When the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York announced plans to dedicate an exhibition and a Met Gala to John Galliano, the fashion world, and those of us who simply love fashion, could hardly contain ourselves. It would have been only the third time a living designer received such an honour, after Yves Saint Laurent in 1983 and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons in 2017. A month ago, the exhibition was cancelled, and we were disappointed and, frankly, surprised.
Why the Met tribute fell through
The reason is no secret. In 2011, the former Dior designer was convicted of a hate crime following a series of racist and antisemitic outbursts, and was dismissed by Dior that same year. When the Met plans were announced, the backlash was swift and broad, with museum patrons, New York politicians and prominent Jewish leaders objecting, according to The Guardian. His own biographer, Dana Thomas, criticised the idea in The New York Times.
Those objections deserve to be taken seriously, and Galliano himself has not tried to wave them away. In withdrawing from the exhibition, he said he remained "fully accountable for the pain caused by my words", apologising in particular to the Jewish and Asian communities.
Others in the industry, Anna Wintour among them, have stood by him, arguing that he has atoned and that, 15 years on, there should be room for forgiveness. Galliano was struggling with addiction at the time of the remarks.
Zara holds its nerve
Where the Met stepped back, Zara did not. The Spanish fast fashion brand, owned by Inditex, has released Galliano's debut collection for the label, called Re{form}.
Pulling out was never a realistic option. According to The Guardian, the collection, photographed by Steven Meisel, has been years in the making and has cost a great deal of money. On Thursday morning, shoppers queued outside Zara's Bond Street store in London for the launch.
Industry voices quoted by the newspaper describe the partnership as a major coup for the brand. Fashion critic Philippe Pourhashemi noted that, on paper, a designer of Galliano's stature working with a high-street platform barely makes sense.
Affordable, wearable and Galliano at the same time?
Prices for the collection run from £17.99 to £699. The pieces were conceived from archival Zara garments and produced in entirely new materials, framed as a dialogue between Galliano and the brand's own history.
And here lies the paradox. Galliano built his name on theatrical, storybook fashion, not on clothes you can wear to the office. A wearable, affordable Galliano almost sounds like a contradiction in terms.
Yet the inspiration could not be more his own. The designs draw on the characters of Les Incroyables, his celebrated 1984 graduate collection, which looked to the defiant dandies and divas of post-revolutionary France. Speaking to Vogue, Galliano said he had no intention of dumbing down for a mainstream market.
A business decision as much as a creative one
The move is not without its critics. Zara has faced past allegations over the treatment of workers, and some observers see the collaboration as part of an effort to polish its image and position itself as a brand of affordable luxury, a step above Shein, Temu and Primark.
Fashion historian Tony Glenville suggested the partnership is more about reputation than sales, noting that many pieces from designer collaborations never reach the shop floor. Galliano has signed a two-year contract, which may be extended if the collection proves a success.
