When a designer becomes a brand’s creative director, they also become its new face, and whether they like it or not they’re launched into the public eye. Some, like Raf Simons or Jonathan Anderson, remain just beneath our radars, surfacing a few times a year to dart out from behind the curtains at their latest show, whilst others slip completely into anonymity, Martin Margiela for example, who famously doesn’t do interviews. And then,here are a few that flourish in the limelight, like Marc Jacobs or Donatella Versace, who have blossomed into internet personalities and celebrities in their own rights.
But should designers use their roles as creative directors to help boost brand awareness, developing social media personas that turn them into influencers and invite us into their lives? Or is it best for them to stay out of the public eye, operating behind the scenes… kind of like the rest of their design teams do?
Internet fame can be security…
As a designer, Marc Jacobs is polished, professional, and consistently delivers outstanding collections that tap into the zeitgeist; however, as an influencer, his approach is slightly less refined – which is precisely why it works. Hit up Marc Jacobs’ Instagram and you’ll find a million photos of his false nails, captions that describe his pet fish as “c*nty”, and personable posts about what he’s reading right now, titled “the reading hour”. By regularly posting for his 2 million followers as though he’s chatting to a friend, Marc Jacobs has created a persona that people find relatable, approachable, and likeable – which in turn has actually had the effect of boosting his own brand.
It’s well known that we’re becoming more critical of brands, scrutinising them based on their environmental impact, social awareness, and more, and that’s exactly why a personable, friendly face representing a brand can be so important. In many ways Marc Jacobs’ fans finding its designer relatable on socials can keep the brand protected from the level of scrutiny that other high fashion corporations are constantly under, because they feel that they know and respect him.
…but it can also be your downfall
Although having a strong public persona can help boost your brand, there are arguments that being a creative director in the public eye can pose issues, too. For one, no one remains in the favour of social media forever: in fact, the cycle of “internet darlings” being constantly replaced is so rapid it’s hard to keep track. For brands, having their CDs in the public eye poses a huge risk.
Influencers being cancelled on the internet can land anywhere between momentary to career ending, but for creative directors it can also cost the brand they’re representing millions. You probably remember the impact of the offensive comments that rapper and Yeezy’s Creative Director Kanye West posted on social media in 2022, but in case you’ve forgotten, adidas – the brand Yeezy was collaborating with at the time – is still suffering losses today, following a net loss of $63 million in its core business revenue in 2023. reative directors having a persona online can be highly beneficial to their brands, but when the internet stops backing them, for whatever reason (justified or not), it can also be their downfall.
Staying out of the limelight might be safest…
Arguably, the safest route for brands is for their CDs to stay out of the public eye, asbrands have more control over how they’re perceived by their association. Just look at what happened when John Galliano was Creative Director at Dior and you’ll see exactly why brands are wary of their creative directors being too present in the limelight. Following John Galliano’s antisemitic comments which led to public outrage, Dior very quickly cut all ties with the designer and separated themselves from their association with him; but the damage had been done.
On top of this, many creative directors who do lay extremely low, like Martin Margiela who hasn’t been interviewed or even photographed in years can develop this “God tier” reputation. By developing a persona that’s mysterious and keeping themselves to themselves, designers like Margiela and even arguably Rick Owens are able to become legends even whilst their careers are still going on. Although, Margiela certainly didn’t slip out of the limelight because he was seeking “icon” status, as Margiela once told British Vogue, “I don’t like the idea of being a celebrity. Anonymity is very important to me. It balances me that I am like everybody else. I always wanted to have my name linked to the product I created, not to the face I have.”
… but brands also need to take risks
The next generation of creative directors, including the likes of Mowalola, Chet Lo, Willy Chavarria, and plenty more, seem to be leaning more towards the mentality that having a persona online is the best way to go, and we’re here for it. The emerging designers we’re seeing slowly take the fashion industry by storm are more engaged with their fans than ever, posting behind-the-scenes insights into their collections, doing more interviews, and offering advice to young creatives – and the best thing about this is that it seems to be opening doors.
What Marc Jacobs’ approach to socials proves is that, in the digital age, being present on social media can be the best marketing tactic at the hands of any creative director. Creative directors who have a presence online that helps them to appear personable and relatable can help boost a brand to new heights on socials. However, we also feel that CDs being more personable makes achieving their level of success less daunting for emerging artists who might previously have felt like that was impossible. The iron gates of the fashion world are opening, and creative directors offering more insight into their lives – both personal and professional – is a huge part of why.
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