Beyond the Label: 10 High Fashion Creative Directors You Need to Know

Image via Complex Original

Label: Saint Laurent

Creative Director since: 2012

When he was with Dior Homme, it was said that Hedi Slimane's work was closer to that of a god than a designer. A menswear designer unlike any at the time, Slimane was cherished by his fans and his label. So much so, in fact, that when his contract at Dior was up, they offered to commission his own label while he worked on their next collection. But his time at the Parisian house had run its course and he left the label in 2007 to continue his other passion: photography. So when his name was brought up in 2012 to return to Yves Saint Laurent as creative director, where he directed one iconic season in the early 2000s, you can imagine the hysteria that ensued. Imagining YSL's overtly French aesthetic with Slimane's love for grunge was exciting, to say the least. 

It cannot be disputed what Slimane's directorial presence immediately impacted the brand and provided a jolt that demanded attention. According to Slimane, his debut was made for the youth of Los Angeles as he instituted rock-influenced leather jackets and the famed Teddy Varsity Jacket to appeal directly to this demograophic. These pieces, on top of the new iterations of the SL Court Classic, are doing so well that the brand is actually raising the prices on them with no expectations of slowing down. Only a god can create that type of buzz.

Label: Balenciaga

Creative Director since: 2012

Alexander Wang exploded onto the scene back in 2007, setting a new standard for "American Gothic." He has only piled onto his initial success with award after award for his eponymous line, which stretches the imagination if you've ever wondered what American sportswear with a urban-gothic-street vibe looks like. Now, following predecessor Nicolas Ghesquiére, who molded Balenciaga into a proverbial cash cow with his interpretations of founder Cristobal Balenciaga's most popular designs, Wang has to find the balance between his success and what Ghesquiére left behind. He's already started off by following in Ghesquiére's footsteps, studying the label's namesake's archives, but drawing inspiration from some of the more obscure designs while injecting only the best parts of his American vision into the French house. He doesn't push the boundaries without purpose, which means that every detail and creation is informed with the best of both words—old and new; traditional and innovative.

Label: Givenchy

Creative Director since: 2005

In his ongoing tenure at Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci sailed into uncharted territory and came out so victorious that he and the label have entered the mainstream canon. Even non-fashion fans could probably recognize the two names. After establishing his own line in 2004, it only took a year for Givenchy to recognize Tisci's talents and name him creative director. This was a bold choice for the Italian fashion house, who had gone years with traditional, close-to-the-hip designs. They also had almost zero presence in menswear.

Tisci changed all of that when he took over the menswear line in 2008, quickly introducing his dark, religious iconography, canine-enthusiastic designs and catching the eye of Kanye West, among other stylish hip-hop enthusiasts. Tisci's new age approach to high fashion, one that recognized an aesthetic born of streetwear without losing elegance nor caliginous, gained traction across the entire spectrum of men's style. From the runway to the streets of Paris to ballrooms filled with the 1 percent, Tisci has brought Givenchy to new heights and across new levels. His touch is Midas-like, with season after season begetting hit items that become some of the most covetable garments in the entire game.

Label: Balmain

Creative Director since: 2011

The longevity of a brand rests on its ability to adapt. Every prestigious fashion house, including Balmain, must adapt. Luckily for this label, Olivier Rousteing's vision since he took over as creative director at the age of 25 has always faced forward. Since 2011, his collections have created polarizing opinions, but the volume and strength of his praises have re-established Balmain as a leading name in the high-fashion arena.

Strictly from a design aesthetic standpoint, Rousteing has taken a lot of inspiration from his predecessor, Christophe Decarnin, who turned Balmain's image around completely from traditional haute couture to rock and biker glam with biker jeans and leather jackets that we still cherish today. Decarnin may have set this course, but Rousteing has had zero issues continuing to build on the brand's recent success while utilizing his A-list connections and combining them with a keen understanding of societal relevance. While it's still priority number one to put on the most professional and awe-inspiring shows at fashion week, Rousteing is one of the few creative directors who also comprehends the importance of maintaining relationships with the likes of Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Kanye West, and other figures in the public realm that inspire consumer purchases and overall style. It's this modern knowledge that has allowed Balmain to flourish and transcend the upper echelons to become a household name on the lips of people who only casually follow fashion.

Label: Comme des Garçons

Creative Director since: 1973

Comme des Garçons has never been considered your typical high fashion label. That's because Rei Kawakubo is the antithesis of your typical high fashion creative director. Kawakubo didn't follow a traditional path to launching a fashion house. She studied art and literature in college before going on to work in a textile factory and dabbling as a stylist. Now, Kawakubo is considered one of the most influential designers to grace the fashion world.

Though she is a bit of a recluse, everything associated with CDG, from the avant garde design to iconic advertising to eclectic store design is the direct result of Kawakubo's vision because she has a hand in nearly all operations of the label. Because the  Japanese designer's work has always been more about the artistic integrity over anything else, the output is always powerful, provoking, and ahead of its time. Kawakubo has single-handedly created an empire while changing the mindframe of "high fashion" forever.

Label: Chanel; Fendi

Creative Director since: 1983; 1965

Most people know Karl Lagerfeld as a very recognizable character from the fashion world that has pretty much become a pop culture icon. What they might not know is that he has been captaining the houses of Chanel and Fendi for an absurd amount of time, and has led both labels to a place that both traditionalists and new fans can appreciate.

Before Lagerfeld came on board, Fendi was a much-loved but small-scale operation. Lagerfeld turned the brand into an international status symbol with its luxe fur garments, and soon expanded its offerings to include a little bit of everything for discerning customers around the globe. Fendi and glamor were synonymous under Lagerfeld's direction, and he continues to create product that maintains a leading position in the fashion landscape.

Not many designers have the ability to revive entire fashion houses. When Lagerfeld was first offered a role at Chanel, he was advised to leave the once-vaunted but then-staid label alone. Of course, Lagerfeld saw this as a challenge, and the rest is history. While adhering to the traditions and philosophies of classic Chanel, he's also evolved the brand and progressed it to a place that attracts attention, praise, and, of course, dollars. At the age of 80, Lagerfeld's output in terms of quantity puts every other designer's to shame.

Label: Burberry

Creative Director since: 2001

Burberry is one of the oldest fashion houses out, but is still pumping out timeless pieces that appeal to young and old style mavens alike. A lot of that has to do not just with his designs, but also Christopher Bailey's contemporary approach to the brand's classic identity. Bailey was just 29 years old when he joined the British label as designer director, leaving his post as a womenswear designer under Tom Ford at Gucci in 2001. It only took him three years to become creative director due to the sensational progress made in the brand's designs and through digital advancements the fashion world is still catching up with. He has captivated the menswear world with inspiration grabbed from the very niche-specific punk subculture in London, giving the brand's classic trench coat a studded or metallic makeover, and he has set a new standard for how brand's interact digitally with the live HD 3D broadcasting of his fall/winter 2010 Burberry Prorsum collection in L.A., New York, and Dubai.

Label: Dior Homme

Creative Director since: 2007

Raf Simons is the name most associated with Dior, but much like the operation of Louis Vuitton led by Nicolas Ghesquiere​ and Kim Jones, Kris Van Assche oversees the men's segment of the legendary fashion house. Hedi Slimane established Dior Homme in 2000, bringing a surprisingly masculine offering to a house that always dealt in uber-femininity. Slimane's tailoring was super skinny, razor-sharp, and won devoted fans. This was the framework Van Assche stepped into in 2007, and he promptly set about to add a degree of comfort and elegance into the acute menswear. The resulting collections have consistently struck a chord between cool, calm, and collected, and have grown the Dior Homme customer base without losing sight of the house's overall direction. 

Label: Louis Vuitton

Creative Director since: 2011

To the ear of the layman, the name Kim Jones is probably lesser-known than some of his contemporaries. With names like Slimane, Jacobs, or Lagerfeld constantly and deservedly being thrown around the overarching conversation, the British designer lets his work do all the talking, hanging his hat on the internal influence he has had on brands since the '90s. His direct influence and work has touched on brands like Uniqlo, Umbro, Mulberry, and Alexander McQueen, while he's also directing magazines Dazed & Confused and Arena Homme. His sheer knowledge of fashion is incredible, but his ability to infuse them into his designs, some of which you wouldn't dare to think Louis Vuitton would venture towards, is even more astounding. Ranging from his time spent as a youth in Africa, grabbing inspiration from safari wear or East African textiles, or spending time in the deserts of Chile to capture the traditional Chilean mountainwear vibes, Jones manages to make sense of it all and always translates it effortlessly into the ultra-chic runway of LV. This is why Jones and Nicolas Ghesquiére, artistic director of womenswear, are completely separate entities. They each have their own, unique vision that capture the essence of a new age Louis Vuitton.

Label: Lanvin

Creative Director since: 2001

Running the world's oldest fashion house means you have your work cut out for you. This hasn't fazed artistic director Alber Elbaz, who has held it down since 2001 with a quirky, sprite sensibility and knack for maintaining the brand's elegance while exploring fashion's masculinity. His extraordinary work on the women's side of the pond is what has truly captivated the fashion world, but he hit the ground running in 2006 with Lanvin's first menswear collection, alongside partner-in-crime Lucas Ossendrijver. Putting little bits of his eccentricity into his collection, there has always been a distinction between Elbaz's work and other CDs, especially in his men's collections: his clothes always look like they can be actually worn easily. Not like how your favorite denim jacket has adapted to your body over the years, but because every garment contains an element of humanization, which is something many fashion houses struggle with.