Women designers: conspicuously absent from fashion’s talent market

This week’s appointment of Maria Grazia Chiuri at the helm of Fendi does not change the picture: despite their historic role in the fashion industry, women remain largely excluded from creative roles.

Reflecting an unprecedented reshuffle among artistic directors, the September and October Fashion Weeks marked a baptism of fire for a dozen new designers at the helm of major houses.

In Paris, Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga, Loewe, and Jean Paul Gaultier unveiled the first collections by their new artistic directors. In Milan, Gucci, Versace, and Bottega Veneta did likewise.

In only one case was the new appointee a woman: the British designer Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta.

By contrast, her predecessor Matthieu Blazy– now artistic director at Chanel- and Jonathan Anderson at Dior succeeded Virginie Viard and Maria Grazia Chiuri, respectively.

“There seemed to be a small opening (for women) just before Covid,” Karen Van Godtsenhoven, a Belgian fashion specialist at Ghent University in Belgium and guest curator of the “Women Dressing Women” exhibition at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2023, told AFP.

“But Covid played a role in society at large by bringing back more conservative and reactionary modes of thinking. For the fashion industry, that meant a return to the old certainties of the solitary male designer,” she continued.

For American author Dana Thomas, a specialist in the luxury industry, this setback is down to the stranglehold of conservative and relatively older bosses at the helm of groups such as LVMH, Kering, and Chanel.

According to her, Chanel, “founded by the most famous and influential woman in fashion”, Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, “missed an opportunity by not appointing a woman” as artistic director.

The myth of the “creative genius”

Chanel is far from alone: founded by women, Lanvin, Nina Ricci, Schiaparelli, and Celine “all have men as artistic directors today”, observes Dana Thomas.

Last year’s appointment of Sarah Burton at Givenchy and Tuesday’s appointment of Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi are exceptions.

French sociologist Frédéric Godart, a researcher at the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), identifies several factors behind this male dominance.

He first cites an industry “historically dominated by men”, characterised by highly demanding work rhythms that are often incompatible with the family responsibilities women frequently shoulder, not to mention persistent pay inequalities.

He also points to the myth of the “creative genius”, which continues to influence decision-makers.

Karen Van Godtsenhoven notes that the most recent female designers at Chanel and Dior were perceived as figures of transition or continuity.

She laments that women remain confined to “artisanal roles”, despite their strong presence at every level of production, while men are cast as fashion visionaries.

A new generation

Yet, there is no shortage of female talent in the sector, and fashion schools continue to train a majority of women designers. They are also well represented in management positions.

Chanel, Gucci and Dior are thus led by women: Leena Nair, Francesca Bellettini, and Delphine Arnault respectively. At Kering, women hold 58% of management posts and make up half of the executive committee. When contacted by AFP, LVMH did not respond.

Faced with the difficulties of rising to the top, some female designers such as Iris van Herpen, Molly Goddard, and Simone Rocha have chosen to follow the path blazed by pioneer Donna Karan by founding their own houses.

“There’s a whole generation of really, really talented women, and they just don’t have the opportunities,” laments Dana Thomas.