Creative Direction in the Fashion Industry: Open Discussion with Alithia Spuri-Zampetti
Understanding the creative and strategic mechanisms that allow fashion designers to work within a team under the guidance of a creative director constitutes an essential step in the preparation of young designers for their future professional lives. Alithia shared her various experiences in Milan, Paris and London – from Valentino and Bottega Veneta to Alber Elbaz at Lanvin and now Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen – with Parsons Paris Junior students who are currently finalizing a company project with a historical brand for which they have been asked to position themselves as creative directors. She clarified the importance of repositioning the brand starting from the strategic management of its legacy, the creation of a storytelling that connects the heritage of the brand with new references, the focus on a strong “feeling” that speaks to today’s wearers rather than on products and the crucial role of team work, including the close and vital collaboration with CEOs, finance, production, commercial and communication managers within a company. She also stressed the massive change happening in fashion today and the important role that the younger generation of designers plays in this much-needed change.