Guess celebrates 40 years with party that falls flat

By

Chenu Alexis

Published
Oct 11, 2022

Closing the second day of LA Fashion Week (LAFW), Guess put on a party to celebrate its 40th anniversary on Saturday night, held at the Lighthouse ArtSpace in Hollywood.

Dedicated to recent digital art and immersive exhibitions such as Van Gogh, the place promised a lively evening. In the large exhibition hall, the walls were lit up with the glory of the brand's icons and advertising campaigns. Photos from the house's archives showed Laetitia Casta, Anna Nicole Smith, Jennifer Lopez and Claudia Schiffer against a black-and-white background with graphics reminiscent of Yayoi Kusama.
 
Parked in their VIP box, the celebrities spotted alongside Nicolai Marciano, son of co-founder Paul and now Head of Guess' image, paraded in the evening. Singer Beck, rapper Asap Nast, but that's about it. The DJ in place, Kaytranada saved, by the quality of his sets, the party, and managed to ignite for a slight moment the audience.

Stuck in a overly large setting, Guess' 40th anniversary party bit-off more than it could chew, and did not bring joy, probably undermined by the tensions that the company is going through these past months. Even the presence of a photo booth, with a lot of filter effects, was not enough to lighten the mood.

Paul Marciano was recently released from sexual assault allegations thanks to the payment of a fine of $1 million, according to The Daily Beast, and was also questioned by the board of directors of his company last spring. As a reminder, the fund Legion Partners, had called on its shareholders not to reappoint him and his brother Maurice to their seats.