We Finally Have a Glimpse of John Galliano's Collection for Zara
The controversial designer reinterpreted the brand’s archive into something all his own
Steven Meisel; Courtesy Zara
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year for John Galliano. In March, the designer—arguably one of the most talented living—announced an impending creative partnership with global fashion retailer Zara. Over the summer, the Met officially designated him honoree of the annual Costume Institute exhibition and gala, then canceled it one month later amidst growing pushback around his previously documented instances of antisemitic and anti-Asian behavior. Now, his work with the global fashion retailer has come to fruition with a collection titled Re{form}.
Steven Meisel; Courtesy Zara
The moniker refers to his approach: Galliano dug into Zara’s archives, reinterpreting their “archetypes”—what we laymen might consider basics like a slip dress or a button-down—in fantastical ways. He brought his considerable couture skill set to the reworking of these shapes with new materials. A khaki skirt is bunched and knotted into an asymmetrical adornment that looks almost floral in nature. The top of a wool coat, sliced ragged at the chest, falls in a tulle sheath finished with a band of faux fur at the shin. Another skirt appears almost like a traditional wool plaid pencil silhouette at the front, but turn it around, and a quarter of a lace-trimmed slip is revealed.
Steven Meisel; Courtesy Zara
The collection’s first installment is genderless and plays with one of his favorite motifs: “Les Incroyables and Les Merveilleuses,” whom the press release refers to as “the defiant dandies and divas of post-Revolutionary France.” (It’s a nod to Galliano’s 1984 Saint Martins graduation collection of the same name.) His work at Christian Dior is the most obvious reference—these themes often appeared in his collections from 1996 to 2011. He also nods to the Margiela era that followed—specifically the famed Artisanal 2024 collection—in the mesh whisper of a dress trimmed with ribbon and tulle roses and laid over a blush pink bias-cut slip dress.
The whole collection carries Galliano’s deconstructionist whimsy. You can see it in a simple piece like an archival black pant “re{form}ed” into a Napoleonic high-waisted trouser, and in much more elaborate pieces, like an archival slip dress made into an empire-line dress in rose-gold, foil-printed cotton lace with puff sleeves with star-shaped vinyl cut-outs. There are even shoes—note the “winklepickers” boots with elongated toes—and bags. His handbag design, titled the “Trichic,” looks almost like a trash bag, a pouch rendered in patent black or metallic leather and strung with a chain strap.
Steven Meisel; Courtesy Zara
Even if the politics of the moment weren’t explosive, this would be a dramatic time for the collection to go live because of the collectors’ market: Galliano’s vintage pieces have been commanding extreme prices of late. When businesswoman and socialite Mona Ayoub sold her private Dior collection at auction earlier this year, the only items that fetched over 100,000 euros—and there were 18 of them—were from Galliano’s era. A few even made over 600,000 euros. Compare that to the Zara collection, which begins at $29.90 and goes up to $999, and it’s likely none of these pieces will stay in stock for long.
The collection will be unveiled in an installation, accessible by appointment via Zara.com at the Hôtel Particulier, during Paris Fashion Week. The collection will be available to shop globally beginning October 1.
Originally published by harpersbazaar.com. Syndicated material does not necessarily reflect the views of Vogue British.
