Market Focus

Russia and the Middle East were once destinations designers only traveled to for creative inspiration. But with a steady increase of Russians in Forbes magazine's world's richest list, and the geologically blessed Arab region of oil-rich countries also getting richer, designers now know that these regions can be more than exotic references in their work — they're burgeoning markets filled with luxury-hungry consumers. Many designers are now producing collections with pieces that will be devoured by women from these emerging luxury markets — and their concoctions are shamelessly opulent.

"With high-end fashion, I've noticed that the more expressive pieces tend to sell better," declares Sameer Reddy, Editor-in-Chief of Alef — an upscale and progressive lifestyle magazine whose targeted audience is Middle Eastern women — in describing the buying habits of the moneyed ladies in the Persian Gulf region. Similarly, in Russia, the world's largest fur market and one of the fastest-growing luxury markets, the more extravagant the pieces are, the better. And judging from the a/w '07–08 collections, women from these regions have plenty to choose from.

As the famous truant of the "less is more" design school of thought, Alexander McQueen sure knows how to glam it up, and his most recent outing used fur in many ways: as sleeves of a denim dress, a miniskirt with a tight bodice, a hauntingly dramatic hooded jacket, and as the trimming of a bag. Meanwhile, his fellow Central Saint Martins' alumnus John Galliano used maroon pelts as shawls and large cuffs — highly dramatic underneath a densely layered red satin coat — to tell his heavily ruffled, '20s-inspired story. Jean Paul Gaultier inventively bedecked tartan coats with fur, while at Dior, John Galliano had no qualms about ruffling PETA's feathers. Furs, dyed maroon, fuchsia, and even yellow-green, were audaciously prevalent. They came as voluptuous sleeves on the jacket of a skirt-suit made of leather, pockets and oversize lapels of a plum jacket, a headpiece, and hems and cuffs in coats. Though this is an easy way of conveying splendor, Galliano did not rely on pelts alone. Sequins, stones, gems, and crystals were at the waists of silk knee-length dresses, on the hem of a suede skirt, and copiously adorning a number of sleeves and the bodices of fantastically gaudy gowns straight out of Dynasty. Speaking of sequins, Elie Saab, who famously designed the dress Halle Berry wore when she won the Oscar for Monster's Ball, had a field day with them as cropped jackets, black cocktail dresses, miniskirts, and gowns sparkled alongside ultra-feminine lace detail and ethereal chiffon frocks. At Versace and Roberto Cavalli, glamorous gowns glittered in metallic adornments, while this OTT look reached its zenith with corseted and crumpled metallic outfits, sequined bell-sleeved leopard-print blouses and dresses, skin-tight lace frocks, and tulle-covered fur coats from Dolce & Gabbana's glorious brand of baroque ostentation.

Clearly, when these collections were conceived, an end user was in mind. So what does this mean for the design process? As Reddy puts it: "In the end, I think all design is about solving a problem. With fashion, it's about solving the problem of what to wear. So having a particular consumer in mind when designing doesn't necessarily seem problematic — unless the designer's core values are being compromised in order to attract a larger customer base."

The aforementioned designers really didn't stray too far from their own aesthetic agendas. It just so happens that their penchant for extravagance, though not in keeping with fashion's current zeitgeist, is being rewarded handsomely.
-Robert Cordero

Photos:
Dior a/w '07-'08
Jean Paul Gaultier a/w '07-'08
Alexander McQueen a/w '07-'08
Alef magazine
Dolce & Gabbana in Villa Moda
Elie Saab a/w '07-'08