Is It Fair For Celebrities To Borrow From Vintage Collectors?
Fame doesn't amount to currency.
Vintage sellers are the unsung architects of the fashion realm, literally holding the history of the industry in their hands. Although, it seems harder and harder to receive compensation for their efforts when fame is the highest-paid currency of this generation.
Wearing an archival garment is a certified way to get noticed on the red carpet, treasure troves that are collected by sellers prove that there is no need to consistently wear custom when there is valuable artwork out there waiting for their day in the sun. Typically, celebrity stylists will approach vintage dealers asking to loan stock in exchange for publicity, and — technically speaking — a mention in a magazine or on a red carpet could drive footfall to a store, but is there equity in this trade? Exposure doesn’t pay the bills!
Using the ability to receive free valuables as a measure of fame is becoming a tired, almost dystopian concept. This current climate in which celeb entitlement equals free couture and designer clothes is making success for independent designers or vintage sellers an abstract notion. A-listers rely on fashion for publicity and expect to be gifted the money-making tools, with these valuable garments often becoming damaged (let’s not bring Kim Kardashian’s Marilyn Monroe dress again).
Law Roach has been providing a masterclass in supporting small businesses, revealing that he encourages purchasing vintage pieces when styling celebrities, rather than relying on donations. A recent interview with Adam Glassman highlighted Roach’s perspective that “it’s unfair to borrow things from people who use those clothes as their livelihood.”
Zendaya embodied to this approach when she purchased her second Met Gala look; a vintage couture Givenchy dress by Galliano from Spring 1996 paired with a floral headpiece designed by Alexander McQueen for Spring 2007. The look was purchased from Lily etc Cie in Beverly Hills, working closely with Law Roach and Zendaya to bring surrealism to life.
Vintage shops have become a place of refuge for smaller stylists, creating access to great archival pieces that showrooms typically refuse to loan. When stylists gain the traction and capability of helping small businesses, through purchasing and giving collectors credit, they should jump at the chance.
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