As scheduled, the trial for the 9,5 mil.$ lawsuit that Balenciaga filed against its former creative director, Nicholas Ghesquière, back in September, has started. The designer, according to the house, did not abide to the condition, according to which he should not make any statements that would undermine the image either of the brand, or of kering, its mother company. An interview for the London-based magazine System, was the motive. Among others, the designer stated that creating “started becoming bureaucracy and more corporate”, “it was all about branding”, “they wanted to steal my identity, while trying to homogenize things”, and accused the board of directors for “lack of culture” and that they showed him “no esteem, interest or recognition”.
The house counsel, Thierry Lévy, after exalting the designer as a “young man, infinitely talented” and as “a hard worker, who managed in a few years the miracle of resurrecting Balenciaga”, accused him of materially injuring the house. On his part, Ghesquière’s representative, Michel Lavel, defended “the spiritual heir of Balenciaga”, claiming that there was no proof of the loss the house has suffered, after his comments.
The verdict is set for August 27th, unless the two parties reach an extrajudicial settlement.
