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There’s an epic battle brewing in fashion — not between two brands, but between two siblings: Demna and Guram Gvasalia.
Demna’s been more in the spotlight in recent years, first through his provocative work, first at Vetements and most recently as creative director of Balenciaga, as well as his entaglements with celebrities and scandal. However, his younger brother, Guram, has been emerging since taking over Vetements solo. (He co-founded the brand with Demna.)
It began over the summer, when The New York Times published a profile of Guram in which he revealed he wants to be the “biggest thing” in fashion. “I think my brother is very talented, but I have a completely different approach to things,” he told Vanessa Friedman. “He had his good run of 10 years, and I think his era is slowly going to its finish line. Now it is my time.”
Over the course of the piece, Guram also spoke about what he’s been able to accomplish compared to his older sibling (“He got certain opportunities in life earlier. But if you consider where I am today, where my brother was when he was my age, I think I’m far more advanced”) and compared it to the differences between the Kardashians or the Williams sisters. (“You have Kim, who is a great person — we think she’s phenomenal — and you have Kylie. Kylie’s the young generation. She’s been very successful without having sex tapes, without having to go through all the things that her sister had to go through. Another example is Venus and Serena Williams. They’re both fantastic. But somehow there was a point where Serena managed to kind of take over.”) He also suggested that Balenciaga drops big announcements on the same days as Vetements does. (“Balenciaga always releases news on the day of our show, so I feel it’s only fair,” he alleged. “They announced Demna’s appointment on my birthday.”)
Guram also shrugged off insinuations that a series of gowns that Vetements released are similar to ones Demna has created for Balenciaga: “They have a completely different construction. And honestly, I think all the brands in the world have done these kinds of dresses. I also think if you look at them next to each other, ours are much better.”
The Gvasalias started Vetements together in 2014. Demna was appointed to lead Balenciaga shortly after, but the brothers kept building the highly influential brand together, before Demna made an official exit in 2019. Guram became Vetements’ creative director in 2021.
On Monday, following Balenciaga’s Spring 2024 show during Paris Fashion Week — which saw Demna cast people that have had an impact on his life as the models, including his mother — Guram posted to Instagram: “Proud to see my Mom opening the Balenciaga show. Very sad that I was not invited to witness it. Praying for my brothers soul. God bless him 🙏🏻”
Then, on Thursday, he posted a side-by-side of a red sequined Vetements gown released in June with a red sequined gown that’s part of Balenciaga’s Spring 2024 collection (though, it’s identified as belonging to the “Other Brand”), with the caption, “Love this dress ❤️.”
There’s no doubt an appreciation for Guram’s Vetements. (He created costumes for Madonna‘s upcoming tour, for one, and celebrities wear his designs frequently.) So, why tussle publicly like this? It’s been primarily one-sided, though: Demna hasn’t responded or said anything publicly about his brother or the new Vetements. He’s never done much press, but he’s retreated much more since the whole Balenciaga scandal last year. Even when the Times reached out for comment for its profile of Guram, Demna declined. (Guram asked Friedman to not even reach out.)
“The moment I do something, the bar is really super high. Because we changed the industry, because we were so shocking. And because my brother has a big name and has done a lot of things,” Guram told the Times back in July. “Having him in my life puts more challenge on me. You know, it’s not enough to be good. I need to be very good,” he said.
It makes sense for the Gvasalias to be keeping their public personas separate. (Demna’s even dropped his last name professionally.) And this could just be your run-of-the-mill sibling squabble. Still, what’s going on?
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