Nicolas and Raf on 'Fashion' and 'Pop Culture'

With Anna W.

I find it most enjoyable when fashion specifics like creativity and sustainability are given an in-depth, insightful treatment.

Fashion has never been so in fashion. All of a sudden we’ve arrived at a place television, music, media, and advertising have enjoyed for a time; fashion has been vastly democratised, which is excellent, but it’s also become pop culture. Everyone wants to be part of it, or to own a piece of it, to appear interested and aware. The fashion world used to be relatively marginal. it could be prestigious, but it was also considered to be a toxic world of crazies – was it not dangerous and unwholesome in a way?

- Nicolas Ghesquiere on his interview with Jonathan Wingfield in December 2012 (just some days after his depature at BALENCIAGA) for inaugural System #1

Fashion became pop. I can’t make up my mind if that’s a good or a bad thing. The only thing I know is that it used to be elitist. And I don’t know if one should be ashamed or not to admit that maybe it was nicer when it was more elitist, not for everybody. Now high fashion is for everybody.

- Raf Simons speaking to Cathy Horyn in early 2015 for System #6 Fall/Winter 2015 (Read the full article: - BoF)

Ghesquiere is now doing great strides at LOUIS VUITTON, while Raf has recently ended his tenure at DIOR.