JUST IN: Guram Gvasalia reclaims Vetements
Guram now takes both creative and business sides of the brand
It was in 2019 when Demna Gvasalia, one-half of Vetements, left the brand “to pursue new ventures.” Vetements was then left with “anonymous designers” who took over the creative direction of the brand with Demna’s departure.
Now, Guram posted an open letter to the public announcing he is in fact the creative director of its latest fall-winter 2022 collection which was launched last month.
“Everything has its time,” the Georgian designer said. “It is time for me to come out! From AH22-23 collection, I took over the brand and decided to step in as creative director of the house @vetements_official.”
In a lengthy letter posted on his Instagram account, the designer revealed that in the past years there were attempts to “debrand” the label and that he needed to step in to claim back what was Vetements’ original birthright.
He also shared what the brand meant to him, revealing that he was once a refugee with his family losing everything after the war. Read below his heartwarming and inspirational message to all the kids who are dreaming to enter the world of fashion:
“Vetements is more than a brand to me. Its DNA runs in my blood. But it is not the only reason why I am doing this. It’s true, I could have done it secretly as I’m a very private person. But I felt I needed to come out publicly for all the kids out there who dream of fashion, but are too afraid to tell it to their parents who will not approve. To all the kids who have no means to pay for fancy design schools with its 50 to 100k yearly tuition fees. Those who need to take day jobs to pay the bills, while self-learning design at night. For those who come from underprivileged families and feel like they will never belong to this fashion world. It’s all my story. I’m a refugee. My family lost everything we had during the war. None of us spoke any language when we ran away to Europe. We lived in refugee camps. Going to fashion school was not an option for me, my parents would have never approved, as my brother was already considered to be the lost cause, and I was the only hope left to feed the family. But I want to tell everyone who reads it, none of it should define or limit your potential. It’s important to have people in your life who believe in you, but it’s nothing if you do not believe in yourself. Your background is not who you are. Where you come from is not your final destination, it is your starting point.”
Featured image source: Guram Gvasalia’s Instagram account
