Fashion is one of the biggest industries on the planet. It’s powered by women as customers, as muses for brands, and as day-to-day workers. Yet so many of the Leadership positions at the very top of these brands are still filled by men. Creative directors, heads of womenswear designs, more often than not, they’re men. I’m not saying men shouldn’t design or have a seat at the table. Plenty of these men design incredibly. It’s just interesting how often men claim to know exactly what women want to wear and have the place to showcase this.
Every fashion month, TikTok revives the “you can tell when a designer loves women” trend which typically showcases the houses where a man is the creative director. There are brands where you feel that affection in the silhouette, the fabric, the way a dress drapes across the body. Names like Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Georges Hobeika pop up in those conversations because they deliver gowns, tailoring, and Ready-to-Wear that feel like well thought out fantasy. Not everything is casual, most of it is not intended to, but the proportions, the movement, and the respect for the female body, you can tell the woman in the garment wasn’t an afterthought.
Louise Trotter at Bottega
Bottega Veneta’s recent Ready-to-Wear show under Louise Trotter hit fashion week like a deep exhale. It was precise and inventive without needing to scream. You could see the hours in the craft, it was couture techniques for a Ready-to-Wear collection. The textures, innovations, which incorporated sustainability into its designs, and the finishings made the pieces not just a piece of clothing but an investment that would last. Most importantly, it felt like clothes women would truly want to wear. The reaction people had about her debut collection was very telling: People are starving for more women's clothing designed by women.
Dario Vitale at Versace
Another creative director debut that was talked about for the wrong reasons was Dario Vitale at Versace. We all watched that brand build a legacy since 1978, based on glamor that’s sexy and empowering. Gianni was the founder and the first creative director of his brand and later his sister Donatella took over after his death. Versace focuses on garments that flatter the female form with confidence and precision. So when Dario debuted his first runway as creative director and took the brand in a new direction, the reaction was split. The garments that walked were heavily inspired by the 80’s and focused on more casual everyday outfits and didn't showcase a single gown. The clothes were ill fitting and unfinished, on purpose. The styling of the garments had pant zippers down as they walked and then hems of the tank tops were left incomplete which made the brand turn from dripping with luxury to cheap fast fashion.
Balance, Not Exile
The imbalance of men and women in leadership is not a lack of talent. Fashion schools are mostly comprised of women but only make up 12% of the creative directors. I’m not calling for men to exit the world of fashion completely. I’m just asking for more balance, more listening, and innovation that pushes the industry forward, not backward. This way we can keep the drama, keep the trends, but make it make sense to the fashion brand and the customer. Fashion doesn’t have to choose between art and use. The best houses prove that they never have.
