Rebirth of the Fashion King

Virginia Wiard watched Li Xun's retreating figure, smiling and shaking her head.

This child is good in every way, except that he doesn't fall for tricks at all. She really hopes that Li Xun can be a little more "arrogant and domineering" so that she will have less to deal with the old man's firepower.

Many Chanel employees know that Karl Lagerfeld was particularly pleased with his two students, Virginie Villede and Li Xun, but he particularly "disliked" their low-key personalities, which were completely at odds with his own.

Everyone in Paris knows that Karl Lagerfeld is the king of internet fame!

He was very puzzled. Why were the disciples he taught so "dead"? One would be one thing, but two of them were like this.

Virginie has now completely internalized Chanel's language, but she has always deliberately kept a low profile, rarely giving interviews and almost never appearing after the show. The media often refers to her as "the most powerful invisible person in the fashion world".

As for Li Xun, he was even more low-key. After coming from Central Saint Martins, he plunged into the workshop and absorbed knowledge like a sponge.

Media interviews? I've never been.

Virginie avoids cameras like the plague, yet she still gives interviews from time to time.

Li Xun seemed to have disappeared after graduation. If it weren't for the Himalaya series and the fact that many people knew that the Buddha had taken on a new disciple, he would have been forgotten long ago.

This contrasting behavior and style of doing things has puzzled many people in the industry. Shouldn't young people enjoy the feeling of being in the spotlight?

……

Fashion.

This is a very broad topic.

Fashion is much more than just clothing; it is a collection of tastes, styles, ideas, and behaviors that are widely accepted and imitated by a certain group within a specific period.

Sociologist Georg Simmel believed that fashion originated from the elite class using unique styles to distinguish themselves, which the masses imitated in order to gain recognition, and then the elites abandoned the old styles in search of new symbols.

This is a never-ending "battle for status," spreading from top to bottom, and the "drop theory" still applies to some extent today.

  

What we wear and use is the most direct visual language to show the world "who I am," and can mark social class, profession, subculture, gender identity, belief, and even political stance.

……

In simple terms, fashion is a mirror that reflects the economic, political, and cultural changes of the times. It is an industry, an art, and a silent language through which each person communicates with the world.

There are many reasons why Li Xun chose to plunge into this industry. He likes to design clothes that make people's eyes light up. The feeling of creating perfect works and gaining everyone's recognition is wonderful.

There are four major fashion cities in the world: Milan, London, New York, and Paris.

Among these fashionable cities, Paris is undoubtedly the king.

It is the only city that has made fashion a national strategy, a legal system, and a complete ecosystem; it can be said to be the world's fashion center.

As early as the 17th century, King Louis XIV of France regarded fashion as a tool to demonstrate national power.

He vigorously supported Lyon's silk industry and promoted the luxury goods trade, making the French court a fashion trendsetter for all of Europe. This "fashion = power" mentality is the unique characteristic of Paris.

In the 19th century, Charles Worth, the "father of haute couture," opened the first haute couture fashion house in Paris, transforming fashion from a tailoring craft into an art form.

Today, "haute couture" is a legally protected title in France, and only brands recognized by the French Ministry of Industry can use it.

These stringent standards have made Paris the ultimate temple of craftsmanship in the fashion world.

These fashion cities host fashion weeks every year, but Paris is the only one that truly covers the entire range of haute couture and ready-to-wear for men and women.

As the closing event of each season, it determines the global trends for the next season. The trends released here every year are quickly translated into commercial reality through a complete network of buyers, media, and supply chains.

Most importantly, Paris is home to the headquarters of the world’s two largest luxury goods giants, LVMH and Kering, and directly controls the heart of top brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Yves Saint Laurent.

Chanel and Hermès are also headquartered in Paris.

This place has also given birth to countless top designers—the older generation like Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Christian Dior…

Paul Gaultier, the playful old man of the middle generation; John Ganigno, the pirate king…

From designers and workshops to decision-makers, everyone gathers here, creating an irreplaceable industrial siphon effect.

These are the key reasons why Li Xun appeared in Paris but not in the other three fashion cities.

Fashion designers, what doesn't dream of Paris?

However, in this industry, talent and hard work alone may not be enough; opportunity is extremely important.

Typically, the path for fashion design graduates is: doing internships, working as assistants, drawing countless illustrations for seasons with little chance of recognition, and honing their skills for years in fast fashion or niche designer brands before they may have the opportunity to work with top luxury brands.

Li Xun skipped the middle level and went straight to Chanel, which was at the top of the pyramid.

More importantly, he wasn't recruited as an ordinary cog in the machine, but rather valued by Karl Lagerfeld himself.

This means that Li Xun is not adapting to a set of ordinary systems, but directly entering the core circle of its creative brain. This is almost equivalent to a basketball rookie with some talent being directly selected by Phil Jackson and Jordan to join the peak Bulls team and even play in high-level games. The starting point is the end point.

Karl Lagerfeld was not only the artistic director of Chanel, but also the last all-around "Kaiser" in the fashion world.

With him as a backer, damn it, as long as you're not an idiot, you can't stop him.

Chanel's Lesage embroidery workshop, Lemarié feather workshop, Massaro shoe workshop... these exquisite crafts are no longer distant "heritage" in Li Xun's eyes, but tools that he can use every day, just like he can use the world's finest ingredients to practice cooking.

Even so, without "borrowing" from others, Li Xun feels that he is still quite far from being a top designer.

He could already appreciate the significance of Yves Saint Laurent's success as Dior's artistic director at around 21 years old. After leaving Dior, Saint Laurent successfully established his own brand, designing iconic pieces such as the smoking suit and Mondrian dress, and incidentally snatched away Karl Lagerfeld's partner, Jacques de Bacher.

That's right, both Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent liked men.

Stories between men are all too common in Paris, no, in the entire fashion world: Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent, John Gangnano, Armani (bisexual), Versace, Alexander McQueen…

Li Xun went out with Karl Lagerfeld to attend banquets and parties to broaden his horizons. Lagerfeld taught him: As a Chanel designer, you must first understand your clients. There are no more than 500 people in the world who are qualified and have the channels to purchase Chanel haute couture. Their pursuit of fashion is completely different from that of others.

That's why the Empress Dowager wanted to broaden Li Xun's horizons; people often can't imagine things they haven't seen.

Li Xun learned a lot and benefited greatly from the gathering.

But it was one thing for women to be interested in him, but it was another for men to be interested in him too, quite a few of them, which made him want to stay as far away from them as possible afterward.