Andrew Gn is bidding fashion farewell. A pioneer among foreign-born, Paris-based designers, Gn arrived in the French capital in the mid-1990s with a loan from his father and a dream of making it big. Fast forward 30 years or so, and Gn is one of the few indies who have succeeded on his own terms. He counts royalty—both IRL and onscreen versions—among his clientele, from Catherine, Princess of Wales, Queen Rania of Jordan, and QueenMary of Denmark to Lady Gaga, Emma Stone, Beyoncé, and Lily Collins as Emily in Paris.
Speaking from his studio on Monday, the designer said, “it’s emotional, but on the other hand this is the first Christmas I can enjoy without thinking about showing in January or February.” By the same token, when the next fashion month rolls around, Gn will be able to celebrate his 60th birthday and—for the first time since moving to Paris—spend Chinese New Year with family. “In that sense, [this timing is] a great blessing,” he said.
Not that his days will be idle. Gn’s retrospective at the Asian Civilisations Museum, “Fashioning Singapore and the World,” closed in September after a four-month run and is set to travel on to the US, where it is slated to open in a different iteration at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem in 2025. And discussions are underway to establish a foundation in Singapore that will display his work and help new generations of young designers there find their own paths.
A dedicated traveler and foodie, Gn also plans to pursue other longtime interests, such as floral arranging, home decor, and the fine and decorative arts (he is a noted collector of ceramics). Reflecting on the pace of today’s fashion landscape, he said, “it’s beyond fast. You’ve done something and you are on to the next step in the blink of an eye. You’re reinventing yourself all the time. I’m not being pretentious when I say I’m a lot of other things too, and I want to do it while I can.”
Elizabeth van der Goltz, Chief Executive Officer Browns and Chief Fashion and Merchandising Officer at Farfetch, first met Gn as a buyer for Bergdorf Goodman in 2003. “I have watched as he and his partner Erick have personally put all their passion, efforts and hard work into growing Andrew’s brand and business for many, many years,” she said in a statement. “It is a major milestone, and I look forward to spending a lot more time with him in his retirement.”
“There’s sure to be a run on his last collection over the news,” said Linda Fargo, SVP of Fashion and Store Presentation Director at Bergdorf Goodman. “Andrew consistently designed beautiful, wearable, joyous clothes, with touches of exoticism and unabashed glamour. He inherently knew our clients’ lifestyles and needs as he himself lives a life of taste and connoisseurship.”
