Of Colombian origin, adopted by a French family – his father was a cartographer for Amnesty International – Haider Ackermann spent his childhood in different countries and gradually absorbed high-voltage cultural dregs that he would later transfer to his clothing. He trained at the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in 1994 and began as an assistant in John Galliano's studio. Since he launched his first collection in 2002, he has received honors from the most prestigious fashion editors. Suzy Menkes described it as a "rare hope for the future."
He has won several awards, and the creations he made with his own signature – which is not produced for now – earned him a compliment that was as flattering as it was poisonous: that of the eternal successor of the greats. From Saint Laurent, from Dior – he resigned from working for the firm, as well as from Margiela – or from Chanel. Lagerfeld said that he would be a worthy successor of his in the legendary brand. But Ackermann hid from the spotlight and claimed seriousness in the trade and independence.
In recent years he has made brief collaborations with different luxury brands, from Berluti to Fila. This summer, she has signed the Jean Paul Gaultier haute couture collection. Since he retired from the front line, each season they select a guest designer.
We talk through the screen, Haider dresses in black, wears round glasses and acts as a born observer who knows how to hold his gaze.
Were you surprised when you were asked for this collaboration for Jean Paul Gaultier?
Of course, because I'm not a young creator, which is what I had in mind that they were looking for. I am established and I have not created anything for a long time. I felt very honored. I've always had that flirtatious relationship with haute couture. It coincided with the fact that he was just coming out of a difficult, more silent period.
How has your relationship with him been?
Monsieur Gaultier is the complete opposite of me, a person full of joy who loves people. I am much more introverted, given to hiding. But we share the same sensitivity: we love women in all their splendor. When I met him, I asked him to have dinner together, and those meetings always revolved around life, love, sexuality, but never the work he was doing. He discovered the collection at the same time as the rest of the world, on the catwalk.
Didn't you follow the evolution of the garments?
He gave me complete freedom not to condition myself, a gesture of great generosity. In the show, I was backstage and I had four screens to follow: one was for the models leaving, another for the catwalk, another for the entrance, and finally an exclusive one to see Jean Paul's reaction, and I was just waiting. of the last.
Is it difficult for you to be part of the paraphernalia that fashion entails?
We could say yes. I like discretion, it helps me, serves me and protects me. I have never wanted to be a character that was in the foreground, I prefer to be in the back. In addition, in this world there are many people who already speak very loud.
The world of 'celebrities', brand ambassadors, 'influencers' seems like a different profession.
Yes of course. In the game of celebrities and big houses, everyone is looking for more likes on Instagram. I'm not interested. The fidelity that Mademoiselle Swinton has to me and the friendship we share is what truly honors me, is based on something much purer. That is luxury.
The word pure or purity is always present in his speech.
Well, of course, if we want to be part of history, I think that's the only thing that matters. Be honest and faithful.
What do you think of the impact of feminism on fashion today?
It is quite a difficult question to answer. Claiming feminism by saying “I am a feminist, how strong I am, I am a feminist” does not interest me. I think that the creators are those who love women (I hope), and someone like Miuccia Prada does not shout "I am a feminist" but she teaches it. It can be done without shouting it at the top of your lungs. I prefer that instead of shouting we act. Put women in positions of power, put women as C.E.Os because men still reign in fashion. Stop making "I'm a feminist" T-shirts and make that woman C.E.O. Fashion loves slogans, but if you're truly a feminist, dress women to flatter them, conform to their bodies so they don't have to conform to uncomfortable clothing. Stop doing eighteen year old ad campaigns and calling yourself feminists. If you are feminists, include all kinds of women in those campaigns.
How's your peace of mind?
Following the Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show, many articles and reviews began to appear. I decided to go with my friends to the countryside. We had a house with three fireplaces, we lit them and cooked together. I disconnected from my phone for three days, I was reading with my friends, we went for a walk through the woods and at night we danced in front of the fire in the fireplaces. It was truly beautiful, a luxury. Once again, the luxury of friendships prevails over everything.
Friendship for you is really important from what I see.
Primarily yes, because in this world that plays a lot with our sensitivity, there are times when you lose confidence in yourself, but there will always be your friends who will hold you firm, and it is important to speak to young people who cannot make a collection by yourself, it is impossible, you need a team at your side and together you do the work. It is true that later it will be signed with my name, but there will always be that production team behind it and my faithful friends who support me. They are the ones that give you strength and provide you with that love to continue.
Do you have any kind of art today that inspires you away from the West?
Always. I'm looking forward to going on a trip. It will seem strange, but when I went to visit Bhutan with Tilda, you see the women dressed in a different way, they mix squares with velvet, with silks; it is a sublime style, and they do it in an unconscious, natural and graceful way. All of that is learning. I dream of going back to Ethiopia, where I lived when I was little, to visit the men wrapped in cotton veils. We can observe learning and learn by observing other cultures. It is very enriching.
What are the things that concern you right now in the world?
Freedom for each and every person on the planet. What is happening right now in Iran is devastating. That twenty-seven-year-olds are executed... We are in 2023 and that the rest of the world does not react, I find it incredible and difficult to accept. Of course there are many other problems and events, but to be denied personal freedom and to have states do this and still have that power, I find it alarming.
In his way of understanding fashion, a cultural and social ambition survives.
You can only make a current collection by looking at what's going on around you. He could not sublimate the figure of the woman without talking about the Iranian woman and what they were (and are) suffering. It has nothing to do with a political act, it is simply a human act. Fashion serves to communicate what happens in the world.
How has having an interracial and supportive family influenced you?
If I have worried about Iran or Afghanistan it responds to the education I have had. It is the echo of my parents about me talking about cases of people who move me. For my father, at first it was difficult to see how he invested so much money in a show while in Africa there are people who need help, even on the streets of Paris. Sometimes we feel guilty, but each one has his job and my father was dedicated to human rights in the most noble and Catholic sense of helping others. We also need people who are looking for beauty: something to help us get up in the morning, because without beauty we cannot live.
Have you thought about making your own collection again?
Who knows…!
