Ghesquière settles out of court with Balenciaga.

Hello my stylish readers, remember when I brought you the story of Nicolas Ghesquiere and his court case with his former employers for 17 years, Balenciaga. Well, today was scheduled to be the date that the court came to a decision on the case, but the president of the Tribunal de Grande Instance suggested that the parties instead try to resolve the dispute between themselves – and both have agreed.

Hugo Lévy, lawyer at Thierry Lévy & Associés, counsel for Balenciaga, toldWWD that the attempt at mediation does not represent “any change in Balenciaga’s first claim”. The Paris-based house is seeking damages of €7 million from Ghesquière due to “damaging” comments it claims the designer made in an interview some time back.

Ghesquière, now artistic director of women’s collections at Louis Vuitton, said that he felt that he was being “sucked dry” at Balenciaga, and that he felt that “they wanted to steal my identity while trying to homogenize things”. The designer’s legal team has asserted in court papers that his comments were not an attack on Balenciaga specifically, but rather the fashion industry in general.

He reinvigorated and regenerated the label during a critically acclaimed 17-year tenure – and held a 10 per cent stake in the label at the time of his departure, which has now been purchased by Balenciaga.

I would like to see how an out of court settlement will deal with Balenciaga’s bruised ego but then again, there are always ways to soothe such hurts…

 

Molekor.

 

 

 

 

 

Vogue.co.uk

 

Balenciaga Charges Nicholas Ghesquiére to Court for Comments.

‘ “There wasn’t really any direction. I think with Karl [at Chanel] and Miuccia [Prada], you can feel that it’s the creative people who have the power. It was around that time that I heard people saying, ‘Your style is so Balenciaga now, it’s no longer Nicolas Ghesquière,It all became so dehumanized. I began to feel as though I was being sucked dry, like they wanted to steal my identity while trying to homogenise things. It just wasn’t fulfilling anymore.” These were Ghesquiére’s comments in an interview with the System Magazine about leaving the fashion house he had led for 15 years.

Nicholas
Ghesquiere

A little history for your understanding; Nicolas Ghesquiére is a 43-year-old fashion designer who began his career interning for designer Jean Paul Gaultier soon after he left school. He joined Balenciaga in 1995 as a licensed product designer and in 1997 he replaced Joseph Thimister as Creative Director. His creations helped to sell the brand well as stores like the Paris flagship store was unable to meet demands of customers but through it all he preferred to give all the credit to his work and creativity and not himself. 15 years later, on November 2012 it was announced he was to leave as creative director of the Balenciaga house and a year after that, November 2013, was announced as artistic director of luxury brand Louis Vuitton to replace designer Marc Jacobs, who announced he was retiring from the same position.

So anyway, Ghesquiére granted this interview, his first after leaving Balenciaga, claims “I never had a partner, and I ended up feeling too alone,” he said “I had a marvelous studio and design team who were close to me, but it started becoming a bureaucracy and gradually becoming more corporate – until it was no longer even linked to fashion. It the end, it felt as though they just wanted to be like any other house.” “I just said to myself, ‘Okay, well you have to leave, you have to cut the cord.’ But I didn’t say anything to anyone, apart from to a few very close people, because, you know, I’ve become pretty good at standing on my own two feet,” “Over the last two or three years it became one frustration after another. It was really that lack of culture which bothered me in the end. The strongest pieces that we made for the catwalk got ignored by the business people.”Ultimately, I felt okay in the end because it seemed very dignified. I haven’t expressed myself up until now, but I would like to say thank you to everyone, I really am grateful,” he said. “Whatever choice I make [now], the possibilities are open, and that was confirmed with the freeing of my name from Balenciaga. I’m regenerating again, and that’s very exciting because it’s a feeling I haven’t had since I was in my twenties.”

Ghesquiére for Balenciaga SS 2013. His last show for the fashion house.

Nicholas for Balenciaga SS 2013

 

After he resigned, he went on a ‘spiritual’ trip to Japan after which he landed the coveted place with Louis Vuitton.

Balenciaga didn’t take his interview kindly as they claimed his interview was damaging to the brand. He was called to court to defend his stand and argues that there is no proof that Balenciaga has been harmed by his words. Laval his lawyer said that his client was referring to the “characteristic of the designer that gets lost in creation,” and cited the “flourishing accounts of Balenciaga” as evidence that it has not been affected.

Here are his designs for his first outing at the Autumn/Winter 2014-15 Louis Vuitton show:

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I applaud Ghesquiére for being honest with himself and doing what needed to be done to enhance his career and to protect his persona l and creative well-being. I wonder how many other designers are being crushed under the weight of large fashion houses like this who are unable to make this bold move for themselves?

The court has set a verdict for August 27, The Fashion Law reports, if the parties do not reach a settlement prior to that date.

 

Molekor

 

 

Photos: Vogue.co.uk