There’s been a lot of talk, runway-side, about whether or not the Dior show can happen; a lot of protests vs publicity risk assessment. Here’s what I think: yes. They just need to be smart about how they do it.
if I were the Dior folks, for example, instead of emptiness to replace the usual John bow, I’d send the entire atelier – all the designers and assistants and seamstresses that actually make a collection happen – out onto the runway at the end of the show. Then the story becomes about preserving jobs, and supporting the workers that are left dealing with what Galliano wrought, and that runway full of blameless people becomes the picture that goes ’round the world, and Dior becomes the brand that cares for employees. Read more


Vanessa has been the FT’s fashion editor since 2003, and is based in New York, though she lived in London for 12 years.