Fashion's Biggest Rivalries And How They Defined Power In The Industry

In a field populated with incredibly creative talents and high stakes, the fashion industry was bound to have tensions and tumultuous relationships, ones that have often been characterised by witty banter & verbal attacks in the media. Here are some of those that have attracted a great deal of attention. 

A Fiery Fight

One of the most famous examples from history is the feud between Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli in the early 1900s. The first obvious difference lies in their creative ideologies. While Chanel preferred elegant designs and minimalist silhouettes, Schiaparelli’s brand was known for the inspiration it took from the dreamlike world of the surrealist movement.

Therefore, Schiaparelli’s arrival with her extravagant designs threatened Chanel’s status as the designer-in-demand, as Coco Chanel believed that the public’s adoration of Elsa’s bold designs meant her clothes would appear bland and no longer pique their interest.

 While this was largely untrue, the fact that many Hollywood starlets-including Joan Crawford and Mae West- rejected Chanel’s designs as boring and preferred Elsa’s grand designs certainly didn’t help.

This was further exacerbated by friends of Chanel, such as Salvador Dali helped Elsa design her clothing lines, an act which Chanel looked at as betrayal. 

Other instances that flared up Chanel’s fear of Schiaparelli increasing in popularity included Wallis Simpson (a close friend of Coco’s) appearing in a photo shoot wearing the famous ‘Lobster Dress’, as well as Elsa’s feature on the cover of TIME Magazine. 

As a result of this attitude towards Schiaparelli, the French designer referred to her as ‘That Italian artist who makes clothes’ in an attempt to insult her lack of formal dressmaking skills. In response, Schiaparelli touted Chanel as “that milliner,” hinting at Coco Chanel’s beginnings as a hat maker.

This feud culminated at one of the last pre-war costume balls, where Chanel, after asking Elsa to dance, directed Schiaparelli into a chandelier lit with candles, leading to her catching fire! Fortunately, the fire did not cause much physical harm to the designer. 

A Love Triangle Between Laurent And Lagerfeld 

The year was 1954. Two young European designers are in competition for the Woolmark Prize, one of the most prestigious awards for an upcoming fashion designer. One wins the first prize in the coat category, while one wins the highest distinction in the evening gown category. The two were, of course, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent and the competition was the beginning of an iconic rivalry.

While many different explanations for their rivalry exist, including their ideological differences with Lagerfeld being more disciplined and Laurent being more indulgent, the primary explanation lies in a love triangle that took place in the 1970s. In the year 1971, Karl met a young, French and flamboyant socialite named Jacques de Bascher, who then became his longtime companion till the year 1989, when Jacques died of AIDS. It is known that during this period, Jacques went on to have an affair with Yves Saint Laurent.

While it appears that Lagerfeld was not so affected by this matter, it seems that Pierre Berge, Laurent’s longtime companion, accused Karl of arranging this affair so that Saint Laurent’s brand would be affected negatively. In a later interview, Karl claimed that by placing this accusation on him, Pierre destroyed his and Yves Saint Laurent’s friendship.

As both went on to become successful designers(including Lagerfeld’s ascension of the position of Creative Director of Chanel, a position Coco Chanel had proposed that Saint Laurent would take over), the two saw each other as rivals and publicly took snipes at each other, with Lagerfeld claiming that Laurent was solely obsessed with fame and wealth while Laurent alleged Lagerfeld was devoid of having a youth.

However, it is stated that a great reason for the intensity of this rivalry was Laurent’s longtime partner, Pierre Berge. Berge took multiple opportunities to insult Lagerfeld - actions that were inspired by his hatred for Lagerfeld’s German roots and his lack of belief in Karl’s competency as a designer. 

Copycats Of Couture 

While the Indian fashion industry has not been witness to many fashion rivalries in the media, an incredibly pressing issue that predominantly existed between designers in the early years of the 21st century was plagiarism. This was seen when designers accused other designers - mostly those who operated on a smaller scale- of copying their designs, often leading to long courtroom cases.

For example, in 2005, Suneet Varma accused designer Aki Narula of using a replica of an outfit in the yet-to-be-released Bunty aur Babli, which ended in a lawsuit. The same was witnessed when designer Ritu Kumar filed a case against Nina Talukdar, a designer from Kolkata, for copying not only her designs but also her sketches! This led to a nine-year-long battle, resulting in Kumar’s victory. However, it did not appear to be the first time Ritu Kumar faced threats of plagiarism from the ‘fashion pirates’.

Another similar instance, which turned out to be false, was the legal battle between designers Tarun Tahiliani and Renu Tandon. Tahiliani alleged that when he saw a garment similar to one he had designed sold in Dubai as Renu Tandon’s. As a result, he filed a case against Tandon for plagiarism, which was met by a counter case where Tandon accused him of defamation. While the case was settled between the two after there seemed to be no ground for the case, it had already caused headlines-causing drama. 

Authored by Jai Shah for SheThePeople Sartorial Series | Views expressed by the author are their own.