This article is part of our new editorial package, where we seek to answer the question: what would fashion look like if more women were in charge? Click here to read more.
We all know the story: Jane Birkin sat next to Jean-Louis Dumas, then executive chairman of Hermès, on a flight from Paris to London. Her belongings fell out of her bag; Dumas said she needed a bag with pockets. Birkin replied: “The day Hermès makes one with pockets, I will have that.”
Four decades on, women still need more pockets, in bags and in clothing. And more room — both in the clothes they wear and at the top of the companies that make them. When a brand’s poor product fit or draping goes viral, people are quick to comment: “a man definitely designed that”. By and large, they end up being right.
Men have taken many of the top designer vacancies in the past several years, though notable exceptions give us hope. On 30 May, Calvin Klein Collection appointed Veronica Leoni into the top job, making her the brand’s first female creative director. Raf Simons previously headed up the brand’s ready-to-wear, before departing in 2018.
With so much focus on why it has taken so long to get more women into these positions — and why there are still so few — a different question has gone under-explored: if more women were to design more collections, what would that actually look like?
“There is a dearth of clothes that real women can wear,” says Lisa Armstrong, head of fashion at The Telegraph.
When Hedi Slimane replaced Phoebe Philo at the helm of Celine in 2018, many were up in arms about the brand’s stark transition from chic, arty, wearable minimalism to ostentatious, skimpy — some said rakish — pieces that excluded many women from participating.
When we do see female designs on the runway, the result is much different. In February, Chemena Kamali’s Chloé debut offered a fresh take: wearable, flowy, cool clothing along with comfortable shoes and roomy-but-realistic bags. It was met with a strong response, says Ida Petersson, co-founder of brand creative agency Good Eggs and former Browns buying director — particularly when compared to the other debuts of this year. For Armstrong, a recent highlight was Maria Grazia Chiuri’s latest cruise collection for Dior; it put forth a modern take on Mary, Queen of Scots but, when broken down, consisted of wearable pieces.
And don’t forget the independent designers presenting their takes on women-for-women dressing outside of major houses, like Martine Rose, Diotima’s Rachel Scott and Attersee’s Isabel Wilkinson Schor. When Grace Wales Bonner launched womenswear in 2018 — her men’s pieces adapted for women “via careful feminine twists and softer silhouettes” (per the Matchesfashion announcement) — women rejoiced. (They’d been wearing the men’s pieces anyway.) Simone Rocha’s SS22 collection included an embellished maternity bra, informed by Rocha’s own experience of motherhood. Kallmeyer was founded on the premise that there was no good, accessible suiting and shirting for women who didn’t wish to wear peplums or diamanté buttons and ruffles, as designer Daniella Kallmeyer told The New York Times in February.
The outputs of these designers are not monolithic — though there is a common thread of wearability — and that’s the point. We need that subjectivity and lived experience to have clothes that work for women. “The intersectional value of women’s experiences, considering factors like race, class and sexuality, brings invaluable insights into designing for a multifaceted consumer base, ultimately enriching the industry’s approach to fashion,” says Felita Harris, brand consultant and executive director of non-profit designer incubator Raisefashion.
This extends not just to the products produced, but the process that goes into creating the garments — designers that put sustainability at the forefront are usually women. “I do think we take a more holistic approach to our thinking and our doing than men,” Gabriela Hearst, founder of her eponymous label and former creative director at Chloé, told Vogue Business in March. “I’m not going to say that men are not empathetic, but there’s something about us; it’s really long-term viewing, and maternal thinking in a way. Even if you’re not a mother, it’s just the way we think — in future generations.”
As yet, this perspective is lacking. “You look around, and it’s like, why is everybody thin and everybody white?” asks Jeanie Annan-Lewin, consultant and creative director of Perfect magazine. It doesn’t make sense, she says, when you consider the demographics in a position to purchase clothes at these price points: they’re not all white, they’re not all size 0, and they’re certainly not all under 25-odd years old. “At a time when we’re all so scared about money and recession, wouldn’t it be better to open the market up to people with the funds [to spend]?” It points to the need for change beyond creative directors. Female CEOs are in short supply, and, experts point out, many of the top stylists and photographers are men too.
To facilitate change, inclusivity and diversity need to be a priority at all levels, Harris says. “This means implementing policies that promote equitable opportunities for women from varied backgrounds and ensuring they have access to mentorship and leadership development programmes.” Once there, the industry needs to invest in creating safe and supporting environments for these women to thrive once there.
Women weigh in
So, if more women from varied backgrounds were designing more collections, what would improve, visually and practically?
The trends wouldn’t necessarily change that much, experts agree. But there’d be more nuance; subtle differences to make clothes more wearable. “This season was all about sheer and sexy,” Annan-Lewin says. “You’d still have loads of that, but someone would think, ‘Oh, it’d be nice to see that on a slightly different body.’ Or maybe, ‘It’d be nice to see that bit of a curve?’ Or ‘What does that look like if someone’s got a bit more of a bum or less of a bum?’” Case in point: Kamali’s Chloé embraced sheer fabrics, though models sported boxer briefs — not G-strings — under the see-through dresses. The models were all straight size, though.
The sensibilities of women designers generally come through in buying appointments. “When you have a female designer walking you through a collection, we’ll be talking a lot more about the constructions and considering movement — or just the fact that most of us don’t look like the showroom model,” Petersson says.
It’s what consumers want. Philo’s Celine, along with Chloé and The Row, are all still bestsellers, according to Clare Richardson, stylist and owner of pre-loved fashion company Reluxe. “They fly off the shelves,” she adds.
So why not help women make more? We asked industry women — who don’t just wear, but work with clothes, day in, day out — what they think they’d be wearing (and spending on), if more women were at the helm of major fashion brands.
Lisa Armstrong (The Telegraph): Everyone needs a white shirt, we say; this is one of the five basics of your perfect wardrobe. But a button-down shirt doesn’t suit everyone the same. You need a certain face shape, neckline, bust — so we need options. The shirt has been really fashionable for the past two or three years. Give us some options. Give us some choices in the shapes.
Jeanie Annan-Lewin (Perfect Magazine): You’d see a bit more variety. Everything we see at the moment is from the male gaze. Although those clothes are beautiful, it’s the same silhouette over and over again. We’re just reinforcing the same message: there’s only one way of being a woman, and there’s only one way of representing yourself. That feels a bit tiresome in this day and age.
Felita Harris (Raisefashion): There would be more inclusivity in fit and sizing, truly catering to the diverse body shapes and sizes of consumers.
Armstrong: There’s a lot around body positivity, but sometimes people can’t find the clothes. They can’t find them in their size and they can’t find the right proportions.
Petersson (Good Eggs): Even when a designer is inclusive in sizing, it’s not so clearly represented — especially online. Women want to know: ‘How is it gonna look if I’m a size 20? How is it gonna look if I’m a size 14? How is it gonna look if I’m a size 6?’ Because that’s the reality of what we all look like. I think that’s why Good American does such a good job with this — there are two very strong women behind the concept.
Armstrong: Most clothes don’t accommodate women with boobs. The majority of women have boobs. If you can’t wear a bra, or it’s cut badly or just not the right fabric — it surprises me.
Petersson: There’d be that consideration of shape. Houses tend to use a one-size-fits-all formula for cutting and so on; they don’t always consider that we have boobs.
Harris: Functionality would be a key focus. Designs would include practical elements like nursing-friendly options.
Annan-Lewin: Better footwear. Footwear tends to be a bit impractical and really painful. I remember a Saint Laurent show when the heels were so high it took [the models] ages to walk around the stage. I couldn’t deal with it. I couldn’t look!
Petersson: When a woman designs for a woman, there is more consideration about the heel height; how comfortable it is. Someone who’s incredibly successful in this is Amina Muaddi — that flared heel is the only one my friends and I will wear for 15 hours. And instead of making the heel 100mm, she makes it 95mm. I don’t know the science behind it, but I’m sure she does. That half a centimetre randomly makes such a big difference. We want to look great, but we need to be able to do that without crying, or injecting botox into our feet.
Richardson: They’d have a certain cut and fabrication — a certain softness to them. There was a shoot I was doing and I was styling these girls in pieces by a male designer, who I love, but they were so slim and could barely get into them. And the fabrics were so stiff.
Harris: Comfort would be balanced with style, utilising softer fabrics and ergonomic fits.
Petersson: When you go through a month, the reality is that we tend to bloat at certain times. There’s also that comfort factor.
Armstrong: People want to be fashionable, but not everybody wants a fashion statement. They just want clothes that fit; clothes that are flattering.
Will it happen?
Now that Virginie Viard is out at Chanel, there are three major openings at fashion houses: Chanel, Givenchy and Dries Van Noten. Most of the names circulating as top contenders are men. Here’s hoping even one of these spots might go to a woman: perhaps then we’d have more room for these ideas to come to life.
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