High & Low - John Galliano - Film Review Fridays
The film examines Galliano’s career from his earliest days sewing dresses for his sisters to his peak as Creative Director for Dior in the late 90s/early 00s, and Maison Margiela from 2014-2024.
Even if you’re not familiar with the world of fashion, it’s more than likely you've encountered the work of designer John Galliano at some point or the other, whether or not you know it. Do you remember the homeless-inspired ‘Derelicte’ collection in Zoolander? Inspired by a very real (and very controversial) collection Galliano designed for Dior. Did you see pictures of the 2024 Met Gala? At least six celebrity attendees wore outfits designed by John Galliano, including Zendaya, Kim Kardashian, and Ariana Grande. Not to mention, Kate Moss, Courtney Love, Penelope Cruz, and Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and The City have all famously worn Galliano-designed outfits as well. Point is, he’s made an impact, and High & Low: John Galliano is only too aware of this.
The film examines Galliano’s career from his earliest days sewing dresses for his sisters to his peak as Creative Director for Dior in the late 90s/early 00s, and Maison Margiela from 2014-2024. At each step, it offers insights on everything from what shaped the designer’s style to the hectic inner workings of the fashion world, using new footage, in-depth interviews with Galliano and those around him, and fascinating archival videos.
Admittedly, it’s structurally tame; I don’t kid myself this film is likely to win any awards for breaking new ground in cinematography or design. Nor is it going to enter the annals of fashion history – I’d be lying if I said it offers viewers enormous amounts of information about Galliano that wasn’t already available elsewhere.
Still, I maintain that it’s a deeply interesting film, and one thing it does offer that few other pieces of media can claim is a clear-eyed and intimate perspective on Galliano with regards to a controversy that shook the fashion world in 2011. In December of 2010, Galliano was recorded at a Paris cafe in the midst of a horrific antisemitic rant, in which – among other things – he said he ‘love[d] Hitler’ and told a Jewish woman she ought to be gassed.
When the video of Galliano’s outburst was circulated in 2011, he was fired from Dior and ordered to attend rehab for his alcoholism, as well as working with a rabbi to learn more about the Holocaust and Jewish culture. High & Low director Kevin MacDonald interviews Galliano and those working with him a decade after the incident, granting viewers unmatched clarity on what makes a person so singular as Galliano – and what breaks them.
Of course, the circumstances that led to Galliano’s absolutely awful statements are no excuse. There’s no easy way to forgive him such despicable behaviour, and I’m not asking you to. At its essence, this review is simply a reflection on a film about a nuanced and very complex person – a person who said truly hideous things, but also a person who designed some of the most captivating, exciting clothes I’ve seen. Certainly, John Galliano is no ordinary person. And High & Low: John Galliano – with novel insights into the fashion industry, propulsive editing that helps one forget its 2-hour runtime, and a genuinely informative historical lens – is no ordinary film.
