In what has been a tumultuous year at the menswear end of the fashion pool; Haider Ackermann, the Colombian artistic director at LVMH-owned bottier and men’s fashion house Berluti, has departed the brand after only three short seasons.
Ackermann, who is best known for his womenswear (beloved, as it is, by the chicest of the chic: Lou Doillon and Tilda Swinton are both huge fans), took the role at Berluti in late 2016 and his collections, few though they were, quickly became highlights of the seasonal calendar.
Ackermann's SS’18 collection consisted of slim-cut silk suits in soft pastel shades worn chunky cowboy boots - which marked a notable departure from the more genteel footwear the label was known for. Ackermann's shows were also known for their brilliant casting. His models of choice brought a heavy dose of attitude and sex to the brand, which had not been seen under former creative director Alessandro Sartori.
I, personally, loved attending Ackermann’s shows. His ability to make anyone he dressed (man or woman) look amazing pulsated pheremonally from his runways. Everyone looked fantastic in his clothes, and I had looked forward to being able to wear his work at Berluti.
Why Ackermnann has departed the brand remains to be seen, Berluti made the announcement without a full statement this morning. But the reason could, perhaps, be the fact that the designer had previously focused almost entirely on womenswear with his eponymous brand.
“When, suddenly, Berluti came my way I didn’t understand it at first because I was coming from womenswear…so I was very intrigued, and my curiosity…you know, when you come off the road, things become interesting.” Ackermann told me late last year. “So I was very confused at first: why this choice? Because it’s not the most obvious choice. The other choices had a more legitimate place to be there from me.” He said. “I was not a men’s designer - I had only done a few seasons. But just the fact that they wanted to go off the road interested me.”
“I loved the fact that it was a small house, that it had history, that there was centricity. There was something eclectic that seduced me, and I thought, well, let’s give it a try,”
Berluti, which was founded in 1895, is yet to announce Ackermann’s successor.
