The Realities of Re{form} Zara
By Milena Lyons
What happens when one of fashion’s most recognizable designers collaborates with one of the world's biggest fashion retailers? For fashionistas, the answer could be a collection that sells out before they even get a chance to try and buy it. The highly anticipated John Galliano x Zara collaboration, Re{form} Zara, brings together two different sides of the industry.
Editor | Bradley Erickson
John Galliano is a London-based designer known for his dramatic designs, theatrical runway shows, and his influential work at Dior and Maison Margiela. However, it is important to be aware that his career is also one marked by controversy. In 2011, Galliano was dismissed from Dior following antisemitic remarks made in Paris and was later convicted by a French court. Although he has since publicly apologized, his actions continue to raise concern about how to balance the relationship between someone’s creative achievements and personal accountability. More recently, a planned exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was cancelled following public backlash. This collaboration with Zara comes at an interesting time while the industry continues to juggle recognizing both his legacy and his faults.
There is a unique contradiction in a collection like this as well, since Zara is a company built around making fashion more accessible. Yet the excitement surrounding this collaboration makes this collection for Zara basically unobtainable. It also raises a bigger question about what being “accessible” really means for a brand that has faced criticism over labor practices linked to its fast-fashion model. Maybe the appeal isn’t buying a designer-inspired piece at an affordable price but owning something special that most people can’t get.
With Galliano involved, customers might view the collection in a different way. His name carries a history in luxury fashion, so having to be attached to a brand like Zara brings a different sense of importance that this collection would have on its own. For longtime followers of his work, the collection offers an opportunity to own something connected to that legacy without the traditional luxury price tag.
Will those racing even wear these items, or will they serve as collectible status symbols exuding wealth and scandal? Some pieces will likely become a collector's item, especially with Galliano’s avid followers. Social media also furthers this demand by allowing the collection to reach audiences who may have never heard of the designer or the brand before. For some customers, the appeal might not just be the designs themselves, but the fact that it has Galliano’s luxury name behind it. This collection also challenges the notion that an item having a lower price point means it has a lower style as well. For customers that might have never had the opportunity to buy a Galliano piece at a luxury price, Zara offers a way to have this experience.
This collaboration also highlights the increasingly blurred line between luxury fashion and fast fashion. Galliano’s career has always been defined by high fashion, while Zara is known for bringing microtrends to the mass market. Their collaboration shows that affordability does not always mean sacrificing creativity and design. A product can be more accessible in price while still having a visual impact and luxury association. However, the excitement surrounding this collection creates another contradiction. A brand build around price point accessibility has created a collection that most customers will not be able to get. With limited quantities and hype around the release, does affordability still matter if only a select few can get their hands on it?
The Re{form} Zara collaboration shows that sometimes people buy more than just a piece of clothing. With Galliano’s name behind it, a more affordable brand like Zara can suddenly sell something people are fighting to get their hands on. Possibly that is what makes this specific collaboration so interesting. It challenges the idea that desirable fashion must be expensive and proves that affordable does not mean ordinary. With designer collaborations becoming more and more common, the collection shows that a luxury-inspired piece can have a lower price point without stripping away its appeal. If luxury is about owning what everyone else wants, you might want to get in line before it’s gone.
