Rebirth of the Fashion King

"Rhine (Li Xun's English name), coffee."

Behind him came Ms. Virginie's voice. Li Xun turned around and saw the director of Chanel's creative studio standing in front of the workbench, holding a sketch in her hand, her brows slightly furrowed.

Virginie Viard, 47 years old, from Lyon, France.

She joined Chanel as an embroidery intern in 1987 and was appointed director of the fashion design studio by Karl Lagerfeld in 1997.

In 2000, his authority was expanded to creative studio director, overseeing the implementation of visuals for ready-to-wear, haute couture, accessories, and even some cosmetics.

She was Karl Lagerfeld's most trusted right-hand woman, and now she manages almost all of Chanel's daily operations.

Ms. Virginie wore a simple black cashmere cardigan over a white shirt, her hair was simply pulled back, she wore no makeup, and her face showed the faint signs of fatigue from staying up all night.

But those eyes were bright and piercing.

Li Xun walked over and placed the prepared coffee beside her. It was black coffee, without sugar, and at the perfect temperature. This was Virginia's habit, and Li Xun had never made a mistake in four years.

"Has Mr. Karl seen the sketches for the 2010 early spring collection?" Virginie Viard asked without looking up.

"I delivered it yesterday afternoon," Li Xun replied.

"Mr. Carl said the silhouette needed further adjustments, especially the shoulder line of that tweed jacket, which he felt was too stiff."

Virginia frowned and drew a line on the sketch with her pen: "He's never satisfied with the shoulder line."

Despite saying that, there was no hint of dissatisfaction in his tone, only a sense of familiarity and tacit understanding from working together for many years.

Li Xun looked at the scattered sketches on the worktable.

The 2010 Cruise Collection is one of Chanel's most important collections each year. This year's event was held in Saint-Tropez. Under the shadow of the financial crisis, all brands were cutting back on spending, but Chanel decided to proceed as planned. This is a symbol of the brand's strength; the more critical the moment, the less it can show weakness.

The studio was quiet except for the occasional clicking of sewing machines and the rustling of scissors cutting fabric. More than twenty designers and assistants were working diligently, and the air was filled with the mixed smells of fabric, ink, and coffee.

This is the daily life at 31 Cambon Street.

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To outsiders, this place is a temple of fashion, a place that countless designers dream of.

But only those who actually work here know that behind the glamour lies endless overtime, extremely demanding standards, and meticulousness that allows no room for error.

A haute couture gown requires hundreds of hours of hand sewing, with every stitch and thread adhering to strict standards.

Karl Lagerfeld's attention to detail was almost obsessive; he would remove and redo even the slightest imperfection in the stitching.

When Li Xun first arrived, he was not meticulous enough and made a mistake in sewing the lining of a jacket. As a result, he was severely criticized by Virginia. He then took it apart and sewed it again, and took it apart again, repeating this process three times until 11 p.m. before it was finally approved.

Since then, he has never made a similar small mistake again.

"Oh, right," Virginia suddenly looked up.

"You know about Lacroix, right?"

Li Xun nodded.

Christian Lacroix is ​​preparing to file for bankruptcy in court.

This news was like a small bomb, exploding throughout the Paris fashion world.

Christian Lacroix, a legend in haute couture, is world-renowned for his magnificent court-style gowns, which were once the dream of many. In 2005, he was sold by LVMH to the US duty-free retailer Falic, but ultimately could not survive the financial crisis.

Christian Lacroix runway photos

The entire industry is trembling.

LVMH Group's stock price fell, Richemont Group's stock price fell, PPR Group's stock price plummeted, Versace closed its stores in Japan, Prada and Chanel announced layoffs of more than 200 people in the Paris region alone, and Gucci's YSL and Alexander McQueen closed stores in the Russian and Japanese markets.

Winter is a long time.

"I had dinner with Bruno yesterday, and he said that at least three brands will be withdrawing from this year's Haute Couture Week." Virginie's voice was very low.

"Lacroix is ​​the first, but he will definitely not be the last."

Bruno Pavlovski, President of Chanel Global Fashion Division.

Li Xun remained silent, knowing what was about to happen. 2009 would be the coldest year in the history of haute couture; many brands would disappear, many designers would change careers, and the entire industry would undergo a reshuffle.

But he also knew that opportunities always lie hidden within crises.

Brands that survive this crisis will experience explosive growth over the next decade, and Chanel will be one of the biggest winners.

"What did Mr. Carl say?" Li Xun asked.

"Karl?" Virginia smiled.

He said that crises are the best filter, weeding out those who are mediocre. True fashion with substance will never die.

That's exactly what Karl Lagerfeld would say.

Karl Lagerfeld had weathered countless ups and downs in the fashion world, including the oil crisis of the 1970s, the bubble economy of the 1980s, and the dot-com bubble of the 1990s. In his view, this financial crisis was just another test.

Virginia glanced at her watch. "Mr. Karl will be here at three o'clock this afternoon. Please prepare the models' information, and also give him your review of the preliminary plan for the Shanghai Handmade Collection. Finally, we'll discuss the Chinese guests for this Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture show."

"Chinese guests? Didn't you already decide?"

Virginia gave Li Xun a meaningful look, then smiled and shook her head, saying, "Rhine, you're Chinese, but you don't seem to support our choice of Zhou very much."

Li Xun quickly shook his head.

"Don't talk nonsense. When did I ever say I didn't support it? I just didn't know..."

"You have a bad habit when you lie: your eyes will unconsciously wander."

Li Xun simply shrugged.

"Okay, I admit I lied. I don't actually have any problem with Zhou. She's an award-winning actress, and her acting skills have been recognized by many people. But her fashion influence... maybe I'm being too demanding? I really can't feel it."

"Mr. Carl said Zhou has an elfin quality, so he might choose her as the brand ambassador for the China region. What do you think?"

After speaking, Virginie Viard looked at Li Xun with great interest, waiting for his reaction.

"I'm just a nobody. You guys can decide this. My opinion doesn't matter."

"No," she shook her finger.

"Your opinion is very important. You don't think Mr. Carl would choose to disregard your views because of a celebrity, do you? Rhine, you and I are both students recognized and personally taught by Mr. Carl... You are simply super..."

Li Xun quickly made a pause gesture.

"Stop, stop, stop! I'm sick of hearing that. Don't try to pull this on me. I'm not buying it."