What To Make Of Creative Directors Today?

When tie-ups and three-year-long creative director stints have become the norm in fashion, moncler bucks the trend by hiring the jil sander/phoebe philo-trained veronica leoni (opposite) as the women’s creative director of its 2 moncler 1952 line. (one of only two ranges under the brand’s moncler genius project that’s not by a guest collaborator, it had been designed by the in-house team until her appointment last year.) ahead of the launch of her third collection this month, gordon ng gets an exclusive with this understated ‘insider’b on why a role like hers remains pivotal.

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YOU CAME ON BOARD FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF TWO COLLECTIONS BY THE IN-HOUSE TEAM. WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR APPOINTMENT SAYS ABOUT HOW MONCLER – AND FASHION – VIEW THE ROLE OF DESIGNERS TODAY?

“I believe in creative directors! Of course, the ideal conditions vary from project to project, but when we talk about luxury, I think it’s not just about designing clothes. There’s storytelling, a system of values and a subjective aesthetic that is vital to create motivation, desire and value. The goal is to establish solid and reliable relationships with our community and the dialogue should be as direct as possible.”

DOES TAKING OVER FROM THE IN-HOUSE TEAM OF SUCH AN ESTABLISHED LABEL AS OPPOSED TO A CREATIVE DIRECTOR AFFECT THE WAY YOU DESIGN?

“I try to walk on the edge during the whole process of creation, letting myself be contaminated by Moncler and actively twisting the house’s original codes into something new, possibly closer to my own original inspiration. Authenticity to both sides is the secret ingredient to the mixture. I think 1952 needed, first of all, to define its own community of women and then try to design around this particular type of femininity, reinterpreting Moncler archetypes and bringing them into a contemporary wardrobe. I firmly believe in the possibility of interpretations with freedom and no boundaries.”