After leading the Lemaire, Paco Rabanne and then Jacquemus brands, from which he left abruptly at the end of 2023, Bastien Daguzan moves to Los Angeles, to take the reins of the young chic streetwear brand Fear of God.
Bastien Daguzan continues his brilliant career in fashion across the Atlantic…
The young executive, who announced his unexpected departure from Maison Jacquemus at the end of 2023, has just taken over the reins of “independent American luxury fashion brand” Fear of God.
He will be based in Los Angeles, where Fear of God was founded, in 2013, by Jerry Lorenzo. On its website, the brand explains that it offers “timeless, wearable clothing”, using “high-quality materials” and “fine craftsmanship”. Positioned in the very premium streetwear segment, it offers clothing and sneakers for men and women.
For Bastien Daguzan, this new position represents another challenge in his career. All the more so as he replaces Alfred Chang as General Manager, a position he has held only since last year…
Lightning presidency at Jacquemus
In his previous career, Bastian Daguzan himself experienced the sometimes ephemeral nature of a management position.
At the end of 2023, the fashion world was stunned to learn of his departure from the Maison Jacquemus. And this just a few days after the announcement of his appointment as president!
This news set off the rumor mill to explain this unexpected split between two profiles that seemed, on the face of it, to complement each other. On the one hand, the ebullient 34-year-old designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, who never ceases to create a buzz, and on the other, the forty-something Bastien Daguzan, well-versed in the subtleties of fashion management.
In 2019, he became strategic advisor to Jacquemus, before being appointed, in March 2022, as the first General Manager of the French luxury House, founded in 2009 by the eponymous designer. And in December 2023, all hell broke loose: Bastien Daguzan was installed as President, before announcing the same month that he would be breaking away from Jacquemus with immediate effect!
Duo manager-creator
The respective talents of Bastien Daguzan and Simon Porte Jacquemus, sole owner of his House, ultimately failed to form the harmonious manager-creator duo that Bernard Arnault, the CEO of Lvmh, regularly presents as the basis for the success of his luxury Houses. Rumors in the trade press suggested deep disagreements between the two personalities, ultimately leading to an irreparable clash.
And yet, Bastien Daguzan ticked all the boxes a priori, with notably already a successful general management experience with young designers, in this case the duo formed by Christophe Lemaire and his partner Sarah Linh Tran. In four years, from 2013 to 2017, he was able to give a real commercial boost to the sleek, Asian-inspired brand, by bringing it closer to Japanese retailer Uniqlo. The collaboration led to the Fast Retailing group, owner of Uniqlo , acquiring a minority stake in the fashion house. Between 2015 and 2017, Lemaire’s sales increased fivefold, to €10 million!
Acceleration at Paco Rabanne
Prior to this success, Bastien Daguzan, who holds a double degree in international business law from La Sorbonne (Paris) and the Institut français de la mode (IFM), had already been working in the field. He began his career in 2008 at Kris Van Assche, where he spent five years overseeing sales development.
Following his departure from Lemaire in 2017, Bastien Daguzan also made a name for himself as head of the fashion division of Paco Rabanne, owned by the Puig Group. In successful tandem this time, with artistic director Julien Dossena, he had given the brand a real boost, “multiplying its multi-brand portfolio by four” according to specialist media Fashion Network, and bringing the Pacollection fragrance line to market. The result: triple-digit growth for the House!
By entrusting him with the reins, Fear of God also intends to benefit from the impetus of its new General Manager. The brand is counting on Bastien Daguzan to place “particular emphasis on brand awareness”, roll out “international distribution, as well as e-commerce best practices” and finally, “ensure seamless access to customers worldwide”, says the Maison in its announcement press release.
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Read also > Jacquemus : Bastien Daguzan leaves, Mélissa Ait-Ouakli arrives
Featured Photo: © Balmain
