If you are unfamiliar with the last incident, you can search google for “Balenciaga kaisik wong” and see. That time, he copied a relatively little-known San Francisco designer’s patchwork pieces. This time, Ghesquire has blatantly copied an East West leather jacket. East West Musical Instruments worked out of San Francisco and was run by a bunch of hippies until they closed in the 70s, being unable to compete with cheaper jackets manufactured abroad. The leather they used was divine and the construction fitted and intricate. Today, they go for a fortune on ebay and in auction houses. This particular style is known as the Parrot, as the original had two parrot heads that form the collar.
Below are three examples:
The navy/tan one above was sold by Christie's and went for $4565.
Ones on ebay can go around ~1500.
The Balenciaga jacket mimics the EW jacket in the ends of the sleeves, where the wings of the parrot would be, and in the chest area. The only major difference is that the collar is much smaller. But that’s not even the real kicker. Even Urban Outfitters has copied the jacket a few months ago, under their Pins and Needles brand. It's now sold out.
I have long seen Ghesquire lauded as a brilliant and forward thinking designer, so why does he have this penchant for copying hippie stuff from the 60s and 70s? What does he like, futurism, or just a rehash of the 60s idea of futurism? For their prices, and from looking at the better seasons like Fall 08, I expect more.
For Cathy Horyn's take on this, read her article "Is Copying Really a Part of the Creative Process?" here:
3 comments:
Jesus Christ he's done it again! Great article btw.
Hi,
I'm a journalist and would like to contact you. Could you please send me your email?
Thanks!
Pattern and overall style, yes, he 'copied' those jackets, but I strongly doubt the construction of Ghesquiere's is as simple as the ones he copied. How a garment fits and is put together speaks more for a designer than pattern and color. Overlooking this, you are making much too strong of an assumption about Ghesquiere.
It's like designers making blazers - it's a basic style, but everyone reinterprets it and cuts them differently. This I wouldn't call copying, but 'referencing' as Cathy Horyn said.
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