Buyers Love Dior and Galliano, Regardless of Scandal

Now that John Galliano's two carefully watched shows have come and gone on Gallic soils, an interesting question arises: will store buyers stock either collection? High end retailers like Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman consistently sell Dior season after season and bank on its high profile clothing and its even higher profile designer to move product and earn them money. But has the latest scandal du jour made either less appealing? Or more appealing?

Today the trade publication WWDasked the names behind some of the biggest stores what excited them most this past season. Expectedly names like Lanvin, Celine and Alexander McQueen came up time and time again and the newly minted wonder-boy Haider Ackermann was on the tip of everyone's tongue, but interestingly enough a few (like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorfs) noted that they really enjoyed the Dior collections and made no plans to drop the line.

This brings up many things -- should retailers and buyers abandon Dior? It seems unlikely and unfair as the whole company by no means rests on the shoulders of one man, who is now embroiled in a world of drama. But what about Galliano's namesake collection, which is much more highly associated directly to the designer? Will customers be turned off to see these collections in stores? And interestingly, do most customers even directly connect an article of clothing in a store to the person who designed it? Does this scandal really move outside the realm of fashion fans and insiders?

Sadly, these are questions that won't get a true answer until about six months when fall shipments hit the sales-floor. In the meantime, you'll have a scorching summer to keep your mind occupied.