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Wes Gordon, the fashion gold boy: "It is a mistake to want to make clothes for everyone"

By hollisterclothingoutlet 01/07/2022 690 Views

In less than two years, Wes Gordon (Chicago, 1987) has gone from being that lovely southern boy that the fashion lady, Carolina Herrera, chose as successor, the spoiled child of American fashion, worshiped by a select club of actresses fromHollywood and characters such as Michelle Obama, and flag bearer of the LGTBI collective on the catwalk itself.A high challenge.

No one looked able to stick to Herrera's crown, one of the most elegant women in the world who premiered as a counselor of Jaqueline Kennedy and for four decades shaped a brand that wanted to capture the essence of Fifth Avenue, but also of the newYork throbbing of the holiday and Warhol parties, high society and their soirées in Le Cirque or Copacabana.Then, bohemia, provocation and elite formed an overwhelming trio.

The firm immediately found faithful travel companions: Puig arrived with Carolina in 1987 to create and market fragrances, and the first one - with a black polka dot packaging on white background, and an exotic and sweet aroma, of JasmineNocturno– obtained a brilliant success worldwide.In 1995, fashion and accessories business would be incorporated into the Catalan company, and, today, the brand plays in the First Division as a rare Avis, maintaining the sewing workshop in the center of Manhattan, where the smell of burnt fat and gofresFrom Times Square is no obstacle to continuing to declare his love for the most virtuous crafts.Daughter Carolina A. Herrera is now the creative director of beauty (fragrances and makeup).The new Make Up line - which is already on sale exclusively in Harrods and will soon arrive in Spain - and has been developed by Wes Gordon and Carolina A. with the help of the make up artist, Lauren Parsons

Wes Gordon fell in love with the lady in less than twelve months.They spent hours talking about art books.“Carolina and I shared the conviction that fashion is much more than a garment.Fashion is life, joy, laughs, family and celebration. ”And, solving the systems developed by Roland Barthes about meaning of the garment, he knew howto the frame, to the origin, to the archives.

Although Carolina Herrera continues to act as a global ambassador of the brand, this young man who began to mature in the Oscar de la Renta and Tom Ford workshops - both who was hungry for technique and trade and made a sabbatical year to study in the classroomof the Saints Martins of London Central-, today dictates the course of the firm and intervenes in all creative processes, also in perfumes.Gordon had a nomadic childhood, although his parents compensated for the effort of the constant removals leaving the children to paint the walls of their rooms of different colors.Neither him nor his sister let them see television during the week, and spent hours and hours reading.

We conducted this interview via Zoom, he in the living room of his country house in Connecticut, with chimney, and a wallpaper of Etsy, who reminds the drawings of Afghan tents, in a simplification of the kilim border. His worship for cultures with high iconographic load has earned him some disgust, as happened with his resort 2020 collection that he intended to pay tribute to traditional indigenous crafts, with garments that looked typical embroidered from the province of Tehuantepec or garments with the Sarape de Coahuila . The reaction was immediate in the process prone to cultural sensibilities. And the Government of Mexico accused the firm of intellectual appropriation, because it had not had the local craft. Gordon, in an official statement, had already expressed that it was a tribute: “My admiration for artisanal work through my trips to Mexico has been growing over the years. With this new collection I have tried to value this magnificent cultural heritage. ”

One of his skills has consisted of including in his clothes the most appreciated artisanal techniques worldwide, with refined volume management and proportion.The Golden Boy of fashion is acclaimed today by the clientele of all the life of Madison Avenue but also by the young millennials and Zetas who want to redefine his style without giving up the ampulosity and the game that Wes Gordon conveys.

Are your fashion from an artistic conception?

Definitely.I think there is something artistic, something beautiful, in every tangible product that someone does.And that is why I put so much passion to create beautiful things, and more in our dark world.If we use our hands to create something new, that is something worth it.Something beautiful and pure.

What movement of art history inspires you the most?

From a philosophical point of view, one has no choice but to worship rebirth: faith in human capacity and that search for beauty.But, as I love color, I choose Matisse at the beginning of the 20th century.His experimentation with color.The Fauvista movement interests me a lot, it is more alive than impressionism, although if you give me a monet, I remain.

We do not make basic, we make precious clothes, which makes you dream "

Wes Gordon, el chico de oro de la moda: “Es un error querer hacer ropa para todo el mundo”

When did he know that he wanted to design clothes?

My parents always encouraged us, my sister and me, to pursue our dreams and support us in everything we did.Since childhood I have been very creative and I have passionate all forms of artistic expression.And when I discovered the transforming power of fashion, I immediately knew that I wanted to dedicate myself to it.

Carolina Herrera, when he met him in the studio, said that he was "a lovely boy from the south."What importance that the south has in your work?

I moved to Atlanta when I was 9 years old.So, not having grown there, I reached the south as an outsider.And I think that makes you better perceive the spirit of a place: since you have not lived from the day you were born, you see it with perspective.That is why I have come to appreciate your romantic side.Atlanta is a very curious place, because it is a great modern city, but at the same time it is full of nostalgia and romance.Everything has a slower pace.And the houses are beautiful.Its inhabitants prioritize aesthetics, also in clothes: there is a pride in appearance.And without a doubt that lifestyle has influenced me ... It is the landscape of my childhood, and both my parents and my sister continue to live there.I call him home, because that is where I always come back.There is a vaporous feeling, that nostalgia of Viejo Sur, which you do not find any other part of the country.

Do you think the south is less competitive than the north?

It is slower.It's hot, it's wet ... and everything slows down.I don't know if you've had the opportunity to visit Savannah, or Charleston;They are magical.

Do you know Caracas?His prints often resort to tropical details.

I have never gone, but I would love to do it someday.Even if it probably is probably the moment ... for the first collection in which I worked, I used La Vega, the family home of the Herrera in Venezuela, as a source of inspiration.That mixture between the style of Spanish colonial architecture with Venezuelan culture I think is beautiful, and very romantic. And that sensual and leafy vegetation ...

It is a lover of botany, what does the life cycle of a flower mean for you?

I think we move very fast in our day to day. We are in Fast-Forward: busy lives in collapsed and noisy cities in which the air is contaminated ... and there is nothing that can make you stop and appreciate beauty as a flower. Now I am in the countryside and there are precious flowers, and in the city I come to the flower market, which is close to our office where I usually stop and buy a bouquet. Any creator will tell you that nature is always the greatest inspiration. And I think that the masterpiece of nature is, in many ways, a flower. The inspiration for my spring collection was the Super Bloom in California. In a Californian desert a very rainy year passed and the whole valley was filled with flowers. In a week he went from being brown and yerm, to become miles and miles of colorful landscape. I like that metaphor. It reminds you that the promise of nature is always there when spring approaches, and in dark times, there is that reception of beauty, color and life.

Every moment I walk through the city I feel that I am in a movie.The characters, the people, the art, the buildings, even the noises….There is no other city the same "

Why is New York your muse?

For two reasons: when I started in the firm, a picture of Mrs. Herrera hung in the study, and, seeing it, I could not stop thinking that a woman arrived from Venezuela had ended up becoming a model of the iconic New York: installed in the Uptown, who was having dinner with Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat or Steve Rubell, co -owner of Studio 54. The New York of the 70s and first 80 was a very American version of the Society Café ... and Mrs. and Mr. Herrera were in the center of all that, something that fascinates me. And the second reason is that New York has a magical side. Since I was a child I wanted to live there. Every moment I walk through the city I feel that I am in a movie. The characters, the people, the art, the buildings, even the noises…. There is no other city the same. All are beautiful in their own way, but there is no other city like New York. You never know what you will find. I walk a lot to go to work, and often inspired by a woman and her clothes. Because there is a personality and an attitude in New York intrinsic to the city, genuine.

What was the first movie about New York?

Many!Probably - and it's not very arty - only at home 2, in which the child is lost in the city and lives at the Plaza Hotel.I also remember a book that marked me, entitled the secret archives of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, who deals with two brothers who escape from home and are going to live in the Metropolitan Museum.I also get lost in museums ... and in Central Park.

His brand is very close to the city, and therefore wants to represent the New York women ...

The Herrera woman is the one who wears a squeaky pink suit when everyone else wears black.She is an attitude - sure, spirit - that is very New York.And she doesn't matter if you are in the city or Hong Kong, she transmits that energy.It's about dressing in a way that pleases you, and not because you think another person will like it.And not to follow the rules of ‘This is for summer, this for winter;This for the night, and this for the day ’.That woman does not seek to go unnoticed or be forgotten.It is the attitude of New York.At a party, in the middle of the track is always the Herrera woman.

Why do you consider working at the ‘Atelier’ of sewing is something surreal?

Our atelier is on 37th Street, three blocks from Times Square.On the one hand, you have all the energy of that metropolitan spiral: traffic, the crowd ... and, on the other, you live with a group of women and men with white suits working in a beautiful space as if the time had stopped.They are sitting there, all day, working with the most beautiful fabrics;sewing, drapeting ... is a parallel universe.What is something incredible: three blocks from urban chaos, in the epicenter of the most busy city in America, you have a work space in which, in a very poetic way, it works manually all day.It is really surreal.

The industry moves at such a frantic pace and with volumes so large, that its products run the risk of falling into mediocrity ”

Should we slow down, make less collections, return to the old system, as a group of designers affirms?Do you participate in this vision, even less profitable?

We talk about two big collections that are divided into four seasons for stores. Thus the consumer always has a new product for twelve months. Many brands try to reach everyone, without distinguishing, but the result has no solidity. I think it's about demonstrating that brands will be more successful if they take a step back, if they look in their own souls and reflect on it as houses. If I started to make sports clothes, or pajamas. Because I think that what one wants to buy past the quarantine, would be the most disrespectful that I could do to this house, to the legacy of Mrs. Herrera. I think that now more than ever we have to say, with confidence, that we make special, fabulous clothes. We do not make basic. We make precious clothes, which makes you dream. The industry moves at such a frantic pace and with volumes so large, that its products run the risk of falling into mediocrity. Personally I believe that we are about to enter an incredible, fascinating, new chapter of the history of fashion, with a feeling of community and purpose strengthened. And if one is lucky enough to be part of a firm with history and legacy - and in the United States there are not many - you have to grab that and be proud of your DNA.

There are currently only two ‘ateliers’ of sewing in New York, Oscar de la Renta and his.Why has this resignation been produced in the high fashion crafts?

Because everyone focused on quantity and effectiveness as priorities, instead of quality, art and beauty.And I think it will be clear now ... In the world that is coming out of a global pandemic there is an appreciation renewed by things that have soul, integrity and purpose.

Everything they undertake, either CH, perfumes or cosmetics, is done with the aim of elevating the brand.They have great respect for the firm "

What is the experience of working with a Catalan group like Puig?

They are wonderful;We have a very good relationship.They keep a lot of respect for the Herrera house, and everything they undertake, either CH, perfumes or cosmetics, is done with the aim of elevating the brand.Something certainly inspiring.I have never seen a group with so much respect for a firm.

There is today a great debate around the survival of racism in his country, accompanied by a chain of complaints companies belonging to the fashion world.You also adhered to the black screens chain, under the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’ ...

The flame that ignited all this was the terrible and disgusting tragedy of Minneapolis.George Floyd's daughter went to the funeral and said: "My father changed the world."Maybe that was the call for attention we needed to reflect how we can improve.One of our main values as a brand is inclusiveness, respect for diversity, and we try to do everything we can in that sense ... but that the shared lesson these weeks is that we can all be better.

This recognition of diversity, of inclusion, has been one of its most relevant contributions to the brand.Is it a deep personal commitment?

It is essential for me.In the world we live in everyone wants to be modern, but one cannot be without being inclusive.For my Herrera it is a fabulous party in a fabulous world, but it is a party that everyone is invited.

He wore Lena Waithe for the MET gala with the rainbow flag of the LGTBI collective, which also formed the skirts of the models at the close of their 2018 Autumn Parade ...

For the 2018 Met gala we worked with Lena in the creation of a suit that made her feel good and comfortable with herself, and thus the black tuxedo made to measure combined with a precious layer of multicolored silk, the tribute of Lena toThe LGTBI community.

Our fashion is to put a squeaky pink suit when everyone dress in black "

And how was the experience of dressing Rosalia?

It was super fun!We did two outfits for that event: one of lunar that carried on the red carpet and a black satin suit for the stage.From my arrival to Herrera I have tried to boost the idea that any woman can be a Herrera woman.We have done wonderful things with both Megan Markle and Gwyneth Paltrow or Rosalia.I think Carolina Herrera has to do with looking within oneself, discovering that she makes you special and dress for that.

Is it special Rosalia?Does the brand image renew?

Yes, of course.I think she is a great talent, and a very modern woman.Challenge the idea that certain people can have of the classical Herrera woman, and I like that ...

Many associate fashion with evasion but it is also a reflection of the society that produces it ...

Yes. It is important to keep in mind that every day it represents a promise of something inspiring and magical.The first thing we do in the morning is to look at our phone, see the news, our social networks, the emails ... and, before having lifted you, you have already been exposed to problems, negativity and the terrible things in the world.Then you have the possibility of going to your closet and putting on a sweater or a dress that is a beautiful color and can draw a smile, fashion then becomes a small reminder that there are still wonderful things.I think that fashion can be escapist, but it is also provocation, or a mirror that reflects ourselves and the society in which we live.

He has dived a lot in the archives of the house, what is most interested in them?

Carolina Herrera's first collection was presented in 1981, and her garments capture that exuberance and extravagance of the 80s: the sleeves, the colors, the prints are extravagant, even decadent even, also fabulous and fun.

I think we will have to organize new formats of more intimate presentations and quotes, the same with only one or two people at the same time ”

And what time is more fascinating in the history of fashion?

Probably the 50s. You cannot work in fashion and not love that decade ... It was the golden age of French fashion: Dior's New Look, in 1947, and the work of Balenciaga, a deep change of silhouette.Today many things that derive from that time remain in fashion.

What do you understand by sophistication?

When I think of sophistication, I imagine a way of life considered, friendly and qualitative.It is an appreciation for the aesthetic that has nothing to do with age, gender, geography or status.

Does the parade format, for a small audience of buyers and press, is it the only way to present the collections?

It is not the only way, of course there are others.I think a catwalk causes many things: it generates intimate conversations and also great global debates.And that can be done in many ways, with a film, a photo shoot, etc.But I think we have to find new proposals for those intimate conversations, the moments in which you see clothes in person, you can touch and feel it.And it is difficult to do.Many of the fashion critics with whom I have spoken, also buyers, need that physical experience.So, from now on, I think we are going to have to organize new formats of more intimate presentations and quotes, the same with only one or two people at the same time.I am sure that we can find other ways to continue creating that magic.

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