High & Low: the documentary on John Galliano was released last friday, on March 8
On 8 March 2024, was released High & Low, the documentary about John Galliano, one of the most important designers of our time and one of the most controversial. Read on to find out more.
High & Low: the documentary about John Galliano
The documentary chronicling the intricate life of John Galliano was released to the public last Friday, 8 March 2024. It will narrate the intricate and controversial life of the iconic designer, proposing a different vision of him than the one we are used to, more detached from the fashion world and focused more on the facets of his extravagant personality.
The documentary will last about two hours, where we will be immersed in Galliano’s personal history, also thanks to the inclusion of numerous interviews recorded at his home in the south of France. Speaking will not only be the designer himself, but also some historical friends such as Anna Wintour, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Charlize Theron, as well as Sidney Toledano, CEO of LMVH Fashion Group since February 2018 and former CEO of Fashion House Dior, and Philippe Virgitti, the protagonist of the controversial 2011 scandal, which marked the end of the designer’s tenure at the house of Dior.
The director responsible for making the film was Kevin Macdonald, who emphasised from the outset his strong interest in the figure of the designer, despite never having been particularly fascinated by the fashion world in the past. Galliano and his creative genius revolutionised the fashion industry from the 1990s to the early 2000s, leaving an indelible mark.
Although often misunderstood, John has succeeded in conveying the true meaning of the art of fashion, through his over-the-top proposals, which present a union of stories and parallel universes, within which we are allowed to travel only through his creations and a fervent imagination. Perhaps Galliano is not for everyone, but only for those who are truly able to go beyond appearance and superficiality, to open up to a broader and deeper projection of the essence of the human soul in all its nuances, down to the darkest ones.
In short, the expression of this artist is fashion, but John Galliano is much more than that. This is what Kevin Macdonald wants us to discover with his documentary dedicated to the life of the designer born in 1960 in the Gibraltar peninsula.
THE 2011 SCANDAL
2011 is the year of the scandal that brings the race to a halt for the designer. Galliano is the protagonist of an episode of anti-Semitic verbal violence against a couple in the premises of a Parisian bar. The incident will be filmed and later publicised by the British newspaper The Sun.
The episode will trigger a severe chain reaction of controversy against the couturier with the consequent taking of a position by the maison Dior, which will fire him on the spot. The image damage caused is too great and Christian Dior, which owns 91% of the shares of the Maison John Galliano, will also suspend the designer from the creative direction of his brand.
Galliano has received many awards and accolades throughout his career, including: four British Designer of the Year nominations, the appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire, the CFDA’s international award for best designer and the French Légion d’honneur.
REBIRTH: GALLIANO AT MAISON MARGIELA
2014 is the year of rebirth for the designer. Renzo Rosso is pushing for Galliano’s appointment as creative director of Maison Margiela. Jhon has learnt his lesson and starts again thanks to his passion for his work while keeping a low profile away from the press:
“I have spent my life pushing myself and others beyond the limits in the name of couture. That’s enough now. End of story. I just want to be a creator of clothes’.
Galliano began experimenting, bringing innovation and personality to Margiela’s Haute Couture line. In 2018, the maison’s first men’s collection by John Galliano debuted. The deconstructed clothes with upside-down cuts blend with the legacy of Martin Margiela, the brand’s founder.
The Maison Margiela show during Haute Couture Week 2024
Maison Margiela’s fashion show during Haute Couture Week 2024 has already become a cult, bringing to the catwalk a perfect union between a taste for the worn and decadent and an unprecedented elegance.
Galliano took us to a show where bodies and clothes floated in the magical eeriness conveyed by the location, with a triumph of silk organza, velvet and satin, horsehair and felt, chiffon and golden satin.
It was the enchanting suggestion of a journey through time and the oneiric, in a fusion of Alice in Wonderland with the aesthetics narrated by Victor Hugo and Balzac, crowned by a touch of Vivienne Westwood’s unmistakable style, all set on a rainy Parisian night in a vaulted warehouse under the Pont Alexandre III, an abandoned and disused place. Another reference is surely to the direction of Baz Luhrmann, who made the introductory short for Maison Margiela, and his film ‘Moulin Rouge’.
Click here to find out more about Maison Margiela’s SS 2024 ‘Artisanal’ collection, which majestically closed Paris Haute Couture Week 2024.
THE GALLIANO STYLE
Galliano plays with history and current affairs without ever renouncing irony, but above all amazement. He does this also through his shows, which are real shows designed and accompanied by special effects that enhance the experience of the collection. The dress returns to be a dream, a desire, sometimes exotic, romantic, vintage, futuristic, sometimes all together but with a wearability that enhances the wearer, in the present.
In 2003, John Galliano opened his first single-brand boutique in Paris, rue Saint Honoré, followed by those in New York and Tokyo; the same year he launched his first men’s line. But it was between 2007 and 2008 that the brand’s real commercial and territorial expansion took place. In fact, a second ready-to-wear line (produced by Ittierre), a children’s line “Galliano Kidswear” and more jewellery, perfumes, watches, costumes and accessories were added to the product range.
Conclusions: High & Low, the documentary about John Galliano, was launched in Italy on 8 March 2024.
Read more:
“The New Look” Dior series 2024
“Cristóbal Balenciaga” series launched in Disney+ 2024
Women’s Day: Important icons inside in fashion history
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