The Winner Stands Alone (15 page)

The trend adapters want to know what will be the next thing to capture the consumers
imagination? Young people dont have enough money to buy luxury goods and so have to invent
new ways of dress- ing. Since they live glued to their computer screens, they share their
interests with like-minded others, and these interests can often become a kind of virus
that infects the whole community. Young people influ- ence their parents views of
politics, literature, and music, and not, as ingenuous adults believe, the other way
round. However, parents influ- ence young peoples system of values. Adolescents may be
rebellious by nature, but they always believe the family is right; they may dress
strangely and enjoy listening to singers who howl and break guitars, but thats as far as
it goes. They dont have the courage to go any fur- ther and provoke a real revolution in
behavior.

They did that in the past, but, fortunately, that particular wave has passed and returned
to the sea.

All these studies of market trends show that society is now heading toward a more
conservative style, far from the dangers posed by suf- fragettes (the women at the
beginning of the twentieth century who fought for and achieved the right to vote) or by
hairy, unhygienic hip- pies (a group of crazies who believed that peace and free love were
real possibilities).

In 1960, for example, the
worldwascaughtupinthebloody wars of the post-colonial era, terrified by the threat of
nuclear war, and although we were also living through a period of economic pros- perity,
we were all desperately in need of a little joy. Just as Christian Dior had understood
that the hope of future abundance could be ex- pressed through clothes using yards of
material, the designers of the sixties went in search of a combination of colors that
would lift peoples morale and came to the conclusion that red and violet were simultane- ously calming and
stimulating.

Forty years later, the collective view had changed completely: the world was no longer
under the threat of war, but of grave environmen- tal problems. Designers were opting for
colors drawn from the natural world: the sands of the desert, the jungles, the sea.
Between these two periods, various other trendspsychedelic, futuristic, aristocratic,
nostalgicarose and vanished.

Before the great designer collections are fully defined, these studies of market trends
are used to give a snapshot of the worlds current state of mind. It seems now thatdespite
wars, famine in Africa, terror- ism, the violation of human rights, and the arrogant
attitude of certain developed countriesour main preoccupation is saving poor planet Earth
from the many threats created by human society.

Ecology. Save the planet. How ridiculous.

Hamid knows, however, that theres no point in fighting the collec- tive unconscious. The
colors, the accessories, the fabrics, the so-called charity events attended by the
Superclass, the books being published, the music being played on the radio, the
documentaries made by ex- politicians, the new films, the material used to make shoes, the
new bio-fuels, the petitions handed in to members of parliament and con- gressmen, the
bonds being sold by the largest of the world banks, ev- erything appears to focus on one
thing: saving the planet. Fortunes are made overnight; large multinationals are given
space in the press because of some completely irrelevant action they are taking; unscru-
pulous NGOs place advertisements on the major TV channels and re- ceive hundreds of
millions of dollars in donations because everyone seems obsessed with the fate of the
Earth.

Whenever he reads articles in newspapers or magazines written by politicians using global
warming or the destruction of the environment as a platform for their electoral campaigns,
he thinks:

How can we be so arrogant? The planet is, was, and always will be stronger than us. We
cant destroy it; if we overstep the mark, the planet will simply erase us from its surface
and carry on existing. Why dont they start talking about not letting the planet destroy us? Because saving the planet gives a sense of power, action, and no- bility. Whereas not
letting the planet destroy us might lead to feelings of despair and impotence, and to a
realization of just how very limited our capabilities are.

However, this is what the trends reveal, and fashion must adapt to the desires of the
consumers. The dye works were already busy pro- ducing what were deemed to be the best
colors for the next collection. The cloth manufacturers were on the hunt for natural
fibers; the cre- ators of accessories such as belts, bags, glasses, and wristwatches were
doing their best to adapt, or at least pretend to adapt, by publishing leaflets printed on
recycled paper explaining the lengths they had gone to in order to preserve the
environment. All of this would be shown to the major designers at the largest of the
fabric showsclosed to the publicand bearing the evocative name of Premiere Vision.

After that, each designer would apply his or her creativity to the new collection and feel
that haute couture was something inventive, original, and different. Not true. They were
all merely slavishly fol- lowing what the market trends dictated. The more important the
brand, the less willing they were to take any risks, given that the jobs of hundreds of
people around the world depended on the decisions of a small group of people, the
Superclass of the haute-couture world, which was already weary of pretending that it had
something different to sell every six months.

The first designs were made
by misunderstood geniuses who dreamed of one day having their own label. They worked for
ap- proximately six to eight months, at first with pencil and paper, then with prototypes
made out of cheap fabric, which could be photographed on models and analyzed by the
directors. Out of every one hundred pro- totypes, about twenty would be chosen for the
next show. Adjustments were madenew buttons, a different cut of sleeve, or some unusual
stitching.

Then more photos would be taken, this time with the models sit-

ting, lying down, or walking, and still further adjustments, because remarks such as only
suitable for the catwalk could ruin a whole collection and place a particular labels
reputation at risk. During this process, some of the misunderstood geniuses were summarily
dis- missed, with no right to compensation because they were only there as trainees. The
more talented of those who remained would have to rethink their creations several times,
aware that, however successful the design, only the name of the label would be mentioned.

They all vowed revenge one day. They told themselves that even- tually they would open
their own shop and get the recognition they deserved. Meanwhile, they smiled and continued
working as if they were thrilled to have been chosen. As the final models were being se-
lected, more people were dismissed and more people taken on (for the next collection), and
finally, the genuine fabrics were used to make the clothes that would appear on the
catwalk, as if this were the first time they were being shown to the public. This, of
course, was part of the legend because, by then, retailers worldwide already had in their
hands photos of the various designs taken from every conceivable angle, as well as details
of the accessories, the texture of the fabric, the recom- mended retail price, and the
addresses of suppliers. Depending on the brands size and importance, the new collection
was already being produced on a large scale in various countries around the world.

Then, finally, the big day arrived, or, rather, the three weeks that marked the beginning
of a new era (which, as they all knew, would last only six months). It began in London,
then went on to Milan, and ended in Paris. Journalists were invited from all over the
world, photogra- phers jockeyed for the best places, and everything was treated with the
greatest secrecy; newspapers and magazines devoted pages and pages to the latest designs;
women were dazzled, and men regarded with a certain scorn what they thought of as a mere
fashion item and thought sourly about how they would have to spend a few thou- sand
dollars on something of not the slightest importance to them, but which their wives
considered to be an emblem of the Superclass.

A week later, something that had been described as exclusive was already available in shops around the world. No one asked how it had managed to travel so
fast and be produced in such a short space of time. The legend, however, is more important
than the reality.

The consumers didnt realize these new fashions were created by those who were merely
following the existing fashions, that exclusivity was just a lie they chose to believe,
that many of the collections praised by the specialist press belonged to the large
manufacturers of luxury goods, who supported those same magazines and journals by placing
full-page advertisements. There were, of course, exceptions, and, after a few years of
struggle, Hamid Hussein was one of them, and therein lay his power.

He notices that Ewa is
again checking her mobile phone, which she doesnt normally do. The fact is that she hates
the thing, perhaps because it reminds her of a past relationship, a period of her life
about which he still knows little or nothing because neither of them ever refers to it. He
glances at his watch. They still have time to finish their coffee without rushing. He
looks again at the other designer. If only it did all begin with a meeting of dye
manufacturers and end on the catwalk, but that wasnt the case.

He and the man now
sitting alone and staring out at the ho- rizon first met at Premiere Vision. Hamid was
still working for the major fashion house that had taken him on as a designer, although
the sheikh had, by then, already started organizing the small army of eleven people who
would put into practice the idea of using fashion as a window onto their world, their
religion, and their culture.

Most of the time we stand here listening to explanations of how to present simple things
in the most complicated way possible, Hamid had said.

They were walking past stands displaying the latest fabrics, the latest revolutionary
techniques, the colors that would be used over the next two years, the ever more
sophisticated accessoriesplatinum belt buckles, push-button credit card holders, watch straps the size of which could be minutely
regulated with the help of a diamond-encrusted dial.

The couturier looked him up and down. The world always was and always will be complicated.
I dont think so, and if I ever leave the company Im working for now, it will be to open my own business, which will go against all these beliefs.

The couturier laughed.

You know what the world of fashion is like. Youve heard of the FŽdŽration, havent you,
well, it takes foreigners a very, very long time to get accepted.

The FŽdŽration Franeaise de la Couture was one of the worlds most exclusive clubs. It
decided who could or couldnt take part in the Fashion Weeks in Paris, as well as setting
the parameters to be fol- lowed by participants. First created in 1868, it had enormous
power. It trademarked the expression haute couture so that no one outside the FŽdŽration
could use it without running the risk of being sued. It pub- lished the ten thousand
copies of the Official Catalogue for the two great annual events, decided which
journalists would receive the two thousand press passes, selected the major buyers, and
selected the venue for each show according to the importance of the designer.

Yes, I know what the world of fashion is like, said Hamid, bring- ing the conversation to
a close. He sensed that the man he was talking to would, in the future, be a great
designer, but he knew, too, that they would never be friends.

Six months later, everything was ready for his great adventure. He resigned from his job,
opened his first shop in St-Germain-des-Pres, and started to fight as best he could. He
lost many battles, but real- ized one thing: he could not bow to the tyranny of the
companies who dictated the fashion trends. He had to be original, and he succeeded because
he brought with him the simplicity of the Bedouin, a knowl- edge of the desert, everything
he had learned at the company where he had worked for over a year, as well as the advice
of certain financial experts, together with textiles that were completely new and original. Two years later, he had opened five or six large shops throughout France and had been
accepted by the FŽdŽration, not just because of his talent, but through the sheikhs
contacts, whose emissaries controlled which French companies could open branches in their
country.

More water flowed under the bridge, people changed their minds, presidents were elected or
stepped down, the new technology grew in popularity, the Internet began to dominate world
communications, public opinion became more influential in all spheres of human activ- ity,
luxury and glamour regained the position they had lost. His work grew and expanded. He
wasnt just involved now in fashion, but in ac- cessories, furniture, beauty products,
watches, and exclusive fabrics.

Hamid was now the master of an empire, and all those who had invested in his dream were
richly rewarded with the dividends paid to shareholders. He continued to supervise much of
what his businesses produced, attended the most important photo shoots, still designed
most of the clothes, and visited the desert three times a year to pray at his fathers
grave and give an account of his activities to the sheikh. Now he has taken up a new
challenge; he is going to produce a film.

He glances at his watch again and tells Ewa its time to go. She asks if it really is so
very important.

No, its not, but Id like to be there.

Ewa gets to her feet. Hamid takes one last look at the famous cou- turier, sitting alone
and contemplating the Mediterranean, oblivious to everything.