HERITAGE, NOW

These designers are rewriting the stories of their lives' work with big ideas, iconoclastic spirits, and plenty of heart.

- RYDER HO

Chanel

Fashion throws the term heritage around a lot, but many rarely explore its actual meaning and the forms it takes beyond the surface. Often, when we think of heritage, we just imagine a compendium of founder stories and brand codes that have been repeated so many times and widely that they are now regarded as part of fashion lore.

But there is a reason brands lean into their heritage: stories and symbols hold great power.

It is why introduction almost 100 years after its Coco Chanel's tweed suit remains a wardrobe staple. It is also why you can never see a wasp-waisted silhouette without thinking of Christian Dior's 1947 New Look. His Bar jacket has remained a cornerstone of Maria Grazia Chiuri's stewardship of the brand to this day. Tweed is just a material, and the Bar is just a silhouette. But heritage confers value on both visual codes.

Dior

The Time Is Now

A new generation of designers is building their own heritage brands today. While they may not have the marketing dollars of the conglomerates, their visions are crystal-clear, and their codes, emblems, values, and aesthetics have coalesced into fully formed universes.

One of the most exciting talents to emerge in this decade is Marine Serre, who has built a commercially and critically successful brand combining her aesthetically singular vision with a focus on creating consciously and sustainably in the few years since winning the LVMH Prize in 2017.