Rising from the ashes: Extraordinary Inspiration

I was inspired to write this by my friend Brenda Nelson, Thank you Brenda. 

Great artist from all around the world create their pieces of art work from different inspiration, designers are no different too. Some designers create their work of art by looking at the seasons and their color while some get their inspiration from other designers and well, the rest get their inspiration from the surrounding. Each designer too has a reason and interest that led them to rise from the ashes and become a phoenix that illuminates the entire world with their designs. Today, we are going to talk about the history of some of the most famous brands such as Versace and the mentors of some of the designers as well as the inspiration and reason they got which allowed them to create designs that once again change the world of fashion and its meaning.

Like all glamorous thing that shines bright, there is always a darker side to things and sometimes even more horrible than you think. A cover may appear good but the content is the one that scares people the most. The grand creator of Versace is no different too; Gianni Versace was born in Italy on the 2^nd of December 1946. During his time, different companies noticed Gianni’s amazing works and decided to hire him to help them with some of their designs. Complice hired him to help them design their leather and suede collections while Genny and Callaghan’s attention was drew by the knits which Gianni had made. The brand Versace was founded by Gianni in 1978 with the help of his brother, Santo. The first boutique that Gianni opened was in Milan's Via della Spiga. Everyone has their own inspiration and Gianni had his, he was inspired by the Greeks and abstract art works and Andy Warhol. Four years later after the opening of his first boutique, Gianni met his future partner who is a model, Antonio. On July the 15^th 1997, that fateful day, Gianni was walking home from his usual routine in Miami when he was shot and murdered. The reason he was murdered by Andrew was never discovered and in September 1997, it was announced that the sister of Gianni, Donatella was now named the head of Versace to this day. Santo and Jorge Saud were made the CEO of Versace.

Valentino was created by Valentino Garavani. Garavani interest in fashion started when he was attending primary school in Italy. Before you do anything, you’ve got to plan it out and make sure what you are doing is okay or else you will end up like Valentino before meeting his boyfriend. Valentino’s business was on the edge of bankruptcy where his father had to pull money out from his associates to help his son’s business and prevent it from going bankrupt. The only reason Valentino’s business nearly went bankrupt is that he was so in love with fashion that he is consistently buying expensive fabrics to create clothes and didn’t think about the consequences of doing so that it would affect his business big  time. With the help of his longtime boyfriend Giancarlo, his business managed to get back on the right track. With his own creativity and passion for fashion, he made many beautiful clothes yet not over spending with the help on Giancarlo. On January 23^rd, Valentino announced his retirement at his last haute couture fashion show in Paris.

Ralph Lauren, I shall name him as “The Man of Legacy.” Ralph Lauren came from a humble family in New York, he was known for selling ties to his classmate which I find it really interesting and never been able to understand that but I do not mean it in an offensive way but it is really captivating how someone could sell neckties in school all the way into getting his own label from the Brooks Brother which he used to work for. With the financial help of Norman Hamilton, he opened up his own necktie store. I love Ralph Lauren polo-Ts and his suits, they are really amazing and if you can afford them, I think you should buy them.

Vera Wang, I love her and I am just going to say that she is the mother of all bridal gowns these days, many people may disagree with me however, I do think that there are also many great bridal gown designers out there but my favorite is Vera Wang. It is said that Vera couldn’t find a dress that could fit her which inspired her to create her own bridal gown and from there she had a own branding.

Even though many of us were born either from a humble family or a lower income family, but this article is not just about these designers history, most of the designers out there came from humble backgrounds and are no different from us, but it is their interest that kept them going and persistency which allowed them to push through the barrel and be where they are now. Just because we come from a lower income family, doesn’t mean we are not entitled to a good life, we do but unlike socialites, that life has to be earned back and it is based on how much you actually want something and whether you want to do it or not. Another thing is commitment to something, every of us out there who wants to make it big tend to jump boats and hopping around like a lost bunny switching jobs hopping to get more money. However, the dangers of jumping from boat to boat is that once you miss a step, you are going to plunge down way into the water and it is going to take you a lot of effort to bring you back to shore. So, if you make a commitment to something, you should do it and complete that commitment as it was a choice made by you in the first place. Rising from the ashes is a phrase I use as we could be like ashes and we are like inferior to everyone else out there however, there will be a time where we would rise from the ashes and soar up the sky too.