Guram Gvasalia appointed creative director of VETEMENTS.
“Everything has its time. It is time for me to come out!” This was the message behind VETEMENTS’ newest appointed creative director Guram Gvasalia. First created in 2014 by both brothers, Guram has been in charge of the business structure at the brand, whilst a collective of designers were in charge of the creative direction after his brother Demna officially resigned from the role to become creative director at Balenciaga in 2019.
Since then, the brand has experienced with 100+ look drops, a new and redefined sister label under the name VTMNTS and a different approach towards showcasing collections.
In a letter from Guram, the designer expands upon his journey of bringing VETEMENTS back to its redefining roots. “In the past years there were numerous attempts to take from VETEMENTS what has always belonged to VETEMENTS. To protect our hard work, the codes and the DNA of VETEMENTS, I knew what I had to do to claim back VETEMENTS’ original birthrights.”
Gvasalia’s new role will oversee both the creative and financial sides to the label, giving him an exclusive overview of the entire process. His letter drew upon his experience growing up in Georgia and the obstacles his family faced whilst growing up.
“VETEMENTS is more than a brand to me. Its DNA runs in my blood. But it is not the only reason why I am doing this. It’s true, I could have done it secretly as I’m a very private person. But I felt I needed to come out publicly for all the kids out there who dream of fashion, but are too afraid to tell it to their parents who will not approve. To all the kids who have no means to pay for fancy design schools with its 50 to 100k yearly tuition fees. Those who need to take day jobs to pay the bills, while self-learning design at night. For those who come from underprivileged families and feel like they will never belong to this fashion world. It’s all my story. I’m a refugee.
VETEMENTS since day one is built on creativity. And I want to make sure that all the young people out there know – you do not need to have rich parents, you do not need an investor, you do not need to sell your soul to big evil corporations – you can make it on your own. You can change your life with your own creativity and passion.”
The fruits of Gvasalia’s work can already be seen with the brand’s AW22 collection, presented on the 25th November. It featured the eponymous Gvasalia oversized silhouette, adorned with face masks and hourglass tailoring, combining perfect shaping with dramatically straight coats.
As the Gvasalia brothers become a bigger force on the scene, only time will tell how their creative disruption will affect the industry and the old-school fashion system.
