Love Affairs in Melbourne-Chapter 295 - 290: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Chapter 295: Chapter 290: Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

On July 7th, the Maison Yan Yan II’s Fall/Winter Haute Couture Fashion Show for 2015 arrived in Paris as scheduled.

When Yan Yan first stepped onto the stage of Paris Haute Couture, her debut show was not open to the media.

Later on, Allegro apologized to various major media outlets, and Yan Yan accepted exclusive interviews with two fashion media outlets.

But that was limited to after the Spring/Summer Haute Couture press conference in 2012.

The relationship between Maison Yan II and the media has never been too "intimate."

When Maison Yan II first started, its overnight success among Haute Couture’s "regular customers" was attributed to its antique fabrics, its extraordinary butterfly show, and endorsements from Russian noblewomen.

Although opinions on Maison Yan II’s "mysterious" image varied among the media, the number and amount of orders that Yan Yan received spoke for everything.

Not everyone might like Yan Yan’s style, but that’s the nature of the fashion world; no single piece of clothing can gain the approval of everyone in the world.

Everyone has different tastes in serious fashion.

Those who liked Maison Yan II’s style would become fans of Yan Yan once they started getting Haute Couture made there.

Initially, this studio that emerged out of nowhere in the Paris Haute Couture circle even had problems with the smoothness of its processes, and the number of fittings for each client varied.

It lacked the standardized service that other established Haute Couture houses had.

However, the designers at Maison Yan II’s attitude towards every piece of clothing they "produced" made these minor flaws in the reception process seem trivial.

Yan Yan once decided, three days before delivering a garment, to approach a customer who had already completed five fittings and was very satisfied, to inform them about a new fabric that had just come out. It would maintain the existing shape of the garment while increasing the comfort of wearing it and add more three-dimensionality when walking.

Yan Yan asked the customer if they were willing to wait, as she would remake the piece with the new fabric.

Of course, this would be done without charging the customer again.

Yan Yan had her unique way of attracting fans.

Haute couture houses normally operate at a loss; making a profit is the exception rather than the rule, occasionally happening for one or two seasons.

Yan Yan’s practice of solely striving to realize her designs without considering costs undoubtedly added to the financial challenges of an already hard-to-profit Haute Couture studio.

Yet, it was precisely such attention to detail that led to Yan Yan’s growing base of loyal clients.

The Haute Couture circle is small, and reputation is especially crucial.

The majority of clients seeking Haute Couture from Yan Yan were referred through the most primitive method of communication: word of mouth.

Designers like Yan Yan, who wish to design regardless of the cost, are not too rare.

However, other haute couture houses would not afford such a level of freedom to their designers.

They don’t have as simple a stockholder structure as Maison Yan II.

For those "seasoned" major Haute Couture houses, the opinions of investors, the parent company’s views, and the annual performance requirements matter. If there isn’t a profit for the season, reasons must be provided.

If a studio incurs debt because of a designer’s "wastefulness," it may be negotiable once, but continually doing so would certainly get someone fired.

If a designer ventures out on their own, the composition of investors becomes even more complicated.

People invest in talent and design. If you cannot make money, or even if you just want to change styles after setting up the studio, you have to consider the investors’ opinions.

If a designer and an investor disagree, the outcome can be easily imagined.

Yan Yan and Yan Ling’s dream was to create a luxury shoe brand. In this dream’s loop, the profitability task was assigned to Maison Yan II’s ready-to-wear and shoes.

The other two major shareholders of Maison Yan II, Yan Ling and Allegro, also shared Yan Yan’s vision.

Yan Yan’s Paris Haute Couture studio was only concerned with reputation, not profit.

The other two shareholders, who were "not short of money," did not get involved in any operation related to design, giving Yan Yan enough freedom. No one was concerned about whether Maison Yan II was profitable; as long as the future ready-to-wear and shoes could penetrate the market, that would be enough.

Without vision and courage, one cannot create a great enterprise. No one ever criticized Yan Yan for her waste and perfectionism.

Moreover, although Yan Yan was wasteful, after Maison Yan II made its debut as a guest member in its first Haute Couture season, it had continued to be profitable up until it gained its official title earlier this year.

Because of Yan Yan’s extravagant spending, net profits varied, but the quantity and amount of orders were rising significantly each year.

Such perfectionism nearly pushed Yan Yan to the brink of exhaustion, frequently requiring her to remake several garments, wasting not only money but also Yan Yan’s time and energy.

But Maison Yan II was always meant to grow, especially now that it had launched a ready-to-wear series. The focus would undoubtedly need to shift.

Yan Yan had reached her limit and, with the Y·Y trendy brand also needing her personal attention, she could no longer juggle everything on her own.

The July 7th show was crucial for Maison Yan II.

Whether Maison Yan II would continue down the path of Haute Couture depended on the market reaction to this show.

Today, in a break from the norm, Maison Yan II invited a host of media.

In addition to inviting influential fashion media figures who frequented Haute Couture events, various smaller media figures, including fashion website reporters, also received invitations.

Even more unexpectedly, aside from fashion media journalists, Maison Yan II’s latest season’s grand show also invited many reporters specializing in high-tech fields.

Maison Yan II’s 180-degree attitude shift towards the media could be considered somewhat shocking.

It gave off a sense of desperately seeking a cure.

Inviting all kinds of media and allowing cameramen to freely move around the venue to find the best shooting angles.

What surprised the reporters even more upon arriving at the venue was the stark simplicity of the event setup.

Calling it simplicity was giving it a modicum of respect.

The runway was white, the walls were white, and even the chairs arranged on-site were white.

Apart from white, there was nothing else.

This was beyond stark; it seemed like a completely undecorated, bare event space.

This arrangement certainly allowed the clothes to become the focus.

But more so, it gave people the impression that Maison Yan II, once imperious, might have burnt through all its funds.

After renting the space, there might be no money left for decorating the venue.