Amidst a season of debuts, it was now Stefano Gallici’s time to have his turn under the spotlight — as Ann Demeulemeester’s newest creative director.
The brand that pioneered the goth and grunge aesthetic briefly saw Ludovic de Saint Sernin take the helm as its creative director before departing a season later. Saint Sernin, known for his daring and skin-baring designs, injected a refreshing perspective into the Ann Demeulemeester narrative. However, merging these two worlds may not have been in the company’s best interest.
In comes Stefano Gallici, who was plucked internally to take on the top seat as creative director. Having worked there for three years under the brand’s menswear design team, his vision for the brand seems to align closer with what people have come to expect from it.
Staged at a dimly lit warehouse on the outskirts of Paris, Gallici’s models pranced down a hundred-metre runway in familiar Ann Demeulemeester archetypes. Leather belts and harnesses decorated androgynous tailoring, black gowns exuded a quietly dramatic allure, and sheerness played a pivotal role in many of the ensembles. The brand’s signature colour palette of black and white was accented briefly with a deep blue, seemingly a nod to a past collection from the founder.
While Gallici’s reverence for the brand’s founder is evident, one hopes he will receive ample time and space to carve out his distinctive perspective for this Belgian brand.
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