T
The unusual and somewhat unsavory tale of fashion icon John Galliano is recounted by filmmaker Kevin Macdonald, who presents the information in a highly skilled and objective manner. However, the film appears to be limited by the necessity to maintain diplomacy with Galliano and his high-profile advocates, with whom Macdonald has close connections.
Galliano, a talented designer from Gibraltar, gained recognition in the fashion world during the 1990s for his bold and eye-catching designs. He held top positions as creative director at Givenchy and Dior in Paris. Despite his success, Galliano struggled with overworking himself, addiction issues, and emotional distress due to the death of his assistant and friend, Steven Robinson, as well as the suicide of Alexander McQueen. In 2011, Galliano was caught on video, heavily intoxicated, making offensive and antisemitic remarks towards women at a Paris cafe. This incident, along with others, led to a criminal conviction and fine.
Galliano’s coworkers explained that his offensive remarks were a result of his drug and alcohol use and mental health issues, and not a true reflection of his beliefs. This argument is logical. The fashion industry largely adopted this perspective and chose to ignore any concerns about the impact of Galliano’s behavior on individuals facing more serious struggles who do not resort to making anti-Semitic remarks. In an effort to support Galliano, some individuals connected him with Holocaust education organizations and Jewish leaders to assist him in learning and growing.
Following this, in 2013, John Galliano made a public appearance in New York sporting an outfit that was deemed questionable by the New York Post, resembling that of a Hasidic Jewish man. His publicist denied any intention of resemblance (and the Anti-Defamation League labeled the article as completely distorted), but Galliano did not provide a proper response. I had hoped for Macdonald to ask Galliano directly: “John, what were you thinking?” However, Galliano simply stated: “It was a bit of a drama… It was a fashion look.” He then laughed and added: “We left New York as quickly as possible.” I had hoped for Macdonald to press Galliano further on this incident and for Galliano to directly address any misunderstandings and express his embarrassment. However, this discussion did not occur. The proposed happy ending redemption story may not be fully justified.
Source: theguardian.com
