Nicolas Ghesquière: Future Facing

It was a creative tour de force, with models dressed in a collage of shapes that were equal parts of the future and the past, walking down a sprawling runway made of Louis Vuitton trunks arranged like Minecraft bricks. Its layout, a raised catwalk placed, democratically, at the centre of the room, was a departure from recent shows where walkways snaked, labyrinthine-like, through the audience, swishing back, forth, sideways and around the viewers. This time, it pointed in one direction only: forward. Future facing. The show – with its 16th-century-tinged blouson jackets, voluminous sleeved blouses, sci-fi-esque embroideries and biker shorts – was joyful. It was also an anchor of sorts in a year when much of the industry looked as if it were in free fall.

And at the end of it all, as guests danced and cheered in their seats to a finale soundtrack by Jamie xx, Ghesquière, the most powerful creative director in fashion, emerged to take his bow.

When we meet a week later, he is seated in the sumptuous Salon Gramont in The Ritz, smiling and exuding a calm and friendly warmth, while a series of period masterpieces look down on him from the walls. Ghesquière is the latest in a long list of creative titans, including Marcel Proust and Ernest Hemingway, who have made the 127-year-old hotel their home away from home.

‘You know, I was maybe 15 or 16 when this great friend of mine who was an adult invited me to The Ritz for a glass of champagne for my birthday,’ he recalls. ‘But I got refused at the door because I was wearing sneakers – with a pinstripe suit. It was cool, you know. And it’s so funny now to think of it,’ he says with a laugh, looking down at his feet, which are, surprise, clad in black Nike trainers.

Only now, he’s not a young teenager, visiting Paris in pursuit of his creative aspirations – he’s the man at the creative helm of the world’s biggest and most recognisable luxury brand.

The fact that he’s held this position for 11 years, with four more to come (Louis Vuitton renewed his contract in 2023), is a rare, standout example of job longevity for a designer at a big house. These days, this set up is increasingly hard to come by. ‘I feel 15 years today seems like the new 50 years. People say, “Oh, Karl [Lagerfeld] was like that.” But Karl stayed 54 years at Fendi. Today, 15 years seems so monumental,’ he says.

The weight of that responsibility is not lost on Ghesquière, and it adds a sense of purpose and meaning to his shows. ‘The world is complicated. And I think everyone carries a lot of questions. For many reasons, we need positive, good stuff right now, and fashion can bring that. If you can bring a little lightness in the world with what we do, and pleasure and joy, it’s important to do it,’ he explains. ‘Some shows can be more conceptual, more dramatic. This time, we were like, “Let’s just try to have a joyful moment for 15 minutes.”’

‘The positive was also about sharing. It was really important to me for everyone in the room to be able to see the same thing at the same moment. I really wanted to feel a certain kind of unity, somehow,’ he adds. ‘That’s what this anniversary was also about. It was that celebration of style and of the wonderful collective history.’

Ghesquière’s story is a tale about time – about his enduring fascination and relationship with it, but also of his defiance of it. (Many a journalist has commented on the fact that, at 53 years old, Ghesquière still has the boyish looks and charm of someone a fraction of his age.)

His work, which also spans 15 years in charge of Balenciaga (a role he took on at the age of 25), is saturated with his love of science fiction and history in equal measure. And it’s perhaps these unofficial fields of study, beyond the fashion itself, that made him well-equipped to forge a career in an era of lightning- fast change and incessant uncertainty. Always adapting and reimagining, always learning from the past.

‘There is this very interesting time clash, that is a big part of my inspiration, especially at LV,’ he admits. ‘I’m obsessed with anticipation. I’m obsessed with this idea of looking forward, and science fiction was an important stimulation of that for me.’

This fascination began with a childhood infatuation with classic narratives, including Marvel’s Dr Strange stories (‘I remember redesigning the outfits in my class books’) and Jules Verne’s novel, Journey to the Centre of the Earth. Later, he moved on to films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Replay and Alien.

‘It’s amazing, because there is this incredible promise in science fiction. It’s very inspiring, the proposition of superpower and the idea that the world is evolving. And also, I have to say that the representation of women in science fiction was always very strong for me. I’d see a great science-fiction movie or novel and think, “What would my interpretation of that character be?”’

The genre created a bigger sense of the world for Ghesquière, who grew up in Comines, a small town in northern France, where his father managed a golf course and his mother stoked his curiosity about clothes. Science fiction also inspired a laser focus, unusual for a child of such a young age. ‘I believe every kid is very curious about the world,’ he says. ‘I grew up in a very small city. No access at all [to the wider world], except through magazines and TV and, of course, the figure of my mom. But I believe my first desire to work in fashion came when I understood that it was not only about doing clothes and bags and shoes – I think I was probably 11. I think it was just this desire for a world to go in a better direction, somehow.

Three years later, he got his first internship at the age of 14. ‘That would be totally illegal now,’ he says, laughing. ‘But at the time it was really much simpler.’ His parents supported his aspirations. With a range of work experience from French contemporary brands including Agnès B and Corinne Cobson under his belt, he set his sights higher. ‘My parents were like, “What do you want to do now?” And I just told them, “I want to work at Jean Paul Gaultier, and I promise you, I will get the job.” I was 18.’ It was 1990, a period when Gaultier was on a career high, designing costumes for Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour, and Ghesquière did, of course, get the job. ‘I’m still so grateful to Jean Paul and the people who detected my passion,’ he says.

And thus, Ghesquière began his life of what he calls ‘living fashion’ rather than just being in fashion. ‘He is someone who absolutely lives, breathes and loves his craft,’ says Alicia Vikander, his friend and an ambassador for Louis Vuitton. At this stage in his career, Ghesquière says his chronobiology is now in sync with the industry’s calendar. ‘Physically, I live with the rhythm of the fashion shows. It’s very strange. I always had this ticking clock. I know physically what it is to be a month before the show. I know physically what it is to start another one,’ he says.

And what does that feel like, I ask him? ‘It’s kind of a physical craving,’ he says. ‘It might seem strange to people, but when I’ve finished a show, I’m like, “What’s next? Now, what? What’s the next chapter?”’

With an output that includes four collections per year and a vast accessories business, Ghesquière’s level of discipline and rigour resembles that of an athlete – and, in fact, he participated in many sports, including swimming, horse riding and fencing, as a child. ‘The psychology of discipline is very important to me,’ he says.

But he speaks about his life and work in terms of feeling and passion more than anything else. Throughout our afternoon together, he describes his time at Louis Vuitton as his ‘great love story,’ with the wisdom of someone who has lived through decades of marriage. ‘A good match is so important. A great, wonderful house with a wonderful talent is the best combination possible. But it’s a match. It’s not only a contract, it’s an emotion. It’s feeling the house. And you have to think that you’re not going to let go, and believe that your proposition is not only for just one or two seasons. You know, you can have love at first sight. But when that love becomes something that is suspended in time, it’s the best feeling at the end,’ he says.

I wonder how he feels about the climate in fashion right now, in which the divorce rate is so high. ‘Sometimes, I feel that designers, now, can seem a little disposable. I grew up in the industry at a time when we had more time to prove ourselves. And sometimes I feel a little sad for other artistic directors, because the judgment comes very quickly for different reasons. You need a little bit of time, to build a proposition,’ he says.

He seems as bewildered by the pace of turnover as the rest of us. ‘It’s like the wild west. It’s crazy. Sometimes, I see the news and I’m thinking, “Why are people talking about someone joining a house where the person in place has not even left?”’ he says. ‘For designers, it’s a tough moment, for sure.’

He’s quick to acknowledge that he’s fortunate to have had space to settle into his tenures at Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton, a privilege many aren’t afforded, especially now, when luxury sales are down 2% – the first decline since 2020. ‘I believe that when you put all your heart and creativity into the craftsmanship, you give that thing a greater chance to last in time,’ he says.

Ghesquière has a remarkable sense of ease, considering he’s leading Louis Vuitton at a time when the brand quite possibly couldn’t seem any bigger. (In 2022, Louis Vuitton became the first luxury fashion brand to surpass €20 billion in annual sales.) His anniversary coincided with a milestone year for its owner, LVMH, in which it dominated the Paris Olympics as premium partner. Louis Vuitton stamped its mark boldly, with its monogram enjoying as much visibility as the medals themselves (each gold, silver and bronze was presented in bespoke leather trays by the brand). And during my morning Eurostar ride to Paris for this interview, I counted roughly 12 women wearing Louis Vuitton scarves, handbags or clothing on the journey.

The pressure to balance the demands of an enormous corporate business with creativity has never been higher, which is perhaps why the topics of emotion, love and the heart come up so much while we speak.

While talking through some of his proudest moments, he calls his San Diego cruise show – a stunning collection set at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, timed just so to coincide with the sunset – a ‘love declaration’. He adds: ‘the Salk Institute is a sanctuary for scientists, and they are searching for a better world. The architecture is remarkable, but the message is also wonderful.’

He says the globe-trotting cruise show, when a designer stages an immersive experience that goes beyond the catwalk, is one of his favourite parts of the job. It’s a concept he has become famous for in his time at Louis Vuitton, creating destination experiences at design landmarks from Oscar Niemeyer’s Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Rio de Janeiro to Antoni Gaudí’s iconic Park Güell in Barcelona.

‘I remember [in my early days at Vuitton], Delphine Arnault and Mr Bernard Arnault said, “OK, we’re going to do a cruise show.” That was in the contract. I knew I had to find something that was very personal about it,’ he explains. So he pulled in his love of architecture, which in itself is an extension of his obsession with science fiction. ‘I said, “OK, let’s do it as a journey, a trip through architecture with Louis Vuitton.” Because there are many different ways of travelling. And we stayed with that for 10 years.’

In the years since the lockdown period, Ghesquière has been spending time between Paris and California, where he owns a house with his partner, Drew Kuhse. ‘I love to be in California. The time difference means I have more quiet moments when I’m there to do things like watch movies. That sounds so clichéd, but it’s true. When I’m in Paris, I never have time to go to the movie theatre. But in California, we take the time to do proper things like that,’ he says. ‘We’re lucky because we get to travel so much and discover new places. It’s not restful, but it’s rich in experience.’

Does the slower pace in California ever entice him to consider a life beyond fashion? ‘Sometimes, I wonder, “If I was not doing this, what would my life be? Or when it’s going to stop, if I decide to stop, will I adapt to a different rhythm?”’ He trails off, searching for an answer he doesn’t seem to have yet. But what’s clear is that he’s happy in life and love, right now. ‘I’m in the right place,’ he says with certainty.

Beyond his relationship with Kuhse, Ghesquière credits his friends and community of colleagues with much of his happiness. ‘I’m loyal,’ he declares, while discussing his decades-long friendships with women-turned-ambassadors such as longtime muse Jennifer Connelly, for whom he designed his first Academy Awards dress in 2002 (she won Best Supporting Actress for A Beautiful Mind). Now, it’s hard to imagine a red carpet without one of Ghesquière’s signatures on it. ‘Nicolas is one of the few living designers and artists whose work is so instantly recognisable, yet he’s able to recreate himself each season,’ says Alicia Vikander, who accepted her own Oscar award for Best Supporting Actress in a pale-yellow Louis Vuitton dress in 2016. ‘Wearing his clothes makes me feel empowered, modern and feminine. There’s a particular strength and energy that I find radiates from women in his creations,’ she says.

It’s a skill he has honed over 30 years of dressing a glittering list of women from Madonna (‘She wore my early Balenciaga dress for the Golden Globes’) to Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, his first ever client. ‘My debut Balenciaga collection had just been delivered to Bergdorf Goodman. This was ’98. And I got a call from them telling me they sold my first dress to Carolyn. She had gone there to buy a dress to wear for a reception with the Queen of England,’ he says with a smile.

Throughout all the anecdotes and memories, Ghesquière’s enthusiasm is palpable. And despite it all – all the industry-wide handwringing, all the existential headlines and the economic headwinds and downturns – his optimism is undampened after three decades at the head of two of the industry’s most storied brands. At 53 years old, that young teen in his trainers, dreaming of a big job in fashion, is still there. ‘It’s endless excitement. I mean, the platform is extraordinary. We have a voice, you know? I have the chance to have a voice in an industry that has become so visible for the last 20 years. It was not like that before. So I am happy to use that voice the best I can.’

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Kenya Hunt is the Editor-in-Chief of ELLE UK. Her career spans working for some of the world’s most influential women’s titles on both sides of the Atlantic from her post-graduate days as an Assistant Editor at the seminal magazine, Jane, to her time as Deputy Editor of Grazia UK and ELLE UK. As the founder of R.O.O.M. Mentoring, she advocates for greater diversity within the fashion industry by providing a supportive network for some of the many talented aspiring designers, journalists and image makers of colour London has to offer. In 2021, she was recognised by The British Fashion Council for her work and given a Global Leader Of Change Award at its annual Fashion Awards. An American based in London, she lives south of the river with her husband and two sons. Her critically-acclaimed book, Girl: Essays on Black Womanhood (HarperCollins/HQ), is out now.