After five years of designing for the brand, Vetements founder Demna Gvasalia has announced that he is leaving his masterpiece behind. Gvasalia released a statement to WWD saying, “I started Vetements because I was bored of fashion and against all odds fashion did change once and forever since Vetements appeared and it also opened a new door for so many. So I feel that I have accomplished my mission of a conceptualist and design innovator at this exceptional brand and Vetements has matured into a company that can evolve its creative heritage into a new chapter on its own.”
His departure is bittersweet but his legacy will live on in the capable hands of the Vetements design team in Switzerland, as well as his brother, Guram Gvasalia, who is the company’s CEO.
Gvasalia has certainly accomplished his mission: he revolutionized the fashion industry by bringing politics and social commentary into the mix. His collections based on an Eastern Bloc aesthetic now run rampant in the industry, as does his sense of irony with pieces like his sweatshirts printed with the phrase “May the bridges I burn light the way,” which retails for $800. The designer will be sorely missed at Vetements but fret not! He will remain the artistic director for Balenciaga.
