Luxury, drama and rivalries. While fashion week in full swing in Paris since Monday, a documentary series broadcast this Wednesday and Thursday at 9:10 p.m. on Culturebox (also available on France.tv), reveals behind the scenes of the fashion world. In contrast to this light and joyful celebration, the four 50-minute episodes look behind the scenes of this industry and the rise of two competing empires, LVMH and Gucci.
Titled Luxury, the factory of dreamsthis British series produced by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, producers of the highly acclaimed documentary McQueen in 2018, is particularly effective. Starting with its form, which combines theatricality, moments of tension and twists and turns. Without forgetting its sophisticated theme song which is reminiscent of that of The Crown. Basically, reality goes far beyond fiction. Violence, sex, drama… The series without hesitation deserves its nickname “ Game Of Thrones of fashion” by certain media.
Mountains of gold and power
In George RR Martin’s saga, the Lannister and Targaryen families pull the strings of history. Here, the main characters are Bernard Arnault and François Pinault. One is nicknamed the “wolf in cashmere”, the other is compared to a lion. On the one hand, LVMH, at the head of the flagship of French fashion that are the houses Dior, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton. On the other, the PPR group (now Kering) with, among others, the flamboyant Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen. There is obviously no question of conspiracies or bloody weddings. But the series traces the rise of these two clans which clashed with spectacular takeovers and hostile takeover bids, from the mid-1980s to the early 2010s.
Archive images are mixed with old interviews with the two CEOs and the creators of their teams. Former collaborators of these major fashion houses also testify there as well as a plethora of specialized journalists, including Carine Roitfeld (former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris) or Dana Thomas, author of the book Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster from which the series is inspired. Beautiful people who are outspoken and paint a vitriolic portrait of these great fortunes.
If power issues are at the heart of the story, games of influence also play a major role. Like Anna Wintour, the popess of fashion, editor-in-chief of Vogue US since 1988. She is the one who makes and breaks careers with a snap of her fingers and whispers in the ear of investors. Between them, they are shaping the world of luxury into a thriving, sprawling sector and sowing irrepressible desires for handbags in the heads of millions of consumers across the planet. As the series reminds us, the global fashion market currently represents 3,000 billion dollars.
Sex and violence
Did you think the world of Westeros was ruthless? The luxury sector is not bad in its genre either. An area where the law of the strongest (or the richest) reigns and where battles are fought in the mysteries of the Stock Exchange or in law firms. There are collateral victims of financial dealings and massive layoffs. Without forgetting the disastrous consequences of the textile industry on the planet and working conditions. A particularly dramatic sequence returns to the parade organized by Alexander McQueen in 2009 and called “Horn of plenty”. As gloomy as they were splendid, the models paraded around a huge dump placed in the center of the stage, a metaphor for an industry that is as polluting as it is voracious.
Another essential storyline, the series is not left out in terms of sex. It hides on the side of collections and the famous “chic porn”. Its undisputed master is none other than Tom Ford, at the head of Gucci in the 1990s. He developed a particularly sensual and erotic aesthetic and allowed the Italian house to turn its fortunes around and its finances. Until his own bankruptcy.
Coronations and tears
Luxury, the factory of dreams, weaves the story of phenomenal rises but also intimate falls. Those of the four men who embodied fashion at the end of the 20th century: Tom Ford, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen. Nicknamed “the Texan”, the first brought Gucci back from its ashes until the machine ran out of steam and he resigned in the early 2000s. John Galliano, “the gifted man of fashion”, made the house of Dior sparkle before burning his wings in alcohol and drugs. He was dismissed from his position in 2011 after his arrest following a complaint for anti-Semitic remarks. He was convicted the same year for “public insults”. Marc Jacobs dusted off Louis Vuitton by giving it a stamp street, notably thanks to his collaboration with the artist Stephen Sprouse. Annoyed, he announced his surprise departure in 2013. And then there is Alexander McQueen, “the enfant terrible of fashion”. An undisputed genius, a vulnerable and sensitive creator, he ended his life in 2011. Four extraordinary destinies which involve both glory and tragedy.
Dragons and fantastic animals
What would an episode of GOT without its majestic dragons and spells? We see you coming: “gnagnagna dragons don’t exist in real life”. Think again. These fantastic animals are made of taffeta, silk and feathers and come straight from the creators’ overflowing imagination. A bitter tale of the fashion industry, the documentary series nevertheless pays homage to the most beautiful outfits created by the stylists of Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Givenchy. A special mention for Galliano’s sensational parades and McQueen’s fabulous creatures. A touch of magic in this particularly dark tale for adults.