The Art of the Debut: How Brands Communicate New Creatives
- Marina 2Jour
- Sep 28, 2025
- 2 min read
Money adorns a woman.
A few days ago, I tried on a CARVEN dress designed by Louise Trotter. I liked how she played with details — especially at the back. In her first collection for Bottega Veneta, you can see both the brand and her personal touch, scaled up by bigger possibilities. As a consumer, I generally liked what I saw, even though I was somewhat skeptical before the debut. Some time ago, Julianne Moore appeared in a dress that was one of Louise’s early attempts — and I categorically disliked it.
Dario Vitale debuted his collection for Versace. Prada Group once struggled with JIL SANDER and HELMUT LANG, but perhaps Versace will be an exception? Public reception has been mixed, unsurprisingly — what he presented is very different from what Donatella Versace had created in recent years. References to Gianni Versace’s archive, Miu Miu-like layered styling. Perhaps there was simply too much of everything — but the start is promising.
Recently, Christian Dior Couture presented an advertising campaign — Jonathan Anderson’s first official dialogue with the public in his new role. Before this, countless celebrities had already appeared on red carpets in his looks — sparking extremely mixed reactions. The styles themselves were very diverse in character, creating a fragmented picture. The new campaign feels fresh and light, clearly flirting with a younger audience, and overall has received positive reviews.
Demna Gvasalia also unveiled his first collection for Gucci. Kering went all in and, instead of a standard show, staged a film screening with cliché characters. Demna’s looks carried strong references to Tom Ford’s era, with nods to Michele’s fans — but overall it felt like a rather commercial and, I’d say, pleasant story.
It has been almost nine months since Matthieu Blazy was appointed to what is arguably the most coveted role in fashion — yet all we’ve seen so far are occasional celebrity appearances in CHANEL looks whose authorship remains ambiguous: atelier or Matthieu himself? No one knows for sure. The public is still waiting for a true debut.
These brands have communicated the opening of their new chapters in very different ways. As a communications professional, I find the most effective approach to be either taking a pause until the full show or warming up the public occasionally with carefully selected appearances — as Chanel did.
You never get a second chance to make a first impression. A debut must be bright and distinctive, not caught in the half-light of inconsistent teasing.
