Demna Gvasalia has left Vetements

Demna Gvasalia’s time at the helm of Vetements has come to an end, after the designer announced he was stepping down from the label he founded this weekend. 

“Vetements has always been a collective of creative minds. We will continue to push the boundaries even further, respecting codes and the authentic values of the brand, and keep on supporting honest creativity and genuine talent,” explained brother and Vetements co-founder Guram Gvasalia in a statement published exclusively on WWD. “Demna’s talent and vision of fashion have been fundamental in the continued success of Vetements. He has made an outstanding contribution to the company’s legacy and in writing the codes of the brand.”  

Having founded Vetements in 2014 because he was ‘bored of fashion’, Demna became the driving force of a revolution which has seen existing codes of luxury redefined. From the label’s early DHL t-shirt, through to its positioning of streetwear as haute couture and its unique, irreverent viewpoint, the label has steadily grown to become one of fashion’s biggest (and most subversive) powerhouses. 

The statement went on to explain that his departure will see him ‘pursue new ventures’, although did not elaborate further. It was also confirmed that he will continue in his role as the creative director of Balenciaga. 

“Against all odds, fashion did change once and forever since Vetements appeared and it also opened a new door for so many. So I feel that I have accomplished my mission of a conceptualist and design innovator at this exceptional brand and Vetements has matured into a company that can evolve its creative heritage into a new chapter on its own,” Gvasalia added of his decision. 

Stay tuned to see what’s next for the iconoclastic designer, and revisit the AW19 Vetements show, which took place in a Parisian McDonald’s, below.