Most fashion labels spend millions of dollars on advertising. Some just let their clothes do the talking.
Belgian designer Dries Van Noten refuses to advertise his label in glossy magazines, preferring to stage poetic catwalk shows that have made him a darling of critics.
“It’s a very unique brand. I don’t think many other brands could do the same thing,” said Hilary Alexander, fashion editor at Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.
“It’s very small and I think most of the team have been with him virtually for the 20 odd years since he started the company, and he’s kept it that way.”
Van Noten’s autumn-winter display in the School of Fine Arts was short on special effects but rich in finely crafted pieces with a boho flavour -- think elaborately embroidered full skirts and vintage-style belted jackets with a thick fur trim.
To the haunting soundtrack of Wong Kar-Wai’s film “2046,” models with lacquered black flowers in their hair stepped out in artfully weathered outfits in tangy shades of tomato red, emerald, magenta and turquoise.
Van Noten is a leading purveyor of the peasant look in favor with style icons such as actress Sienna Miller, but his creations are immune to the ebbs and flows of fashion.
Fans treasure his pieces like heirlooms and snap up new items the moment they go on sale. For the privately owned Van Noten, advertising would give his faithful clients a raw deal.
“If I advertise, then I have to increase the price of the clothes by 5 or 10 percent,” he explained recently.
French fashion house Rochas, known for classic perfumes such as “Femme” and “Byzance,” has also kept a low media profile.
A low-profile favoriteOwned by U.S. consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble, it does not advertise its ready-to-wear creations and the launch last year of its latest fragrance, “Poupee,” went almost unnoticed in the mainstream press.
The label’s discretion is not for lack of critical acclaim for its designer Olivier Theyskens, an ethereal 28-year-old.
Since taking over design duties at the label in 2003, Theyskens has become a favourite of Hollywood stars from Nicole Kidman to Gwyneth Paltrow. His latest collection earned a roar of applause late on Wednesday.
Trim high-collared jackets and floorlength fish-tailed skirts made for a strict Edwardian silhouette that contrasted with the ample volumes seen in New York and Milan.
Strips of fabric were sewn over rippling silk skirts, while bustier dresses in moire-patterned silk flared out over layers of stiff crinoline.
“It’s a very expensive, quite a directional line. It’s not something that has, I would have thought, instant wearability for a huge market,” said the Daily Telegraph’s Alexander.
“Rochas is still relatively new. It would probably be a mistake to commit to a huge advertising budget until they feel the brand is ready.”