Renowned fashion documentaries typically feature a cavalcade of celebrities praising unbounded ingenuity. Kevin Macdonald’s depiction of John Galliano, the contentious ex artistic director of Dior and Givenchy, is not exempted from this cliché. Key figures in fashion, like Anna Wintour and the departed André Leon Talley, are involved throughout.
Galliano, a designer born in Gibraltar and brought up in London, who revolutionised couture and the runway, perhaps has more rightful claim to such exaggeration than others. By judiciously compiling archive footages and interviewees, Macdonald, the skilful hand behind “Touching the Void” and “The Last King of Scotland”, creates a captivating history of Galliano’s creative period at St Martin’s College and his remarkable climb to the pinnacle of Parisian fashion world.
“High & Low” is by no means a sycophantic tribute. Galliano was recorded in February 2011 making a series of racist and anti-Semitic comments, leading to his swift dismissal from his positions and subsequent conviction by a French court. Fashion insiders will be familiar with Wintour and other admirers rallying to his side, Galliano’s entry into a rehabilitation programme, consultations with a Rabbi, and his new role in the trendy Belgian firm, Maison Margiela.
In a moving archive footage, Kate Moss is shown visibly thrilled that Galliano had crafted her 2011 wedding dress, a short while after his fall from grace in Paris. By 2013, he was developing collections in Oscar de la Renta, a move seemingly mediated in part by Wintour. These elements merge to expose an industry that seemingly puts aesthetics above moral principles.
The film in essence, is a puzzle of intriguing, frustrating loose pieces. Was Galliano’s downfall a deliberate move to evade the untenable corporate demand of producing 32 collections a year? Were there anti-Semitic undertones in his deeply Catholic upbringing?
Despite numerous hints, clear conclusions are elusive. At the film’s onset, Galliano declares – “I’m going to tell you everything” – only to avoid responding to crucial queries. General comments from the fashion community are equally evasive, only contributing a bandwagon of famous personalities bestowing boundless praise.
The film ‘High & Low: John Galliano’ will be showing in theatres starting from the 8th of March, which is a Friday.