Passion for fashion - Mary Gehlhar offers solace for aspiring ‘recessionistas’
As vice president of brand strategy at Gen Art, a national organization that promotes new talent in film, fashion, visual arts and music, Mary Gehlhar, author of The Fashion Designer Survival Guide, knows all too well the trials and tribulations facing emerging designers, especially now, as the economy flirts with disaster. Jewelers who offer innovative styles at accessible price points are in a good position to ride out the storm, she says, because 2009 is shaping up to be the Year of the Accessory. As if to prove her point, she says that at a recent series of Gen Art-sponsored shopping nights featuring clothing and accessories from numerous designers, jewelry was the easiest sell. Here she gives us her feedback on the spring 2009 runway shows and tells us which trends promise to stick.
COUTURE International Jeweler: How would you describe the mood in the fashion industry at the moment? Mary Gehlhar: People are obviously nervous, especially when it comes to investing in new designers. But they also feel it’s an opportunity for the best of the best to shine. There’s optimism about the opportunities that are out there. Stores are cutting back, but when they’re buying they’re looking for something really exciting. Shoppers already have the basics, but when they do buy they’re looking for that one really interesting item to add flair to their outfit.
CIJ: What trends do you expect to dominate 2009? MG: Spring ’09 is a great time to talk about jewelry, because in some ways it outshone the clothing. Really big, tons of color and tons of it everywhere. All the stacking and layering, so much texture and chunkiness. The downturn is definitely not coming through as minimalism. The color and cheerfulness is great. While people cut back on clothing, they may spend a little more on accessories to freshen up what they already own. They’ll be able to update something they already own with 20 coral necklaces.
CIJ: It’s almost as if designers are refusing to surrender to all the economic doom and gloom. MG: Yeah, because everything is big and everything is plentiful and that’s true for all accessories: belts, shoes, bags.
CIJ: Which of the spring collections stood out? MG: Marc Jacobs’ collection was amazing: the color, silhouettes, the layering. It was so fun and beautiful and optimistic. It was a top 10 for just about everybody. I thought Rodarte was beautiful and truly visionary. And Philip Lim. He is so relevant. His clothes are easy to wear and have a price point that is understandable. I thought Lanvin was crazy beautiful. And on the runway, Zac Posen’s use of jewelry was really on trend: geometric, stacking, black and white, which is the other side of all this color.
CIJ: Are any of these fashion designers using precious materials? MG: Now that I think about it, everything I’ve talked about has been costume jewelry because of its scale.
CIJ: Right. It would be difficult to pull off that kind of volume in 18-karat gold. It makes me wonder how fine jewelers are supposed to promote luxury when the economy is so fragile. MG: You talk about collectibles, about heirlooms, about things to pass down. Emerging designers still hope there’s a market in Asia. Two weeks ago, I would have said Russia was still a place to sell, but that isn’t the case today.
CIJ: So what’s your gut feeling about the new year? MG: I think it’s going to be bad, but there is an opportunity for innovation. There’s a lot of stuff out there, and I think the cream will rise to the top. If your stuff is fresh and innovative, there will be enough of a market to get you through.
