Vetements: Brand, Hoodies, Shirts, … up to Sneakers – Fashion for VIPs
Vetements – Just like through Balenciaga, Off White and Rick Owens, Vetements also changed proportions and silhouettes, even an entire beauty ideal, as well as the way the fashion world functions today – from the individual approach to the fixed show schedule in Paris to the speed of trends on social media. The fashion label, which he founded in 2014 together with his brother Guram Gvasalia, through which he revolutionized the fashion world and through which he became one of the most influential designers of our time. You want to know more about Vetements? In the following article you can learn more about its history, its best pieces and much more, or you can choose another fashion brand in our brand guide.
Vetements History: A Fashion Brand of the Stars
Die Geschichte von Vetements ist auch die Geschichte von Demna Gvasalia, dem Georgier, der neben Virgil Abloh wahrscheinlich das Gesicht der aktuellen Streetwear Modeindustrie ist.
Die Modegeschichte des Georgiers beginnt in seiner Jugend in Georgien, wo er und seine Freunde alle die gleiche Kleidung tragen mussten. Dadurch gab es keine Möglichkeit der Individualität. Daher auch sein Interesse an Mode. Im Jahr 2002 zog es Gvasalia an die Königliche Akademie der Schönen Künste in Antwerpen. Eine Hochschule, an der bereits Designer wie Raf Simons oder Dries van Noten studiert haben. In Antwerpen studierte er bei Walter von Beirendock und machte 2006 seinen Abschluss.
Seine Modekarriere beginnt 2009 bei Maison Martin Margiela als Damendesigner. Margiela ist ein Modeunternehmen, bei dem die meisten Designer anonym bleiben, ein Konzept, das auch Vetements nutzt. Von Margiela wechselte Gvasalia 2012 zu Louis Vuitton. Dort arbeitet er unter den Designern Marc Jacobs und Nicolas Ghesquière als Damendesigner für Haute Couture.
Vetements von den Anfängen bis jetzt:
- Modedesigner aus Georgien
- Royal Academy of Fine Arts
- Fashion career started at Maison Martin Margiela
Name: Chief Designer and Founder Demna Gvasalia
Here you see a picture of the founder:
Gvasalia’s path to Vetements & his idea behind it
In 2014, Gvasalia left Louis Vuitton and founded the fashion brand Vetements together with his brother Guram Gvasalia and six other anonymous designers. These six anonymous designers are most likely former colleagues of Gvasalia, with whom he worked at Louis Vuitton and Margiela.
Gvasalia did not stop with the founding of Vetements. In 2015, he became creative director at Balenciaga, where he still works today, but continues to design for Vetements as well.
Vetements was only founded because Demna Gvasalia and his anonymous colleagues found fashion at the time to be boring. The concept and idea behind Vetements was simple. They wanted to bring variety to the fashion scene and, as the name suggests, to produce clothing.
- Founded with six other designers
- Worked at Louis Vuitton and Margiela
- Gvasalia becomes head designer at Balenciaga in 2015
Rise to the Mainstream
Mit der Frühjahr/Sommer-Show ’16 war Vetements endgültig in der Pariser Modewelt angekommen und akzeptiert, obwohl Vetements genau das Gegenteil von allem war, wofür die Modewelt zu dieser Zeit stand. Demna Gvasalia hatte es mit Vetements geschafft, die Modeszene zu revolutionieren, obwohl er selbst Teil der alten Szene war. Vetements kopierte Dinge von anderen und machte sich über sich selbst und die Modeindustrie lustig. Im Jahr 2018 wurde, wie bereits erwähnt, eine zweite Kollektion mit DHL produziert. Das Ziel war, dass die Artikel wie Fälschungen aussehen sollten, etwas absolut Unvorstellbares. Obwohl alles, was Vetements tat, gegen die High-Fashion-Industrie gerichtet war, waren sie ein wichtiger Teil von ihr und das sollte auch so bleiben, sowohl heute als auch in Zukunft.
Ein Look aus der Sommer Frühlingskollektion 2016:
Vetements hat Trends gesetzt, die bis heute andauern, zum Beispiel kam die “Logomania” nur dank Vetements wieder auf. Vetements ist eine teure Streetwear-Marke, die genau davon lebt, wie sich die Gesellschaft entwickelt. Die Gesellschaft wollte Streetwear tragen, um cool auszusehen, aber gleichzeitig wollte sie ein Statement abgeben, dass sie Geld hat, um sich teure Kleidung zu leisten und so etablierte sich Vetements als wichtiger Teil der Pariser Modeszene.
Vetements in der heutigen Zeit
In recent years, other collections followed with designs from other companies/brands, such as Star Wars or Titanic. None of them, however, was as controversial and hyped as the DHL collection of 2016. The runway shows continued to take place at “strange” locations like McDonald’s, etc. But none was as iconic as the one in October 2015. In 2019, Demna Gvasalia left Vetements, believing that the brand could manage without him and that he wanted to focus more on his job at Balenciaga. What remained after his departure?
Six years after its founding, Vetements is one of the most popular streetwear brands in the world – its clothing and its fashion shows are cult. More importantly, Vetements has left its mark on the fashion industry. High-end brands like Dior and Louis Vuitton suddenly started producing their own streetwear items. Dior now sells 81% more streetwear items than five years ago. Thanks to Vetements, the world of high-end fashion has turned 180 degrees and is now completely different. This goes so far that designers from streetwear brands like Vetements and Off-White have overtaken the old French fashion houses Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton.
The most famous pieces of Vetements
Since the brand’s founding, Vetements has always managed to polarize with its pieces. Whether it’s the oversized hoodies or crazy designs of some collections – the collections always stand out from the rest of the fashion industry. Take a look at some of the most famous fashion pieces or collections from Vetements below.
The big success through DHL
In March 2014, Vetements presents its first collection. But it wasn’t until the Spring/Summer ’16 show in October 2015 that the big breakthrough happened. The show in autumn 2015 took place in a simple Chinese restaurant in Paris, in the presence of stars like Kanye West and Travis Scott. And then designer Gosha Rubchinsky wore a yellow shirt with the DHL logo on it. Simpler than in a single color and with the logo of another company, you cannot design a shirt. Especially a company like DHL express, which has absolutely nothing to do with the runway of a Parisian fashion show.
Here you see Gosha Rubchinsky in the aforementioned DHL shirt:
That was exactly what attracted attention. It was something completely different from all other fashion brands at that time. Shortly after the fashion show, the T-shirt was released and was immediately sold out despite a price of 245 euros.
The Police Collection
The DHL collection was not the only controversial collection from Vetements. A few years ago, the brand began printing POLICE on dark green clothing. The pieces looked like real police uniforms in Germany. It even went as far as a raincoat being seized by the police in Stuttgart due to “title misuse.” Like the DHL collection, the police collection was also reissued, but unlike the DHL collection, this one is still available today.
The Vetements Police Raincoat:
Sneakers at Vetements
Der erste Hype in der Sneakerszene wurde durch die Zusammenarbeit von Vetements mit Reebok ausgelöst, die bis heute anhält. Begonnen hat diese Partnerschaft mit dem Reebok Pump Fury, dem ersten Vetements Sneaker, auf dem Vetements die außergewöhnlichsten Farbwege der letzten Jahre entworfen hat. Ein Schuh, zu dem ich persönlich keinen Vergleich gefunden habe, aber das war wohl das Ziel von Vetements Sneakers. Dieses Modell ist nur noch bei StockX erhältlich und bei keinem anderen Händler mehr.
Der erste Vetements x Reebok Insta-Pump:
Der nächste Vetements Sneaker, der zusammen mit Reebok veröffentlicht wurde, war wieder alles andere als normal. Ähnlich wie der Balenciaga Speed Trainer mit einer Art “Socke” als Schuh, nur dass dieser bis zum Schienbein hochgeht. Einfach außergewöhnliche Schuhe, die man in jeder Modemetropole der Welt sieht, egal ob in New York, Paris oder Tokio.
Der Vetements x Reebok Sock Runner:
Die “Total Fucking Darnkess” Kollektion
As we all know by now, Vetements derives from the French word for clothing and stands for a manifesto of outstanding pieces you want to wear that don’t necessarily have to conform to a common collection theme. The cut-up and re-sewn Levi’s jeans, oversized hoodies and bombers, playful, logo-heavy basics or floor-length raincoats have dominated street style over the last few months.
Here’s a look from the fashion show:
Frequently Asked Questions
Here you will find the most frequently asked questions about Vetements
Where is Vetements produced?
There are no own Vetements factories, production takes place in 25 factories of third-party companies in Italy, Portugal, China and the USA.
- Worldwide in 25 factories
Who owns Vetements?
In spring 2017, the headquarters of Vetements was moved from Paris to a former Philips factory building in Zurich. To this end, the private Vetements Group AG was founded, which is 100% owned by the Gvasalia brothers.
How long has the brand Vetements been around?
Vetements has been around since its founding in 2014.
Fashion brands like Vetements
Despite the uniqueness of the brand, there are other designers who share certain similarities with Vetements. Whether it’s the love for well-known logos or the urge to revolutionize the fashion world. The following are designer brands that are similar to Vetements.
Vetements Videos
Not only is the history or the individual fashion collections impressive, but the fashion shows themselves are also remarkable. Take a look at our video contribution about Vetements to learn more about the designer and his inspiration or get a closer look at the runway shows.
Off-White / Off-White Videos
One of the biggest names in streetwear besides Vetements is definitely OFF-WHITE by Virgil Abloh. No one had as much influence on the modern fashion industry as these two brands. In our articles about Off-White, you can take a closer look at the brand and its impact.
Raf Simons / Raf Simons Videos
Raf Simons also shares Vetements’ love for the new and unexpected and often incorporates this into his fashion shows.
Fashion Brands: List
You’re thrilled by Vetements and want to discover more brands? Take a look at our Fashion Guide here and get to know the top fashion brands from around the world. Extravagant Haute Couture. Refined Prêt-à-porter. Luxurious sportswear and innovative accessories. The most luxurious fashion brands in the world captivate millions of people and fashion lovers every year with their exquisite collections. They camp outside the stores to get their hands on limited special editions, stand on the streets of Paris during the highly coveted Fashion Week, and sit wide-eyed in front of their televisions to watch the newest and hippest runway shows. Here is the ultimate fashion brand guide.
