Photo: Photographer & Art Director, Szilveszter Makó
This morning, the Spanish fast-fashion brand Zara announced a “two-year creative partnership” with famed couturier John Galliano. According to a press release, the designer will be charged with reenvisioning the brand’s archives through “a series of seasonal collections.” Fashion fans have mixed feelings to say the least.
“This is NOT something I thought I’d wake up to,” fashion commentator LaModeUnknown wrote on X. Fellow fashion fixture Lyas posted a video to TikTok regarding the move: “That was not on my bucket list.” Some, like stylist Gabriella Karefa-Johnson, are torn on the ethics of the announcement. She wrote on Threads that her “feelings are complicated for sure,” and although fast fashion is a “net negative environmentally,” the move “has the power to transform the supply chain there … It’s always an ethics versus accessibility question. He’s now making clothes for your next door neighbor.”
Galliano famously helmed Dior, where he was seen as a sartorial visionary, from 1997 to 2011 before he was fired for making antisemitic remarks. In 2014, Galliano staged a career comeback and took over as creative director at Margiela, which culminated in a theatrical, viral spring runway show in 2024. Our fashion critic Cathy Horyn said the collection will “go down in fashion history” and “belongs with the greatest Galliano collections.” So it doesn’t come as a surprise that fans, albeit cautiously hopeful, are shocked and confused about the designer, considered to be one of the greats, taking up residence inside a fast-fashion juggernaut. For Galliano, though, it seems to be (almost) all about the novelty.
“I’m super excited, because it’s not something I’ve done before, so that kind of tickles me—the newness, the excitement, the actual process,” Galliano told Vogue about the collaboration. “Even with my team, I have to keep reminding them daily: No, it’s not this, and it’s not that. We are re-authoring. It’s been quite fun, and I just think it’s a very positive thing to be doing at this time, and really sustainable from a creative point of view, which is super interesting to me.”
Galliano’s tenure officially begins in September.