PrintCynical folks say there’s nothing new in fashion, but the Paris runways served up a fresh retort this season in the form of Gareth Pugh. The British designer, who once dressed a model in a velvet poodle costume with condom-balloon ears, has never been short on surprises. Yet Pugh’s fall 2009 collections combined his characteristic invention with a maturity of vision that took even jaded industry veterans by storm. His first menswear line, a dark and gritty mash-up of android-inspired looks, debuted in January and earned him an important new fan: luxury goods conglomerate Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. LVMH’s CEO announced shortly after that his company would finance Pugh’s shows.
What seems like a mundane business partnership is actually a ray of hope—not only for the 27-year-old’s career, but also for an industry struggling to balance creative progress with economic feasibility. Despite garnering critical acclaim immediately after graduating from design school in 2003, Pugh created his famous first collection as a London club kid squatting in an abandoned warehouse. He didn’t sell a single piece until 2007. Even now, Pugh, a former costume designer, has staunchly refused to compromise his ideas in favor of commercial appeal, continually pushing the boundaries of silhouette and experimenting with everything from chain mail to electrically charged plastic to dead rats (a commentary on fur). LVMH’s support of Pugh bolsters fashion’s status as an evolving art and as a forum for conceptual innovation.
Pugh’s unconventional aesthetic seems to be catching on. Most recently, Beyoncé herself donned a Gareth Pugh creation—granted, not the velvet poodle—to the MTV Europe Music Awards, and the designer has also been commissioned to style Ken for Barbie’s 50th birthday gallery exhibit in London. The rumor mill has even named Pugh as a possible candidate to take the reins as head designer at LVMH giant Dior Homme. This endlessly energetic wunderkind has emerged from the fall shows as one of fashion’s most promising new voices.