Written by The Strategy
This weekend, you may have been as shocked as we were to learn the Vetement’s co-founder and designer, Demna Gvasalia, announced his departure from the brand. Vetements was founded by Demna and his brother Guram Gvasalia in 2014 and had a meteoric rise to fame. The label, loved by everyone from Kanye West to Celine Dion, pushed fashion boundaries, from a collaboration with DHL (who knew shipping could be fashionable) to fashion shows held in sex clubs and then in churches. Demna, who is currently the creative director of Balenciaga, started the company because he was “bored of fashion”, and since has lit a spark in the industry. We’re taking a look back at some of his Vetements greatest hits.
The “May The Bridges I Burn Light The Way” hoodie from Fall 2016
The hoodie ran at a casual price of $1050, but became a favourite of Whoopie Goldberg and almost every street style blogger or icon. The quote originally stemmed from an early 90s episode of Beverly Hills 90210 and was spoken by Luke Perry’s character of Dylan McKay. Sadly, this popular sweatshirt, described as a “cult sweatshirt” has completely sold out online.
The Vetements x Juicy Couture Collaboration from Spring 2017
The Spring 2017 was unreal to begin with. The collection consisted entirely of collaborations, and footwear connoisseur Manolo Blahnik was among them. Together, they created crotch-high satin boots in bright, bold colours. The boots were worn by fashion’s boldest, including Rihanna. The collaboration also included more wearable styles, like satin pumps and booties, but there is no doubt that the Vetements x Manolo Blahnik satin boots were the fashion crowds favourite.
The Crotch-High Boots from Spring 2017
Another gem from the Spring 2017 show was the collaboration with Paris Hilton’s early aughts favourite, Juicy Couture. While we didn’t see many people actually wearing the pieces on the street, we like to think it’s what helped to invigorate the brand and led to the appointment of Creative Director, Jamie Mizrahi.
The Titanic Sweatshirt from Spring 2016
It wasn’t so much this sweatshirt on its own that made it a hit, but rather who was wearing it. Celine Dion stepped out in the summer of 2016 in the Titanic sweatshirt and everyone went wild. The look capped off a whirl-wind 2016 PFW for Dion, who simply ruled the front row.
The Sock Ankle Boots The Originally Debuted Spring 2016
There have been a few iterations of the Vetement’s Sock Ankle Boot since its original debut, but it all started in the Spring fo 2016. The Sock Ankle boots were designed to fit like, well, socks, and feel like a second skin. The most unique part of the shoe design though, was the stiletto heel designed to look like a BIC lighter.
The DHL Collaboration from Spring 2016
Did you worry for a second there that we were going to talk about Demna Gvasalia’s greatest hits, and not mention the DHL collaboration? This collaboration had fashion industry elite chasing down their local DHL delivery trucks in the hopes of a perfectly meta Instagram moment. It sold out fast, and calls were even coming to DHL itself in hopes of snagging one of their generic promotional tees. It was the ultimate “street style” moment.
