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Vetements
Vetements
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VETEMENTS (from vêtements [vɛtmɑ͂]; French for "clothes") started in 2014[1] as a Swiss luxury fashion house and "design collective"[2] founded by Georgian fashion designers Demna Gvasalia[3] and Guram Gvasalia.[4] The brand experienced near-immediate success, with Demna being hired to Balenciaga after only three collections at Vetements.[5]

Key Information

In 2019 Demna left the brand.[6] Guram Gvasalia is the current Creative Director.[7]

Runway shows

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The first Vetements collection was presented a gallery during the AW14-15 season in Paris, France.

The second collection, Vetements' first show, was for the SS15 season,[8] and was presented at Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris, France.

The third collection, AW15-16 was shown again during Paris Fashion Week at Le Dépot, a sex club in Paris. The SS16 show took place on October 1, 2015, at Le Président Restaurant in the Belleville neighborhood in Paris, France.[9]

The AW16-17 show took place at the American Cathedral of Paris on Paris' famous avenue George V.[10][11]

For the SS17 season, Vetements were invited to show on the first evening of Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, during store hours at the famous French department store, Galeries Lafayette underneath its famous cupola.[12] Vetements worked with 17 different heritage brands including Brioni and Juicy Couture to present a runway full of varying collaborations each representing the mastery of their individual markets.

The AW17-18 show took place at Centre Georges Pompidou, the largest museum for modern art in Europe on January 24, 2017.[13]

The SS18 collection was launched with a "NO SHOW" event,[14] consisting of a concert and exhibit of photographs taken by Demna Gvasalia of the new collection as shoot around Zürich, Switzerland, where they had recently moved its headquarters.

For their AW18-19 collection, Vetements returned to the runway, this time off the official calendar, showing outside of Paris in the antique markets of Marché Paul Bert Serpette in Saint-Ouen, France.[15]

The brand's SS19 collection, its tenth collection, reflected deeply on the Gvasalias' upbringing in and eventual departure from war-torn Georgia. It took place in Paris on July 1, 2018, underneath the Boulevard Périphérique.[16] Many street cast models were flown in from Georgia for the show.

References

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from Grokipedia
Vetements is a Swiss luxury founded in 2014 by Georgian designers Demna Gvasalia and his brother Guram Gvasalia as a focused on redefining contemporary through subversive, deconstructed designs inspired by everyday and post-Soviet . Headquartered in under VETEMENTS GROUP AG, the brand initially gained prominence for its oversized silhouettes, asymmetric details, and ironic appropriations of logos from brands like and , blending high with utilitarian elements to challenge traditional luxury norms. In 2019, Demna Gvasalia stepped down as to focus on his role at , leaving Guram Gvasalia to lead the brand's creative and business operations, shifting toward more provocative and politically charged collections. Under Guram Gvasalia's direction, Vetements has continued to emphasize rebellion and cultural commentary, as seen in its Spring/Summer 2026 collection presented at in October 2025, which featured anonymous models, anti-fascist messaging, and appearances by celebrities like and in a decaying urban setting to underscore themes of disruption and social urgency. The brand's influence extends to its role in popularizing within luxury fashion, with signature pieces like distressed hoodies and exaggerated coats that prioritize attitude and wearability over conventional elegance.

History

Founding and Early Development

Vetements was established in 2014 in , , by Georgian brothers Demna Gvasalia, who served as the creative lead, and Guram Gvasalia, who handled business management. The brand originated as a design comprising Demna and a small group of collaborators, many from his time at Maison , with the explicit aim of challenging the rigid structures of the traditional fashion industry. This approach emphasized anonymity and over individual stardom, positioning Vetements as an entity from its inception. The initial ethos of Vetements centered on subverting luxury fashion norms through the creation of deconstructed, wearable garments drawn from everyday life, , and utilitarian . Demna Gvasalia sought to blend synthetic materials like and with oversized silhouettes and "ugly" , transforming ordinary items—such as T-shirts or basic dresses—into elevated pieces that critiqued opulence while prioritizing functionality and real-world appeal. As Gvasalia explained, " shouldn’t make you dream in 2016. It should just be there, for us to wear." This philosophy manifested in collections that reworked existing clothing with meticulous tailoring, fostering a punk-infused against Paris's conservative scene. Vetements' early collections were unveiled in unconventional Parisian venues to underscore their disruptive intent. The debut Autumn/Winter 2014-15 lineup was presented in a gallery, featuring reworked staples and deconstructed eveningwear. The Spring/Summer 2015 show followed at Espace , marking the brand's first presentation with asymmetric cuts and elongated trousers. For Autumn/Winter 2015-16, the collection of industrial androgynous pieces, including oversized shearling jackets and harness belts, was staged at Le Dépôt, a gritty with red strip lighting, to evoke underground club culture. The Spring/Summer 2016 presentation occurred at Le Président, a kitschy in Belleville, where models navigated a serpentine amid banquet tables, further amplifying the brand's rejection of polished norms. The brand experienced a swift ascent following its 2015 Paris Fashion Week debut, bolstered by high-profile celebrity endorsements and strong commercial interest. Figures like , , and attended shows and adopted signature pieces, such as hoodies and jeans, propelling Vetements into cult status. Within two seasons, items priced from $700 sweatshirts to $3,500 leather jackets sold rapidly, earning a nomination for the Prize and solidifying Vetements' influence on luxury . This momentum paved the way for Demna Gvasalia's subsequent appointment as creative director at later that year.

Growth and Leadership Transitions

In the late 2010s, Vetements underwent significant expansion, relocating its headquarters and design operations from to , , in early 2017. The move to a four-story building in Zurich's quarter, equipped with an and archive, was driven by economic factors such as lower taxes, as well as cultural ties for the Georgian-born Gvasalia brothers, who sought a more stable base for growth. This relocation coincided with the establishment of Vetements Group AG in 2016 by Guram Gvasalia, which oversaw the brand's operations and facilitated increased production capacity to meet rising global demand. By 2017, Vetements had achieved a notable international retail footprint through wholesale partnerships with luxury retailers like , , , and Mr Porter, alongside temporary pop-up stores that enhanced its cult status worldwide. Demna Gvasalia's appointment as of in October marked a pivotal moment, requiring him to balance leadership at both brands while elevating Vetements' profile through innovative designs. He continued contributing to Vetements' creative direction amid this dual role, but the demands intensified, leading to his full departure from the label on September 16, 2019, to focus exclusively on . This transition reflected Vetements' maturation from a niche to a more structured entity, allowing the brand to sustain momentum without its founding designer's day-to-day involvement. Following Demna's exit, Guram Gvasalia, who had served as CEO since the brand's , assumed the role of sole in December 2021, effective for the fall 2022 collection. This internal shift signaled a strategic pivot toward more accessible and youth-focused , drawing on Guram's to refine Vetements' identity for broader appeal while maintaining its subversive edge. The appointment underscored the brothers' ongoing collaboration, albeit from separate vantage points, as Guram steered the brand through post-pandemic recovery. Financially, Vetements experienced robust growth during this period, with revenues approaching $100 million by 2017, fueled by initiatives like limited-edition drops and pop-up experiences that bypassed traditional retail markups. This model, combined with strong wholesale performance, positioned the brand comparably to established houses like and Saint Laurent in sales volume by 2018, despite its youth. The expansion under Vetements Group AG supported scaled production and investor interest, though details on external funding remained private.

Brand Philosophy and Aesthetic

Core Influences and Design Principles

Vetements' design ethos draws heavily from founder Demna Gvasalia's Georgian heritage, shaped by his experiences growing up in Georgia amid the 1992–1993 Abkhazian War, which instilled a sense of displacement and resourcefulness reflected in the brand's utilitarian and oversized silhouettes. Influences from Soviet-era aesthetics, such as , emblems like St. Basil's Cathedral, and functional garments reminiscent of wartime recycling, blend with critiques of high fashion's elitism, using these elements to subvert traditional luxury narratives. Urban street culture from cities like and further informs this foundation, incorporating subcultural motifs from raves, clubs, and youth groups to emphasize authenticity over polished ideals. Central to Vetements' principles is , where garments are refitted and seams exposed to highlight construction processes, transforming everyday items like parkas or puffers into statements on wearability and . This anti-trend approach rejects seasonal hype and conventional , prioritizing "bringing back to clothes" by focusing on practical, lived-in pieces that prioritize function over . The brand's oversized designs, such as hoodies and coats, challenge body norms and binaries through proportions that promote inclusivity and timeless appeal. Vetements was founded as a design collective, involving anonymous collaborators to democratize the creative process and avoid hierarchical authorship, allowing diverse inputs from friends and subcultural figures to shape collections organically. This model underscores the brand's stance, fostering a collaborative that mirrors street-level and critiques the industry's cult of the individual designer.

Signature Silhouettes and Motifs

Vetements is renowned for its oversized silhouettes, which form the cornerstone of its visual identity by exaggerating everyday garments to challenge conventional proportions. Elongated hoodies, wide-leg trousers, and distorted jackets are scaled up dramatically, often graded 16 sizes larger than standard fits, creating a sense of volume and distortion that emphasizes comfort and . These proportions draw briefly from culture's emphasis on relaxed, functional forms, transforming them into high-fashion statements. Recurring motifs in Vetements' designs include safety-pinned details that add a punk-inspired edge, often used to secure or embellish hems, seams, and accessories like brooches and chokers. Logo parodies are another hallmark, with warped or ironic reinterpretations of , such as the famous delivery service prints on T-shirts and hoodies, which satirize consumer culture and work uniforms. Repurposed elements, including security vests and utility jackets, are deconstructed and elevated, blending practicality with appeal. The brand's gender-fluid designs promote inclusivity through sizing and adaptable pieces that transcend traditional binaries, often incorporating layering techniques for versatility and everyday wearability. Influences from and aesthetics appear in padded constructions, cargo pockets, and patterns, prioritizing functionality while layering oversized items like parkas over hoodies to evoke a rugged, protective . Under Guram Gvasalia, Vetements has evolved toward more playful and ironic graphics, incorporating meme-inspired prints such as references to or warped pop culture icons, which inject humor and contemporaneity into the brand's oversized framework. This shift maintains the core motifs while amplifying a lighter, subversive tone.

Key Collections and Presentations

Debut and Mid-2010s Shows

Vetements' initial runway presentations marked a deliberate departure from conventional norms, beginning with the Spring/Summer 2015 collection shown at the Espace in , where the brand introduced its deconstructed everyday silhouettes to a select . This debut emphasized raw, unpolished energy, with models—often friends and family of the design collective—striding casually without the poised typical of professional catwalks, a signature approach that rejected industry glamour in favor of authenticity. The Autumn/Winter 2015 show further amplified this anti-establishment ethos by taking place at Le Dépôt, a historic industrial gay club in , transforming the gritty venue into a makeshift that highlighted Vetements' disdain for luxury pretensions. Here, non-professional walkers, including acquaintances of Demna Gvasalia, navigated the space informally, underscoring the brand's focus on relatable, oversized reinterpretations of staples like hoodies and . Venue selections like this industrial site served as provocative statements, aligning the presentations with Vetements' philosophy of subverting high fashion's elitism. For Autumn/Winter 2016-17, Vetements staged its show at the American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in , where guests sat in pews amid suspended flags of all 50 U.S. states and a faux flickering , evoking a satirical as models processed down the aisles. The collection featured exaggerated proportions in familiar garments, such as ballooning and voluminous outerwear, presented by a diverse cast of non-models who ambled with everyday nonchalance, further dismantling catwalk conventions. The Spring/Summer 2017 presentation escalated the brand's disruptive format by relocating to the department store, parodying commercial retail environments with models weaving through aisles and past checkout counters in a collaborative showcase involving 18 heritage brands, including Levi's for reworked and Juicy Couture for tracksuits. This venue choice critiqued consumer culture while maintaining the casual procession of friends, family, and eclectic walkers, reinforcing Vetements' mid-2010s commitment to accessible, anti-hierarchical fashion narratives.

Late 2010s and Transitional Periods

The late marked a transitional phase for Vetements, characterized by increasingly conceptual presentations that pushed the boundaries of traditional shows, even as Demna Gvasalia prepared to step down from the brand in September 2019 to focus on his role at . These collections from 2017 to 2019 reflected the label's maturation, blending high with cultural critique and personal introspection, while experimenting with non-traditional formats to challenge industry exhaustion. For the Autumn/Winter 2017-18 collection, Vetements staged its presentation at Paris's , Europe's largest , transforming the space into an immersive art installation that merged fashion with contemporary cultural commentary. The show featured a diverse cast of models in exaggerated stereotypes—such as oversized security uniforms, bridal gowns, and worker attire—to explore themes of identity and unity, emphasizing how clothing transcends social divides. Oversized elements, including monumental hoodies and robes, dominated the lineup, reinforcing the brand's signature of everyday garments within an artistic framework that echoed the venue's ethos. The Spring/Summer 2018 "NO SHOW" collection abandoned the conventional altogether, opting instead for a photo series shot by Gvasalia himself on the streets of , , using local non-models to showcase reworked archival pieces. This format, accompanied by a live event, served as a direct critique of fatigue, highlighting the exhaustion of repetitive spectacles and prioritizing authentic, street-level storytelling over staged extravagance. The images captured utilitarian items like DHL-inspired uniforms and casual outerwear in real urban settings, underscoring Vetements' commitment to subverting industry norms during a period of internal evolution. Vetements returned to a physical presentation for Autumn/Winter 2018-19, hosting the show amid the bustling corridors of the Serpette antique market in Saint-Ouen, on the outskirts of , to evoke a flea-market atmosphere that contrasted raw, vintage clutter with polished luxury designs. Models navigated the eclectic stalls lined with bric-a-brac, wearing elevated takes on everyday staples such as scarf-wrapped and voluminous coats, which blurred the lines between second-hand and high-end craftsmanship. This setting amplified the collection's theme of democratized luxury, positioning Vetements' ironic luxury amid accessible, chaotic commerce as a for the brand's own shifting identity. The Spring/Summer 2019 collection delved into Gvasalia's Georgian heritage, presenting an emotionally charged narrative inspired by his childhood experiences during the 1992–1993 Georgian–Abkhaz War, with over half the models hailing from Georgia to amplify underrepresented voices. Folk elements, including traditional patterns, embroidered motifs, and symbolic prints referencing national history, were integrated into oversized silhouettes and utilitarian pieces, creating a poignant fusion of personal memory and cultural revival. Select garments featured QR codes linked to an app that educated wearers on Georgia's turbulent past, transforming clothing into an interactive tool for historical awareness and emotional storytelling.

2020s Collections and Evolution

In response to the global , Vetements shifted to digital presentations for its collections, including the Autumn/Winter 2021 lineup conceived amid strict lockdowns, which focused on youth-oriented themes of hope and everyday wear without traditional events. This adaptation aligned with broader industry trends during 2020-2021 Paris Fashion Weeks, where physical gatherings were curtailed to prioritize protocols. In 2021, the brand introduced VTMNTS as a new sub-label aimed at younger consumers, featuring more accessible to refresh its identity after Demna's departure to . Guram Gvasalia was appointed as in December 2021. By 2022, Vetements returned to in-person shows at , marking a gradual evolution toward physical presentations that incorporated hybrid elements like livestreams for wider accessibility. This shift emphasized , evident in later collections' use of upcycled materials and commentary on environmental impact, reflecting the brand's adaptation to post-pandemic consumer priorities for ethical fashion. The Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear collection, presented at under Gvasalia's direction, comprised 90 oversized looks that played with stacked proportions, such as layered coats and exaggerated suiting in glittering fabrics and dramatic silhouettes. Celebrity guests including from and model enhanced the event's visibility, underscoring Vetements' continued blend of provocation and celebrity-driven spectacle. For Spring/Summer 2025, titled "Time To Clean Up The Mess," the collection addressed overconsumption and economic uncertainty through upcycled deadstock fabrics, DIY patchwork, and affordable dupes of luxury staples, staged in a semi-abandoned Parisian mall amid piles of colorful remnants. Opened by Travis Scott and featuring walkers like Gigi Hadid, Heidi Klum, and Anok Yai, the show highlighted sustainability via eco-conscious craftsmanship while critiquing fast fashion's excesses in a wary economic climate. This presentation reinforced Vetements' evolution toward more inclusive, message-driven designs under Gvasalia. The Spring/Summer 2026 collection, presented at in October 2025, featured anonymous models, anti-fascist messaging, and appearances by celebrities including and , set in a decaying urban environment to underscore themes of disruption and social urgency.

Controversies and Criticisms

Early Provocations and Collaborations

Vetements' early years were marked by deliberate provocations that blurred the lines between , luxury, and corporate branding, beginning prominently with the Spring/Summer 2016 collection featuring -inspired pieces. The standout items included hoodies and T-shirts that closely mimicked the uniforms of delivery workers, complete with the company's yellow-and-red logo prominently displayed. These designs were not official collaborations but rather satirical appropriations intended to critique consumer culture and the of everyday labor, yet they sparked immediate debate over and authenticity when they hit the runway at a casual venue in . Priced at around €200 for T-shirts and higher for hoodies, the collection sold out rapidly, generating significant hype and even earning an unexpected endorsement when 's CEO was spotted wearing one of the shirts. Building on this momentum, Vetements expanded into high-profile partnerships in 2017, starting with for a line of deconstructed sweatshirts that classic logos through exaggerated, ironic twists. These pieces transformed affordable athletic staples into luxury items, with hoodies retailing for approximately $775, emphasizing Vetements' signature oversized silhouettes to subvert traditional proportions. Similarly, the collaboration with introduced sneakers like modified versions of the Instapump Fury, featuring distorted logos and unconventional materials that mocked the commodification of athletic heritage while commanding premium prices upward of $500 per pair. These efforts positioned Vetements as a provocateur in the luxury-streetwear crossover, using to highlight the absurdity of branding in . The brand's approach drew sharp backlash from 2016 to 2018, particularly for charging exorbitant prices on items that riffed on low-cost subcultures, such as the hoodie estimated at around €1,000 in some resale contexts, which critics lambasted as exploitative profiteering from working-class . Fashion commentators argued that this pricing strategy commodified blue-collar uniforms and elements, turning them into status symbols for the elite and exacerbating debates on 's inherent . Runway presentations amplified these tensions, with models clad in security-inspired vests and during shows like Fall/Winter 2016, prompting discussions on whether such antics reinforced or challenged the industry's exclusivity by casting everyday archetypes in high- settings. Despite the criticism—or perhaps because of it—these provocations solidified Vetements' cult status, with oversized motifs in the and pieces becoming emblematic of its ethos.

Recent Backlash and Ethical Concerns

In 2021, Vetements faced significant backlash for its Fall/Winter 2021 menswear collection, which included pieces inspired by the pro-democracy protests, such as garments splashed with blue streaks mimicking the dye used by police to mark demonstrators. Critics accused the brand of exploiting real-world and human suffering for commercial gain, trivializing the protests' political gravity through high-fashion . CEO Guram Gvasalia defended the references as part of a broader commentary on global turmoil, but the move drew widespread condemnation from activists and media outlets for commodifying tragedy. Despite Vetements' longstanding anti-fashion rhetoric critiquing industry excess and capitalism—exemplified by motifs like "KAPITALISM" on T-shirts—the brand has been criticized for promoting overconsumption through its oversized silhouettes and premium pricing, which encourage frequent purchases of voluminous, resource-intensive garments. Observers highlighted the hypocrisy of charging hundreds for hoodies and jeans while positioning the label as accessible and subversive, arguing that such designs exacerbate waste in a sector already strained by fast-fashion parallels. This tension intensified post-2020, as the brand's emphasis on scarcity and trend-driven releases clashed with its purported disdain for luxury's throwaway culture. From 2023 onward, under Guram Gvasalia's creative direction following Demna's departure, Vetements has navigated debates on , with collections like Spring/Summer 2025 promoting a DIY ethos of and repurposing existing materials to "make new out of old," aiming to counter and waste. These efforts occur amid broader industry scrutiny of risks and ethical practices in luxury fashion. In October 2025, the Spring/Summer 2026 collection continued this provocative tradition with anti-fascist messaging, including crossed-out swastikas, presented in a decaying urban setting to underscore themes of , though it elicited limited criticism compared to prior controversies.

Business Operations and Legacy

Commercial Strategies and Collaborations

Vetements has primarily adopted a approach through its official website, vetements.com, allowing customers to purchase collections without intermediaries and maintaining control over branding and pricing. This strategy is complemented by temporary pop-up stores, such as the 2018 Paris outpost at Montaigne Market and collaborations with select boutiques like Maxfield in , which enable experiential retail without long-term commitments. The brand has largely avoided heavy reliance on traditional department stores, with reports indicating mixed sales performance and some retailers discontinuing stock due to inconsistent demand, prioritizing instead independent channels to preserve its image. Central to Vetements' commercial tactics is a pricing strategy that applies luxury markups to everyday basics, positioning the brand as high-end while funding its independent operations. For instance, simple T-shirts, often featuring minimal or satirical prints, retail for around €700, reflecting not just material costs but also the brand's emphasis on cultural commentary and exclusivity. This approach allows Vetements to sustain creative risks without external pressures, though it has drawn criticism for inflating prices on reinterpreted mass-market items. Vetements has pursued strategic collaborations to expand into accessories and broaden its appeal, often blending high with utilitarian or elements. A notable example is the 2017 attempt with , where the brand designed a capsule including bag-like items inspired by the retailer's functional , though it was ultimately scrapped due to contractual issues. In 2017, Vetements incorporated influences from icons like Supreme through satirical motifs in its collections, aligning with the era's collaboration boom without a formal joint release. Ongoing partnerships, such as with since 2022, have focused on platform sneakers that merge goth-inspired soles with Vetements' oversized silhouettes, extending the brand into footwear and accessories. In 2021, Vetements launched VTMNTS as a diffusion line to enhance accessibility and target younger demographics, particularly consumers seeking affordable entry points into luxury . This sub-brand offers simplified, logo-driven essentials like T-shirts and hoodies at lower price points, while serving as a platform for emerging talent through mentoring and financial support, aiming to disrupt conventional fashion hierarchies. VTMNTS positions itself as " for Gen Z," emphasizing inconspicuous luxury for self-expressive youth uninterested in overt status symbols.

Cultural Impact and Current Status

Vetements played a pivotal role in pioneering the fusion of and luxury fashion, blending oversized silhouettes, utilitarian motifs, and ironic branding to challenge traditional high-end aesthetics. This approach not only redefined luxury as accessible yet subversive but also inspired subsequent brands like Off-White, which adopted similar deconstructive techniques to bridge with couture. The brand's influence extended to mainstream collaborations, such as Adidas's post-Vetements partnerships that popularized hybrid sportswear-luxury lines, signaling a broader industry shift toward democratized high . Celebrity endorsements further amplified Vetements' anti-establishment appeal, with figures like and frequently adopting its signature pieces, such as the oversized , to embody a rebellious pop culture ethos. West's early championing of the brand helped propel it into the spotlight, while Rihanna's street-style appearances underscored its versatility in blending casual rebellion with star power, embedding Vetements within global . This visibility transformed the label from an insider favorite into a symbol of cultural defiance against fashion's elite norms. As a disruptor, Vetements shifted the industry toward greater inclusivity by featuring diverse models across ages, ethnicities, and body types on its runways, promoting a more representative vision of luxury that prioritized real-world wearability over idealized forms. Its ironic motifs—such as on workwear-inspired garments—introduced humor and into high , encouraging consumers to question and authenticity in an era dominated by fast-fashion saturation. However, this legacy now faces challenges from the proliferation of imitators, diluting the brand's subversive edge amid widespread trend commodification. In 2025, Vetements remains active under creative director Guram Gvasalia, who took over following his brother Demna's departure to Balenciaga, with the brand headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The Spring/Summer 2025 collection, titled "Time To Clean Up The Mess," critiques overconsumption by encouraging DIY customization and reflection on waste, aligning with broader calls for sustainability in luxury fashion amid economic pressures and consumer fatigue. This direction continued with the Spring/Summer 2026 collection presented at Paris Fashion Week in October 2025, which emphasized provocation through anti-fascist messaging, anonymous models, and a decaying urban setting, reinforcing the brand's role as a cultural provocateur.

References

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