Cover The Versace family empire – Italian designer Gianni Versace (1946–1997) and his sister Donatella Versace (Photo: Instagram / @donatella_versace)
The Versace family empire – Italian designer Gianni Versace (1946–1997) and his sister Donatella Versace (Photo: Instagram / @donatella_versace)
1 / 1
Family is at once the most ordinary and extravagant concept within the estimated $1.7 trillion fashion cycle.
The term fashion house emerged later but has seamlessly settled into the Vietnamese lexicon, as “house” serves as a prefix for naming individuals and places across industry, commerce, service, and the arts. In Western parlance, maison or house originally denoted family-run establishments before evolving into an exclusive title reserved for heritage brands—those that epitomise the pursuit of a truly refined life. Charles Frederick Worth, the “father” of haute couture, named his company the House of Worth in 1858. Since then, the fashion world has expanded to encompass many names that have become sacred to fashion devotees—etched in memory, spoken with reverence, and indulged in with no small expense.
From then on, fashion’s penchant for nepotism has only flourished, particularly in the world of la famiglia—a philosophy deeply rooted in Italian culture, as exemplified by the legacy of Prada, Gucci, Versace, Missoni, Fendi, Armani, and Ferragamo. Of course, history is not without tales of brothers, fathers and sons, and even husbands and wives turning against one another. Yet, in the grand narrative of luxury, these stories merely deepen a brand’s mystique, weaving layers of legend into its heritage. And in fashion, heritage is synonymous with luxury. The two became inexorably linked in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as family-run ateliers transformed into corporate powerhouses driven by profit and global expansion.
Meanwhile, a new generation of brands is redefining fashion’s notion of family. There is The Row, with its tightly knit sisterhood. There is Peter Do’s house, shaped by a chosen family ethos. There is Chrome Hearts, where members of the Stark family preside over a free-spirited, Hollywood-inflected enterprise. Though each is distinct in form, all share a collective spirit, united by the pursuit of beauty.
When the wardrobe becomes the battlefield of family legacies
Have you ever wondered which was the first garment to bear a family’s identity? The logomania trend, long before becoming a modern phenomenon, was pioneered by medieval knights as early as the 12th century, when the first family crests were affixed to clothing. On the eastern edge of Eurasia, the kamon (family crest) system of Japan’s ruling clans flourished during the Edo period, becoming a defining cultural hallmark. In the present day, logomania remains tinged with a political undercurrent, despite its assimilation into popular culture. A brand’s heritage and visual language are encapsulated within stylised letters or symbols, subtly signalling the wearer’s personal affiliations: D&G, for the gourmet and Mediterranean sophisticate; Prada, for the trend-conscious intellectual; Ralph Lauren, for the wholesome and successful.
To align oneself with a fashion house is to make a declaration: that one’s aesthetic sensibility belongs within its world, that one shares its design DNA, that one is part of a rarefied lineage attuned to all things elegant and worldly. In some exceptional cases, a golden figure steps into a fashion house and etches their name into its history—earning not only prestige but the cherished status of an intimate confidant.
Above The Prada F/W 2021 Menswear Show, co-created by Creative Directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons (Photo: Prada)
The Prada F/W 2021 Menswear Show, co-created by Creative Directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons (Photo: Prada)
1 / 1
The spoiled children and the redefining of pampering
Stop by Christine Chiu’s YouTube channel, and you’ll catch a small but fascinating glimpse into the relationship between a devoted client and a luxury fashion house. During her decade-long patronage of Chanel, Chiu notes that the artisans responsible for tailoring her dresses have remained unchanged. Aware of her love for crystal embellishments, Chanel’s tailors took the initiative to propose a subtle yet dazzling modification—adding a rhinestone fringe to a couture piece, ensuring it perfectly aligned with her taste.
In another anecdote shared in the same video, the iconic camellia house went as far as remaking a haute couture gown up to four times—absorbing the financial loss—after learning that Chiu had undergone a difficult IVF journey, resulting in sudden changes to her physique. The brand’s patience and understanding paid off. “Although they lost money on this order, in return, they gained a loyal client for life,” Chiu reflected, visibly moved.
In 2023, Christine Chiu’s appearance at the Met Gala, held in tribute to Karl Lagerfeld, sparked a flurry of discussion. Many were quick to question Anna Wintour’s decision to extend an invitation to a reality television star from Bling Empire, seemingly unaware of Chiu’s long-standing ties to Chanel. Not only is she a dedicated patron, but she is also said to have donated as many as ten haute couture pieces from her private collection to The Costume Institute in honour of the occasion.
Beyond birthday gifts, afternoon teas, private fittings, handwritten notes, and front-row seats at fashion week—complete with warm handshakes and backstage greetings—the pinnacle of client-brand intimacy is not about being treated as a VVIP. It is about being embraced as a cherished member of the family. For family, after all, is where the notions of belonging and legacy intertwine.
If there is a favoured child upon whom the sun always shines, then naturally, there is also a chosen heir—the one entrusted with the family’s future. This child stands at the eye of the storm, tasked with carrying the weight of inheritance.
Fashion is family by nature. It is evident that most brands are first owned by family members, not banks.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. ...
Above John Galliano’s Haute Couture show for Dior at the Opéra Garnier, Paris, 1998 (Photo: Miquel Benitez/REX/Shutterstock)
John Galliano’s Haute Couture show for Dior at the Opéra Garnier, Paris, 1998 (Photo: Miquel Benitez/REX/Shutterstock)
1 / 1
John Galliano was once Dior’s fallen angel, yet that did not prevent him from becoming the saviour of Margiela. Equally, there have been rightful heirs who, for reasons known only to industry insiders, walked away from the house they were destined to inherit.
In the end, family is an illusion—an ever-shifting construct that exists only in perception. What remains eternal is legacy, taking on infinite variations of an aesthetic dream, imagined by those who might appear to be lone visionaries but are, in truth, merely children of their time.
Originally published in the October 2024 print edition of Tatler Vietnam – Family & Legacy
Topics
