The blue-eyed boy of the fashion industry, John Galliano’s creations are as eccentric and engaging as his personality. Be it the magnanimous launch of the Galliano brand in 1984, an illustrious career at Givenchy or the controversial exit from Dior; the journey of the man behind this iconic name is inspirational. Here are 11 little known facts about the man himself.
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Galliano swore by the importance of NOT being on time
Yes, you read that right! The more famous a designer is, the greater the amount of delay in all his shows. John took this seriously and would purposely start his shows later than the scheduled time. Not only this, he also compared the timings of his competitors’ shows, and delayed his shows accordingly!
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Galliano created a name for himself in his graduation days itself
You can also say that he was noticed early on and garnered success overnight. In fact, the collection curated by him during his graduation was immediately bought by Joan Burstein, a part of Brown’s – the famous department store of London. Thus, John Galliano collections were in a way famous, long before they gained worldwide acclaim.
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The controversial designer was a meek and introverted youth
John Galliano belonged to a family of Roman Catholics who were extremely conservative and rigid about their value system. As a result, Galliano was overtly shy and timid in his early years and often mentioned that he faced a lot of difficulty trying to ‘fit in’ with the London ‘big city’ crowd.
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Smart dressing ran in the family
Be it women’s handbags or men’s shirts; there is no doubt that John is extremely talented and an out-of-the-box thinker. However, one can confidently say that a good amount of credit goes to his mother, who used to dress him up in a ‘smart’ and ‘perfect’ manner, no matter where he went. He was a smart dresser to the extent that he was often picked on by his peers at his school, but it sure benefitted him in the end!
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John – the ‘Saturday Boy’
During college, he worked as the ‘Saturday Boy’ for Oxford Circus flagship at none other than Howie’s concession. He really enjoyed the job, though; and was even under fire at times for being late to work, owing to overnight clubbing!
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“My role is to seduce”
John’s love for dramatics is well-known but in the year 2010, he actually revealed that his keen interest in femininity and theatre is what formed the core of his thought-process while creating his collections, and these two themes were always extremely close to his heart – the muse to his art.
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Galliano is a history buff and the same inspired a lot of his creations
The eccentric designer took a lot of inspiration from the grand historical eras, and his theatrical style was directly picked up from the lavish and grand lifestyle led by kings and queens of the past. Not only this, a lot of elaborate cuts and shapes of John Galliano’s dresses resemble the attire of many courtesans and royal folk of bygone eras.
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Galliano himself launched the last collection online
The main aim behind this was to capture attention of loyalists and new customers alike and not let the controversy affect the brand, even in an extremely tiny amount. The deal maker on this online platform was an exclusive launch of the last collection by the man John himself, prior to his departure from the brand. So, if you were one of those who jumped at the opportunity of ordering your favorite John Galliano shoes or dresses online, know that it was a move meant to mend damages after John’s departure, and it supposedly worked well!
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An online store was specially created to boost sales in the post-John era
The gifted designer was ousted from his own label in the year 2011 amidst several nasty controversies. The markets looked volatile, loyal customers looked vulnerable and in an extremely proactive and smart move, an online store was launched.
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Princess Diana has also worn your favorite brand
You heard it right! You are not the only one mesmerized by the excellence of John Galliano’s creations. Even former Princess of Wales, Lady Diana, was dressed in the brand’s clothes. She was given a truly ravishing appearance in a dreamy evening gown with dainty lace edges.
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Two words – Christy Turlington
The adorable model has been associated with the brand since the early 90s, the glory years. The moment the firm took a decision to revamp its image after the departure of Galliano, they brought Christy back for the new marketing campaign. The main idea behind this was to play on nostalgia and send out a message to loyalists that their brand had not forgotten its roots.
What was your favorite John Galliano fact? We hope you know your beloved brand and designer much better after reading this, get your favorite John Galliano piece today!
