Black Label [EN]: Chapter 183

183. Janel’s Heaven (5)

Since 1983, Karl Lagerfeld had consistently presented spectacularly flamboyant performances and uniquely captivating shows.

For Janel, under his direction, the concept of ‘location constraints’ seemed nonexistent.

Whether it was a hotel banquet hall, a casino, a domed stage, a spacious restaurant, a cruise ship, or even a large supermarket…

After scouting a location that matched the concept of his planned design lineup, he transformed it into an incredibly dreamlike place for the duration of the show.

Perhaps that’s why?

Before they knew it, the public had naturally come to expect great things from Janel’s shows.

They wondered, ‘What kind of show will Janel present this year?’ The anticipation of the public reached its peak with this F/W [Fall/Winter] collection.

The genius rookie designer, ‘Lee,’ who joined Janel’s director lineup this year.

Having made his debut in the fashion world through the premium brand Alexander King, he had presented perfect designs and flamboyant performances from the very beginning.

Countless people expressed their anticipation for Karl Lagerfeld and the stage he had envisioned.

And now, the moment that countless people had been waiting for had arrived.

Inside the Ritz Hotel’s banquet hall, where Janel’s F/W season collection was taking place, the cheers and applause of countless people mixed and echoed.

“Waaaaaah-!”

“Waaaah-!”

As the first background music ended and the intro to a new track began to play, the show entered a new phase.

All the reactions the audience was expressing were solely driven by the current change.

The second act of the show.

First, the ‘configuration’ of the internal lighting changed.

If it had felt quite bright until now, would it be accurate to describe it as having become darker and more subdued? The lighting became more focused and less intense.

This was because they didn’t use all the lighting installed to change the color scheme of the show, but only the minimum amount.

At the same time, beam projectors installed throughout the venue began to operate.

The light emitted from the beam projectors hit the walls and immediately began to project antique black and white videos onto them.

A middle-aged critic, who had been craning his neck like a meerkat in a safari, quietly spoke up.

“Paris in the early 1900s……”

The light emitted from the beam projectors was depicting Paris nearly a century ago on the walls of the banquet hall.

It was Paris in an era when over 90% of the brands that now held the title of ‘Premium’ didn’t even exist.

It was Paris in an era when only a small number of people knew the name Janel, let alone the Janel Group.

It was Paris in an era when Janel, now considered one of the world’s top brands, was just a small ‘Boutique’ that only those who knew of its existence could find.

The combination of the videos blooming on the walls and the gloomy, subdued lighting seemed to amplify the vintage feel.

Of course, the real reason for the audience’s enthusiastic response was something else.

It was due to the models’ walking, which resumed without any prior notice at the same time as the atmosphere changed.

Clack- clack-

The models were wearing clothes made primarily from jersey fabric, which was used to make men’s underwear in the early 1900s.

They wore cardigan-style jackets now called ‘Janel Suits’ and ‘H-Line’ skirts, which had become relics of the past beyond retro.

Nevertheless, people were enthusiastic.

“You can see the effort to recreate Janel’s history. I once heard that Janel Boutique used jersey fabric as its main material due to financial problems in its early days. To perfectly recreate not only the design but also the material……”

“Looking closely, it feels like it’s been adapted in its own way. Compared to the early designs released in the 1920s, it feels much more sophisticated and modern. It’s like they’ve subtly layered the current trends over the relics of the past……”

“Design is design, but I like the composition of the show. The designs shown in the first act were so trendy that they felt a bit futuristic, right? But to create a feeling as if they had instantly gone back almost a hundred years.”

As the walking progressed, the atmosphere only grew more intense.

Most of those gathered in the hall knew how risky and great a challenge it was to reinterpret Janel’s early designs.

Janel’s early designs are all by the founder, Coco Janel.

The French novelist and politician Andre Malraux once described Coco Janel, the founder of the brand, as follows:

‘She, along with De Gaulle and Picasso, is the greatest figure of our time!’

Perhaps she is the designer who holds the most titles of ‘first’.

She was the first to drastically reduce the length of women’s skirts, the first to liberate women from tight corsets, the first to use branded hardware with logos, the first to release one-piece dresses that destroyed pockets, and even the first to create women’s jackets.

And that’s not all.

Marilyn Monroe caused a great social stir by answering a reporter’s question at a press conference about ‘what she wears to sleep’ by saying that she only wears a few drops of ‘Janel No. 5,’ which has become Janel’s signature perfume.

The second act of the current F/W collection was a series of ‘challenges’ to her.

No matter how much it is packaged with the word ‘Hommage [tribute or respect],’ reinterpreting her work is an act that cannot be easily tolerated.

She has already reached a religious status in the fashion world.

What if the clothes created by reinterpreting her designs make some people frown?

It was clear that they would not be able to avoid the criticism and condemnation of countless people. It was a challenge that could not be undertaken without certainty.

With this in mind, how would you evaluate Jaeseung’s homage designs?

Flawlessly perfect.

This was more than just a simple homage; it was a reinterpretation of modern costume history.

He blended trendy elements harmoniously with classic designs, and as a result, the classic successfully transformed into sophisticated retro.

At that moment.

Chairman Ardo of the LVMH Group, who was occupying a VVIP seat, frowned deeply and asked the executives he had brought with him in a testy tone.

“Who on earth was it that said Janel would suffer a major failure this season?”

Soon, the executives standing by his side, as if they had swallowed honey, could not say anything and only began to look at each other.

There were many predictions that Janel’s season would be like a time bomb. This was because there were so many factors that could cause conflict.

Weren’t Karl Lagerfeld and Lee enemies who had been waging a ‘Paper War’ just half a year ago?

Thanks to this, there was also a widespread rumor that the friction between the Janel Group and Karl Lagerfeld was due to the Janel Group hiring ‘Lee,’ who was practically an enemy, as a sub-director.

But, well?

It was such a perfect collection that you couldn’t find any traces of conflict even if you washed your eyes and looked.

Just as the executives were muttering, “Um……” and “That’s……,” and licking their parched lower lips.

Chairman Ardo, who raised his hand as if to stop them, ended the situation by saying, “Stop.” But it was a truly strange thing.

Janel is one of the few brands that the LVMH Group directly keeps in check.

It was the moment when it was confirmed that Janel’s season had entered a successful streak, but Chairman Ardo’s expression was not so dark.

Rather, with soft eyes and a slight upturn of his lips, he was even humming along to the intro of the background music that was playing.

‘I have a lot more to talk about with Lee during my next summer vacation.’

* * *

Unlike the inside of the banquet hall where the show was in full swing, the backstage passage was not even touched by a ray of light.

Chairman Bertheimer and Jaeseung. The two men, dressed in impeccable suits, stood side by side, looking out at the banquet hall in the distance.

Chairman Bertheimer, after exhaling a puff of hazy cigarette smoke, glanced at his wristwatch and continued.

“Lee, it looks like the second act of the show is almost over.”

“That’s right.”

“You’re really amazing. How on earth did you create so many designs by yourself in such a short time……”

Chairman Bertheimer, who trailed off, stared intently at Jaeseung, who responded with a faint smile.

As he said, the clothes that Karl Lagerfeld had personally designed had all been used up in the first act.

The homage designs to Coco Janel that were being presented in the second act of the show were all created by Jaeseung without exception.

Chairman Bertheimer was convinced that Lee’s talent was beyond that of Karl Lagerfeld’s heyday.

It only seemed that he had paid homage to a legendary figure without even a hint of burden and at a very fast pace.

Just as Chairman Bertheimer was staring intently at Jaeseung, Jaeseung leaned his back against the back of the sofa and fell into thought.

After maintaining silence for a while, Jaeseung got up and quietly opened his mouth.

“Finally, the moment has come for the long-awaited third act to begin.”

On the surface, it would be impossible not to think of it as a show that irregularly expresses the history of Janel’s transformation.

But, well? In fact, the main theme of this collection was a secret tribute to Karl Lagerfeld.

The theme of the first act was the extremely challenging and futuristic-feeling posthumous works left by Karl Lagerfeld.

The theme of the second act that followed was an expression of respect for the brand Janel, which had provided him with a foundation.

And the final third act is…….

It was a secret tribute to Karl Lagerfeld’s 40 years at Janel, the nostalgia contained within them, and to him.

The time just for him is imminent. Soon, Jaeseung tightened his tie even more and said to Chairman Bertheimer.

“Shall we go?”

“Alright.”

Soon, the two men in their impeccable suits began to walk side by side towards the hallway leading to the banquet hall.

One to express a secret mourning for an old friend, and the other to express a secret mourning for someone who had been a long-time role model and a guide to his dreams.

Step by step.

Each time they took a step, the white boutonniere pinned to their suit lapels fluttered gently.