合同，這大出時尚界之意料。
His exit illustrates how precariously short creative director contracts have become, as well as how vulnerable a designer’s career can be: it comes just weeks after Alexander Wang left Balenciaga, the brand owned by LVMH’s Paris-based rival Kering, barely three years after joining.
西蒙斯的離職，除了說明設計師地位朝不保夕之外，還表明創意總監合同如今短到多麼不牢靠的地步：就在幾周前，王大仁(Alexander Wang)剛剛從加盟不到三年的巴黎世家(Balenciaga)離職，巴黎世家是路威酩軒同在巴黎的競爭對手開雲集團(Kering)的下屬品牌。
That followed Donna Karan’s departure from her eponymous LVMH-owned brand. In December, it was all change at Kering’s flagship Gucci when creative director Frida Giannini was ousted.
這兩人都步唐納慍灓(Donna Karan)之後塵，唐納慍灓鶉去了路威酩軒旗下自己同名品牌創意總監一職。去年12月，古馳(Gucci)創意總監弗裏達賈娜妮(Frida Giannini)遭罷黜，從而引發開雲集團旗下這家知名大品牌的大換血。
Appointed in 2012, Mr Simons arrived at Dior amid the chaos of John Galliano’s dismissal after the celebrated designer was filmed embarking on an alcohol-fuelled racist outburst in a Paris bar. Mr Galliano attributed the breakdown to the excessive demands of a role that found him working on up to 16 collections each year.
西蒙斯2012年出任迪奧創意總監，當時正逢其前任創意總監約翰加里亞諾(John Galliano)因在巴黎某酒吧酒後失態大放種族歧視厥詞而遭解聘、從而掀起軒然大波之際。加里亞諾把酒後失態歸咎於創意總監的超負荷工作強度，重壓之下，他每年必須推出的時裝系列多達16個。
The reasons for Mr Simons’ departure are still unclear, though he is known to return to his native Belgium often and is also in a new relationship, which LVMH insiders say is occupying his attention.
西蒙斯的辭職原因目前仍不得而知，儘管衆所周知，他時常回母國比利時，而且目前正在熱戀之中，路威酩軒內部人士說正是這段戀情讓他分心。
“It’s been a big shock. Raf’s a very balanced guy and he was doing such a great job. it’s a shame they couldn’t keep a hold of him there,” says one source.
“他的辭職猶如晴天霹靂。西蒙斯的工作有條不紊，業績也是無與倫比。迪奧挽留不住如此才俊，讓人惋惜不已，”某消息靈通人士如是評價道。
In a Dior statement, Mr Simons said the decision was “based entirely and equally on my desire to focus on other interests in my life, including my own brand and the passions that drive me outside my work”.
在迪奧的聲明中，西蒙斯說辭職決定“完全基於自己希望能專注於其它人生志趣，其中包括自己的同名品牌以及自己工作之外的其它愛好”。
His eponymous menswear line has won critical praise but the business is small, at least compared with the brand founded by Marc Jacobs, who in 2013 left Louis Vuitton as creative director to concentrate on his own collection.
他的同名男裝系列獲得業界好評，但銷售量很小（至少無法與馬克雅可布(Marc Jacobs)創建的同名品牌相提並論），馬克雅可布2013年辭去路易威登(Louis Vuitton)創意總監一職，轉而專注於自己的同名品牌。
As Luca Solca, luxury analyst at Exane BNP Paribas, says, “when we talk of his own business, there is not much of a business to talk about”. Moreover, Mr Simons’ contract, which expired in May, contained a comprehensive no-compete clause, ruling out any possibility of him joining a rival house.
法國巴黎銀行證券部(Exane BNP Paribas)奢侈品行業分析師盧卡∠爾卡(Luca Solca)說：“當我們談論西蒙斯的銷售量時，實際是不值一提”。另外，西蒙斯與迪奧簽訂的合同已於今年5月到期，其中就包括了全面的競業限制條款，因此也就排除了他加盟其它奢侈品同行的可能性。
Like his predecessor, however, Mr Simons has spoken of the pressure of designing collections in weekly intervals; a schedule he tried to ameliorate by charging two design teams with responsibility for alternating collections, but still found him creatively rushed.
但與前任一樣的是，西蒙斯談到了設計週期以周計所面臨的超常壓力；他曾通過讓兩個設計團隊交替負責不同系列的方法、設法改進這種太過密集的時間安排，即便如此，他仍是忙得不可開交。
His tenure was successful, a fact that will not be lost on the fashion house founded at Paris’s 30 Avenue Montaigne in 1946. In the three months to the end of September, revenues at Christian Dior Couture rose 5 per cent in organic terms to 471m. In its last fiscal year to the end of June, revenue was up 18 per cent in organic terms to ㄠ.77bn.
但他擔任創意總監這幾年成績喜人，也會永遠記刻在1946年創立於巴黎蒙田大道30號(30 Avenue Montaigne)的迪奧的歷史功勳簿上。在截至9月底的三個月中，迪奧女裝(Christian Dior Couture)營收4.71億歐元，有機增長率爲5%；迪奧上個財會年度（截至6月底）營收17.7億歐元，有機增長率達18%。
Organic growth at Dior Couture has far outpaced that of LVMH as a whole since Mr Simons’ arrival. But commercial success did not mean creative autonomy: Mr Simons lacked influence on any brand imagery beyond his contractual remit — a sticking point.
自西蒙斯執掌迪奧帥印後，迪奧女裝有機增長率遠超路威酩軒的整體增速。但業績大獲成功並不意味着獲得設計的自主性：除了合約規定內容外，西蒙斯對所有品牌形象無法施加影響——這正是關鍵癥結所在。
Contrast that with the freedom afforded to Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent. As the label’s creative director, he has absolute creative autonomy over fashion lines, shop design, website and brand campaign images. He has been hailed as the brand’s saviour since Kering appointed him in 2012.
這與聖圠燦(Saint Laurent)創意總監艾迪斯理曼(Hedi Slimane)擁有的自主權完全不可同日而語。作爲創意總監，艾迪對時裝系列設計、門店與網站設計以及品牌宣傳片擁有絕對自主權。2012年被開雲任命爲創意總監後，他被譽爲品牌的大救星。
Similarly with Alessandro Michele, creative director at Gucci, who was appointed in January and has enjoyed free rein to express his “vision” across the brand.
亞歷山德羅猠歇爾(Alessandro Michele)同樣如此，自今年1月接任古馳創意總監後，他的設計理念在整個品牌公司內部暢通無阻。
Against that backdrop, Dior will probably to have to make concessions regarding creative control if it wants to attract the same calibre of “named” designer.
在當前這種大背景下，迪奧若要吸引同等級別的設計大腕加盟，也許就得對創意自主權有所放權。
One LVMH insider suggests the group is not necessarily in a hurry to appoint a successor and points out that it was almost a year before Mr Simons appeared to calm the storm created by Mr Galliano’s tirade.
路威酩軒某內部人士暗示集團並不急於聘請繼任創意總監，並指出西蒙斯似乎花了近一年時間才平息由加里亞諾種族大論引發的軒然大波。
Moreover, Mr Solca argues that finding the right person to bring fresh ideas without destroying a brand’s DNA is one of the hardest challenges facing the luxury industry. “It’s probably more art and psychology than science,” he says.
此外，索爾卡認爲找到合適的繼任者——在保持品牌原有時尚風格的前提下注入全新理念——一直是奢侈品行業面臨的最棘手挑戰。“創意總監的藝術風格與心理狀態比其專業知識更爲重要，”他說道。
Even so, Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy must be an obvious frontrunner. The designer just celebrated his 10th anniversary at the LVMH-owned house with a New York spectacle, though in a Financial Times interview last month said he had no plans to move elsewhere. J圠 Anderson, who was appointed creative head of Loewe in 2014, is another member of the LVMH stable who could be in the running.
雖然如此，路威酩軒旗下另一知名品牌紀梵希(Givenchy)的創意總監裏卡爾多舠希(Riccardo Tisci)是顯而易見的候選對象。他剛在紐約舉辦自己的時裝展，以此來慶祝自己擔任紀梵希創意總監10週年，儘管上月接受英國《金融時報》的訪談時，他說自己只想呆在紐約，無意前往別處。2014年出任羅意威(Loewe)創意總監的J∠圠褠德森(JW Anderson)也是路威酩軒的麾下大將，可能脫穎而出接任迪奧創意總監。
Phoebe Philo is almost certain to be in the mix. The 41-year-old British designer was appointed creative head and board member of LVMH-owned Céline in 2008, where she has transformed the label into one of the most influential and desirable modern luxury houses of recent years.
英國設計師菲比菲羅(Phoebe Philo)幾乎肯定也是其中一個候選對象。41歲的她2008年出任路威酩軒旗下Céline創意總監兼董事，她把Céline成功打造成近幾年中最具影響力以及最受歡迎的現代奢侈品牌之一。
Were she to get the job, she would be the first woman in the role since the house’s foundation.
如果她接任迪奧創意總監，將成爲迪奧有史以來首位女掌門。
Moreover, her most recent show, for SS16, with its nipped waist jackets, fit-and-flare summer coats and modest, shapely silhouettes, suggested a quiet affinity with Christian Dior’s postwar New Look.
此外，她最新推出的2016年春夏時裝展上的掐腰夾克、修身大擺夏季外套和曲線優雅的裙裝，與迪奧戰後一直推行的“新風貌”(New Look)時尚風格可以說異曲同工。
Was that merely coincidence or a perfectly positioned CV? All Dior is saying is: “no comment”.
這一切僅僅只是巧合、還是一份絕佳的履歷？迪奧對此的全部迴應只是“不予置評”。
