Posts tagged with ‘Hyères’

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This is the blog of The Stimuleye.

  • EYE 2 EYE

    HYERES EXPRESS 2013 / DESIGNER PREVIEW / DAMIEN RAVN

    - by filep

    Norway (31). MA graduate from the Royal Academy in Antwerp. Runs his own label and teaches design for 3BA at the Fashion Department of the Warsaw Fine Arts Academy.

    Portrait by Filep Motwary.

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?
    Purely very honored.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?
    Historic, impressive and panoramic.

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?
    Working together with all the sponsors to develop new parts of the collection especially for the festival.

    In three words, what is your collection about?
    Bonded minimalistic maximalism

    In what ways you think participating in a Festival like Hyeres will help you in the future?
    I know Festival Hyeres is a wonderful opportunity to show your collection to the world and it will hopefully open some doors in the future.

    28th International
    Fashion & Photography Festival
    Hyères 2013
    April 26>29

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    HYERES EXPRESS 2013 / DESIGNER PREVIEW / TOMAS BERZINS & VICTORIA FELDMAN

    - by filep

    Tomas Berzins / From Riga, Latvia / 21 years old / graduated from ESMOD Paris 2011 / co-owner of victoria/tomas label. 

    Victoria Feldman / From Moscow, Russia / 24 years old / graduated from ESMOD Paris 2011 / co-owner of victoria/tomas label.

    Portraits by Filep Motwary.

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres? 
    This is just great to have the opportunity to present our experimental collection, that was developed specially for this Festival. As well to have people around who are interested in it.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words? 
    Eat, Pray, Create.

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far? 
    Most of the clothes we create are ready-to-wear. Participation in this Festival opened the doors to step a bit aside from wearability and to work more as an artists, bringing out many handmade and sophisticated technics that would not be easily adaptable to real urban life-style that we love so much. It gave us a certain freedom to combine both visions that we really care about.

    In three words, what is your collection about? 
    Heritage, emotions, aggressiveness.

    In what ways you think participating in a Festival like Hyeres will help you in the future? 
    This is a very rich start for a young designer and this is a priceless experience that you get, as it will be there for all your life.

    Portraits by Filep Motwary.

    28th International
    Fashion & Photography Festival
    Hyères 2013
    April 26>29

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyeres express: FLORIANE DE SAINT PIERRE

    - by filep

    Paris-based Floriane De Saint Pierre needs no introduction as today she considered as one of the ten most powerful women in fashion and beauty. She set up Floriane de Saint Pierre & Associés back in 1990. Twenty three years later she is the person all important fashion houses turn to in search for help to find an executive or designer. The list of successful matches consists of putting Christopher Bailey at Burberry, finding Alber Elbaz’s first creative director position, among so many others.

    This year, she serves as jury member for the 28th edition of the Hyeres Festival, and answers the questions of the Hyères blogs.

    Floriane de Saint Pierre, portrait by Ben Baker.

    MalibongweTyilo: Having been responsible for hiring some of the biggest names, what would you say is the most common quality amongst designers who are able to head these successful mega brands?
    Each of the designers has a crystal clear vision of their personal aesthetics. The most important factor for them has been their ability to look ahead of their time and translate their vision into something that you identify with.

    FilepMotwary: How relevant is creativity to the way the fashion industry functions today?
    We can draw a parallel between the street photography of fifty years ago and what we see in fashion and design bloggers today- there has always been creativity, but what we are seeing is a huge shift in its expression. The expression of creativity is effortless today. However, creative design has never been more relevant and necessary than it is today. From fashion brands to Apple and Evian, etc. global brands absolutely recognize the importance of design as a factor in strong-value creation.

    AntoineAsseraf: Does your work end once a designer has been selected and hired
    – or do you stay involved somehow ?

    We always stay in touch.

    BrunoCapasso: Today the world imposes a new way of thinking, a reinvention in fashion, what new thing do you search in the new designers? How far does the media influence and disrupt your choices?
    Designers must possess a personal aesthetic that resonates not only in fashion, but functions as a global creative proposition. Everyone today associates themself with a creative tribe and they are very demanding with the integrity- design, quality, services, and reputation- of a brand. Media is great for this- it is what gives design talent the chance to become visible and if there is genuine talent there, the media will be very supportive and loyal.

    SeanSantiago: The disconnect between Hedi Slimane’s last collection for Saint Laurent Paris and the work of his predecessors couldn’t be more striking or controversial. When judging these young designers based on their creativity and ingenuity, do you find yourself reconsidering the standards to which you hold a commercial designer like Slimane?
    A product today makes sense only if it captures and reflects or even anticipates the profound sociological evolutions of its time. Hedi Slimane is a designer who thinks globally and very much ahead of his time. He knows what Saint Laurent means today.

    VogueGermany: Is there any candidate you’re already keeping an eye on ?
    Yes, of course!

    28th International
    Fashion & Photography Festival
    Hyères 2013
    April 26>29

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères express: felipe oliveira baptista

    - by antoine

    “a screen to the brain” is what Felipe Oliveira Baptista wants to show us in Hyères. 

    Winning the Hyères award in 2002, then the ANDAM Award, “FOB”, as he is nicknamed, made himself a name showing in Paris over the last 10 years, and is now also the creative director of Lacoste.

    As he prepares his return to Hyères, this time as Jury President, he faces the inquiries of our team of bloggers…

    by The Stimuleye

    Felipe Oliveira Baptista by René Habermacher.
    Filep Motwary: If I asked you to look back to the beginning of your career and compare how the industry worked then to how fashion functions today, what would you say are the biggest changes? 

    Everything has speeded up a lot, more collections, pre-collections, collaborations & capsules. Internet gave way to a whole new way of spreeding new talent, ideas and concepts. it is a very different landscape from the beginning of the century. On the other end, we seem to live in an era where there is too much of everything and by the time something new is found, it is already finished.

    Warhol’s 15 minutes have turned into 15 seconds.

    Antoine Asseraf: Winning Hyères + Winning the ANDAM + Consulting for other brands… is that the only path for French-based designers to establish themselves today ?

    I think Paris is the toughest fashion week for a youg designer. Between all the big houses and a strong presence of other international designers, it makes the spotlight smaller; so Hyeres & the Andam are a great help to get your name out there.
    As for working for other brands, if you are independent and do shows, it is almost mandatory.

    Sean Santiago: How do you keep a sportswear brand such as Lacoste relevant on an international scale, and is international appeal vital for a successful brand? Where does that appeal come from – catering to diverse markets or maintaining a uniquely French aesthetic that people find desirable?

    Lacoste is relevant on an international scale with more than 1500 shops world wide. We create a base and main message through the show collections, pre- collections and advertising campaigns, but there are regional adaptations done to answer local needs.

    Bruno Capasso: You being Portuguese felt any difficulties to enter in the market, even though you have a British training? What do you think of Portuguese fashion today? Which are the things that need to be improved so they have more global approach? 

    I don’t know…I do not think my nationality went for or against me, I  believe individuality is stronger than one’s nationality.

    Vogue.de: You are going to have an exhibition at Hyères as well. What are you going to display? 

    “A screen to the brain” is an installation made of 100 different sized screens that go through the creative process of a collection: references, collages, drawings, videos to the pages of fashion magazines.

    This installation will evolve and will be shown again in a FOB exhibition starting next october in MUDE, Lisbon.
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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyeres express: maurice scheltens & liesbeth abbenes

    - by antoine

    “The specialty of Scheltens & Abbenes is to meticulously arrange objects” claims the biography of photography duo Maurice Scheltens & Liesbeth Abbenes. Working since 2002 as a duo, the minimalist compositions they painstakingly compose have earned them attention from clients and editors alike.

    As part of the Hyères 2013 Fashion Jury, they answer the questions of the blog partners – Un Nouveau Ideal by Filep Motwary, *Fruitpunch by Sean Santiago, BRRUN by Bruno Capasso, Vogue.de, Malibongwe Tyilo and The Stimuleye, of course.

    by The Stimuleye

    Liesbeth Abbenes. Photo by René Habermacher.

    Filep Motwary: How does a garment get your attention? What are you searching for while on set?

    Maurice ScheltensA sensitivity in material and design. Looking at a garment it often tells if the designer understands it’s own work without stopping to early (or to late) in the process. This attitude is connecting in the way we are also trying to stretch our own sensibilities.

    Sean Santiago: Your work is striking in its simplicity and for its reductive qualities – is fashion more interesting to you in theory more often than in its execution?

    We are more interested in what we see then in what we know or should know. After ‘building’ is the moment of truth. Our curiosity by testing an idea for it’s visual qualities is the driving force. That is also why we keep on searching, experimenting and checking during the shoot instead of making photographs from a sketch made on the drawing table. This doesn’t mean that thoughts or drawings as they are can be beautiful and interesting to. It’s a matter of where to put all these aspirations.

    by The Stimuleye

    Maurice Scheltens by René Habermacher.

    Antoine Asseraf: As jury members used to shooting Fashion as objects, can you abstract the mise en scene, the show, the person to judge only the garments ?

    Actually we see the same struggle and solutions in the garments as we face while shooting fashion or any other object in front of the lens. Maybe it’s a healthy distance that we have looking at fashion because we’re not ‘over informed’. We’re responding to what we see with the same critical eye as we do in our own work.

    Bruno Capasso: How do you work as a duo – do you have 2 distinct visions ?

    Our collaboration has been growing over the past ten years. It’s an evolution in which we grow individually towards each other and makes it difficult to say what comes from who. Individual credits would be out of place. See it as a chess game in which one makes a move and the other responds onto it… on and on.

    Hyères 2013 Fashion & Photography Festival

    Scheltens & Abbenes

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  • GOOGLY EYE

    welcome to marie laure’s

    - by antoine

    The Stimuleye is proud to present the Hyères 2013 teaser trailer – Welcome to Marie Laure’s, starring Suzanne von Aichinger as the reincarnation of the legendary Marie-Laure de Noailles. Of course.

    International Fashion & Photography Festival 2013
    Hyères – Teaser

    April 26 – 29, 2013
    Villa Noailles, Hyères

    http://www.villanoailles-hyeres.com/2013/

    Film by Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher
    starring Suzanne von Aichinger
    as Marie Laure de Noailles

    Styling by Suzanne von Aichinger
    assisted by Simon Gensowski & Laure Grandon

    Hair by Panos Papandrianos @ CLM UK
    Make-up by Min Kim @ Airport Agency

    Sound design by Ca Va Cheri

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  • GOOGLY EYE

    the rainbow is a monster

    - by antoine

    Arrrgh follows Rrrrip.

    “Arrrgh – Monsters in Fashion”, a fashion exhibition featuring the clothes of Bernhard Willhelm, Walter Van Beirendonck, Rick Owens, Filep Motwary, Hyères graduates Jean Paul Lespagnard, Mareunrol and Mads Dinesen, and a 360 degree film installation from Bart Hess, is now opening at the Gaîté Lyrique digital center in Paris.

    “Arrrgh” follows in the footsteps of “Rrrrip – Paper Fashion”, another internationally touring exhibit by Greek collective Atopos, whose founding member and curator, Vassilis Zidianakis, we met before the exhibit opening.

    
    Left: Pictoplasma "Pictoorphanage Les Petites Bonhommes", 2006.  Right: Manon Kuendig "Collection BLOWJOB", 2011

    Antoine Asseraf: What was the starting point for this exhibit ?

    Vassilis Zidianakis: In Hyères in 2006, where I was in the fashion jury. One of the designers, Amandine Labidoire, had a sketchbook with characters that started something in my head.

    Then I asked Pictoplasma to write a text on character design, they saw my research on the subject and instead proposed to do a whole book about that idea, which became NOT A TOY, and then led to this exhibit.

    
    Craig Green "BA Collection", 2010 & "BA Collection", 2012

    When does this phenomenon start, in the 90’s with Leigh Bowery, Margiela, Walter Van Beirendonck… ?

    Internet is the real starting point – avatars, different identities. People don’t show their face and instead create a character.

    In fashion, you could say it started with Comme Des Garçons for the shape, and Margiela for the face – because when you hide the face you create a monster. But Schiaparelli, who was close to the surrealists, had already tried that, and you find it a lot in ethnographic clothing: each civilisation has costumes to dress up and become someone else. Today, it’s become a bit like Halloween, and clothes that are not meant to be worn on the street, but to go to parties, take pictures, it’s very marketing associated.

    Character design as a whole comes from marketing, in the US and Japan – products talk to you, like yogurt, clothes, Michelin…

    You also have to see the evolution of what we consider “monstruous”. For example, hoop dresses from the 18th century which are too wide to fit through a door – don’t you find that monstruous ?

    
    Left: Projection by Bart Hess. Right: Bas Kosters "Collection Le Salon Explosif", 2007
    
    Left: Alexis Themistocleus "Freaks", 2010. Right: Heiniek "Foamboys x Hyperbole@ Ludwig- TEDX AMS", 2012

    Besides the rise of internet, the 90’s are also a decade of video games becoming mainstream, the emergence of adult animation…

    It’s the idea we wanted to explpore with NOT A TOY, which led to this exhibition. If you read vinyl sex objects, it says “THIS IS NOT A TOY”, it’s for grown-ups.

    Ultimately I’m very happy to show this outside of a fashion context, in a place like Gaîté Lyrique which is more technology related. The exhibit isn’t directly linked to technology, but shows the influence of technology on our bodies.

    What is different about this exhibit than what was shown in Athens ?

    After 3 years of research, we made a show at the Benaki Museum in Athens. Since then, a lot of new things have been produced around the idea, so for the Gaîté Lyrique we doubled the number of exhibited pieces on display.

    We also commissioned Bart Hess a video for the 360º room, a special costume from Craig Green which serves as visual identity for the exhibtion,
    and the fashion show of Jean-Paul Lespagnard which will be part of the parallel program.

    
    The Brainstorm Design "How To Make Friends And Have A Social Life", 2013

    Tell me more about the ancient Greek notion of “monster”…

    Today “monster” has a negative connotation. But the original Greek word, “teras” (which gave “teratogen” and “teratology”) indicates a physical phenomenon in need of an explanation. So for example, to the ancient Greeks, a rainbow was a “monster”.

    A bit like a UFO ?

    yes, unidentified, and needing to be explained by us.
    the theme of the monster is really about difference, about what we’re capable of accepting, because we’re attracted to strange things, but don’t know how to communicate with them.

    ARRRGH ! MONSTERS IN FASHION
    February 13 to April 7, 2013
    Gaîté Lyrique
    3 bis rue Papin, Paris.

    
    Left: Rozalb de Mura "Collection The Remains", SS2010. Right: Mask available at the museum store
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  • EYE SCREAM

    this hyères : full circle

    - by antoine

    Full circle.
    For its 28th edition, the Hyères International Fashion & Photography Festival made a daring choice.

    As presidents of the fashion and photo juries and guests of honor, they invited 2 young individuals, each recognized in his field, but with one thing in common: they won Hyères.

    Yes, this Hyères, festival graduates Felipe Oliveira Baptista (2002) and Charles Fréger (2001) return, not as young hopeful nominees, but as still-young confirmed professionals, now presiding over the juries.

    Felipe Oliveira Baptista The Stimuleye Hyères 2013

    Hyères 2013 fashion jury president Felipe Oliveira Baptista. Photo by René Habermacher.

    the stimuleye fashion photo gif

    Hyères 2013 preview. Visual by The Stimuleye.

    And the nominees are…

    FASHION SELECTION
    Tomas Berzins & Victoria Feldman, Latvia + Russia
    Henning Jurke, Germany
    Camille Kunz, Switzerland
    Yvonne Poei-Yie Kwok, The Netherlands
    Xénia Lucie Laffely, France – Switzerland
    Satu Maaranen, Finland
    Marion de Raucourt, France
    Damien Ravn, Norway
    Shanshan Ruan, China
    Xing Su, Canada

    PHOTO SELECTION
    Lena Amuat & Zoë Meyer, Switzerland
    Emile Barret, France
    Petros Efstathiadis, Greece
    David Favrod, Switzerland
    Dominic Hawgood, United Kingdom
    Grace Kim, USA
    John Mann, USA
    Anna Orlowska, Poland
    Peter Puklus, Hungary
    Eva Stenram, Sweden

    Hyeres 2013 selection
    Fitting Model at the fashionselection at Felipe Oliveira Baptista's headquarters.
    
    Where is JP Blanc there are always flowers.
    
    The fashion selection meeting, with jury members, festival director JP Blanc and blogger Filep Motwary.
    
    Photography selection: Portfolio of Dominic Hawgood, United Kingdom.
    
    The entry of Petros Efstathiadis, Greece.
    
    Prints of Eva Stenram, Sweden.

    Full jury and exhibit lists coming soon, but we’re happy to report that fashion photographer and film maker Pierre Debusschere will be among this year’s exhibitors.

    28th International Fashion & Photography Festival
    Hyères 2013, April 25 -> 29
    at Villa Noailles, Hyères

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    cécile bortoletti: homodiegetic serendipity

    - by antoine

    Beyond its famous fashion & photography festival, Hyères’ Villa Noailles hosts throughout the year a number of photography, fashion, design, architecture and film-related events.

    For the annual photography commission, fashion photographer Cécile Bortoletti captured the Mediterranean flora of Hyères over the course of one year, her visions now revealed to us in a new exhibition, “sur-nature”…

    by René Habermacher

    Sur-Nature exhibition poster. Picture by René Habermacher.

    Antoine Asseraf: The title of the exhibition is “sur-nature” [“over-nature”]…

    Cecile Bortoletti: It’s a contraction of “super-nature.”

    AA: But there’s also a reference to the super-imposition which takes place in some of the pictures…

    CB: It was rather complex to get a complete vision of nature around Hyères, very bountiful, luxurious…

    I live in the countryside, i take pictures of special moments, but to do something like this, like a one year long walk, I had never done. I had done a series of trees at night for a UNESCO/CNRS exhibit about black matter, with a more scientific aspect, but it wasn’t so scattered in time, with all the seasons, like this project.

    RH: What was the challenge compared to your editorial work ?

    CB: Managing time… I’ve never worked one year on a project. Even if you know the end date, the exhibition date, it’s difficult to manage it. When you work in fashion, you’re on an addict schedule, everything is last minute, very fast.

    And here i was working alone, with a lot of time, many kilometers to explore, time to think, changing weather and moods, and each time I came I thought it was better than the previous time.

    It’s a matter of stimuli. I learned many things but I was happy that it ended, it was very intense.

    Sur-Nature exhibition view. Photo by René Habermacher.

    AA: You’ve come to Hyères for a long time… did some things still surprise you ?

    CB: Now I know it much better, I can find my way, and I’ve discovered the salt marshes and its flora, with impressive survival strategies. I didn’t know about that at all, it was a bit like desert flowers…They’re emotional because they look fragile but in fact they’re tough.

    As a whole the exhibit shows the fragility of nature, because many times one week later flowers I had shot would no longer be there.

    by René Habermacher

    Cécile Bortoletti and the salt marsh flowers. Photo by René Habermacher.

    (more…)

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  • EYE CANDY

    design parade 7

    - by antoine

    When we say “Hyères” we often mean “the fashion and photography festival” organized by the Villa Noailles.
    But we shouldn’t.
    Because for the last 7 years, there’s been another “Hyères” in Hyères :
    Design Parade.

    10 young design-ers, eye-popping exhibitions dedicated to furniture and industrial design, a special focus on the art brought back by the Noailles’ African expeditions in the 30’s, and already a spin-off event, Tapis Parade (Carpet Parade).

    Design Parade 7 visual

    Design Parade 7.
    masque dogon
    «Dege» Mask, Dogon, collected at Opti, Mali, in 1931, 'bois de tage', Musée du quai Branly.
    Tapis Parade
    TAPIS PARADE - Anémones Jekyll, François Dumas, La Chance.
    
    Fanny Dora
    Daedaleas, Fanny Dora © Charles Negre, ECAL 2011.
    francois azambourg
    Grillage, fauteuil, François Azambourg, Ligne Roset © Jean-Pierre Lemoine.

    Design Parade 7
    Opening Friday June 29th
    Until September 30th.
    Villa Noailles, Hyères
    Var – France.

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    i am a very lazy man : yohji yamamoto

    - by antoine

    “i am a very lazy man.”

    That’s not really the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto.
    Film costume designer, Hyères jury president, Y-3 sportswear line creator, musician and soon film director, not to mention one of the people who revolutionized fashion aesthetics, Yamamoto has done his share.

    I had the pleasure of spending an evening backstage at his fashion show to get an exclusive peek for the new Joyce.com website.

     Antoine Asseraf for Joyce.com, interview by Lucienne Leung.

    Thanks: Coralie Gaultier, Filep Motwary.

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    power couple : esser & elisha : 1 : benjamin esser

    - by antoine

    Musician Benjamin Esser & director Elisha Smith-Leverock are not just a dream couple, they’re a power couple.
    She directs his music videos, he scores her fashion films.

    Now as they prepare to release the first single/video from the upcoming second ESSER album, a radical shift from the first LP’s pop mood to darker synth pop, we talk to them about music, film, fashion, and what it’s like to work with your significant other.

    Interview by Filep Motwary & Antoine Asseraf.

    Benjamin Esser by Filep Motwary.

    Since the release of your debut album back in 2009, what are the changes to the way you perceive your own music, and how it has evolved?

    Benjamin Esser: I think the beauty in first records is naivety, which you can never regain.
    But I feel a lot less pressure in a lot of ways with this second one, there’s a confidence that means I can let the music take its time.
    I think people might immediately assume that I ‘discovered’ a whole genre of music that I’d never listened to before. But that’s not true, I’ve always been into bands like Cluster, Tones on Tail, Suicide, Add N To X (mixtape – coming soon!)…

    What is inspiration for you ? Do you consider yourself as eccentric?

    I find inspiration in repetition.
    Inspiration for me isn’t about looking outwards its about looking further inwards – into the core of things.
    No I definitely wouldn’t say I’m an eccentric, I guess I have my own ways of doing things. But everyone does.

    People would tell you my views on organization and timekeeping are fairly abstract. I strongly disagree.

    ESSER performing at Hyères 2012 Fashion & Photo Festival, with Stage of the Art.

    What are you looking for in music? And how do you measure success?

    I’m looking for complete submergence.

    What does it mean to you to have an image change, beyond the need to convey a change musically?
    Do you care about fashion or style?

    Well I completely agree with artists like David Bowie. His concept of reinvention was incredible and the conceptual way he approached his records is a big influence for me.

    Of course the amazing thing about fashion is anyone can become whoever they want to be – I could be a different person by tomorrow.

    at Hyères 2012

    ESSER performing at Hyères 2012 Fashion & Photography Festival, by René Habermacher.

    How is it to work with your wife – when she’s directing you around, when she’s making videos for other music acts or when you’re the one scoring her films?

    I like it.
    People always asume that you can’t be objective if you’re working with someone close to you, but I think it’s the complete opposite. We work together constantly actually and I’ll always ask her opinion on whatever I’m doing and vice-versa.
    In fact we’re the only ones that can give each other honest opinions because we know each other so well.

    As far as working on music for her films, she always has a really strong idea about what she wants. Which is great. It’s often a reinterpretation of a song (“I want muscle,” Donna Summers). So it’s always satisfying to do that.

    What is the last thing that stimulated you?
    Charles and Ray Eames.

    COMING SOON : II : Elisha.

    ESSER, ENMITY on Green United Music.

    Thank you: Laurence Alvart, Pierre LeNy.

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  • GOOGLY EYE

    pilori, beyond the wall & simone fehlinger

    - by antoine

    If you didn’t make it for the 3 days of the Hyères Fashion & Photography Festival, you still have until May 26, 2012 to see the exhibitions of the festival at the Villa Noailles in town, including Yohji Yamamoto, Jason Evans, Anouk Kruithof, Ina Jang, Cunningston & Sanderson, Chronique Curiosité, Inez & Vinoodh and… Lynsey Peisinger + The Stimuleye’s performance/installation/video hybrid, PILORI.

    Until the end of May you can see at the villa the PILORI installation featuring footage of the performance (with the cooperation of Yohji Yamamoto Inc.) and video contributions by Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher, starring François Sagat, by Jason Last & Jaime Rubiano, Clément Roncier, Sebastien Meunier + Romain Dja Douadji + Tomek Jarolim, and the winner of our internet contest, Simone Fehlinger, who met up with Filep Motwary.

    PILORI (“PILLORY”) is a unique collaboration between choreographer Lynsey Peisinger and The Stimuleye for the Hyères Festival. Drawing on a pool of both local and Paris-based performers, Lynsey Peisinger conceived 2-hour performances inside a specially built space in the Villa Noailles’ Sautoir space: a wall with 4 pairs of legs poking out, moving, at rest, ignoring or harassing each other…

    For its exhibition phase, the performance footage is augmented and interrupted by the footage of BEYOND THE WALL, different video artists’ renderings of what lies beyond the wall which cuts the performers in half.

    clones by Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher starring François Sagat for The Stimuleye

     CLONES starring François Sagat, by Antoine Asseraf & René Habermacher.

    the stimuleye PILORI installation at Hyères

    Sebastien Meunier, Romain Dja Douadji & Tomek Jarolim for BEYOND THE WALL.

    The Stimuleye's BEYOND THE WALL/PILORI for Hyères

    Clément Roncier for BEYOND THE WALL/PILORI.

    The Stimuleye's BEYOND THE WALL/PILORI for Hyères

    Jason Last & Jaime Rubiano for BEYOND THE WALL/PILORI.

    Simone Fehlinger for BEYOND THE WALL / PILORI.

    Filep Motwary: What is your video about?
    Simone Fehlinger: my videos visualize the stories of walls. Parts of these walls are broken : colors, wallpapers peel off and uncover it’s past… The videos invite to a personal imagination of what this wall’s history is about… Now, these walls have moved to Hyères 2012 and will be part of a new story…

    Filep Motwary: Why have you chosen white as your “backwards” canvas?
    Surfaces are extremely exciting ! But the interesting part is not the perfectly clean, virgin, new, white layer.
    It’s the layer underneath…

    What is your opinion about Hyeres.
    It’s legendary ! I’m really happy and honoured to be a part of…

    What would be your next projects about?
    My new big project is my own graphic and video design studio in Paris.

    The Stimuleye

    Simone Fehlinger, winner of BEYOND THE WALL contest.

    PILORI at Villa Noailles
    Until May 26, 2012
    Hyères, FRANCE.

    Special thanks to Coralie Gaultier & the Yohji Yamamoto Inc team,
    Simone Fehlinger for her contribution,
    and all the performers who gave their time to participate in this project.

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  • EYE CANDY

    hyères 2012 live

    - by antoine

    For the first time ever, follow the Hyères Festival 2012 Fashion Show at the Palais de Tokyo and on The Stimuleye…

    Fashion Show Production: EYESIGHT

    Fashion Show Art Direction: Maida Gregory – Boina

    Live Stream Production: Premices Films

    Live Stream Direction: The Stimuleye

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  • EYE CANDY

    télé hyères

    - by admin

    The Stimuleye presents Télé-Hyères…

    Télé-Hyères
    A The Stimuleye Production
    Directed by Antoine Asseraf
    Filmed by Thibault Della Gaspera & Jason Last
    Postproduction by Clément Roncier
    Interviews by Filep Motwary
    Music by Ça Va Chéri

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  • EYE HEAR

    stage of the art at Hyères preview : the shoes

    - by antoine
    After wowing everyone last year with their acoustic concert set in the suspended gardens, The Shoes return to Hyères for a DJ Set, accompanied by their GUM label mate Esser, as part of Stage of the Art‘s special music line-up.

    You’re playing at Hyères this year and you also played last year. What does the association mean to you? Is it important to associate yourselves with the fashion world?
    We love the fashion world and the human size of the festival. The mood is just so great. We really enjoyed being there last year so we are more than happy to come back play at la Villa Noailles.
    You’ve had quite a journey so far and you have collaborated with some of the more edgier and interesting names in music. How has all of that influenced how you approach your music?
    It’s always really creative and interesting : we learn a lot about ourselves, and we have the chance to produce only for artist we like. Benjamin and i are not good for the same things, so depending on the project, it’s more him, more me or more us. Anyway, it’s always surprising. Concerning remixes, it’s different. We learned that we are more talented remixing a track we don’t especially love, because it’s challenging, it means creating something we love from something we don’t like. It’s exciting.
    Nowadays the internet, social media, youtube etc play a big part and are often used as the main tools to build a brand/band and get musicians out there, has this been a reality for you ? How has it impacted your come-up ?
    It’s been a reality for The Shoes, yes. Well, we are from the myspace generation : we were in several bands, we did a lot of different stuff, and one day we wanted to do something different, so we created a fake band account on myspace, with the first fake band name that came in mind and put some new tracks on. 3 months later, we were signed on Green United Music. It was in 2008. Now it’s 2012, we are about to play the Olympia in 2 months, which is the most famous venue in Paris, and it’s gonna be quite ironic and funny to see our band name in huge red neon letters as we still have this first fake band name that came in mind…
    You’ve also done a lot of production for other artists, is this something you are going to continue with or are you focusing mainly on your own work going forward ?
    Both ! We are always producing for other bands at the same time, it’s more healthy because if we were only working together all the time on our stuff, i think we’d kill each other !

    How did your collaboration with Jake Gyllenhaal come about?
    Daniel Wolfe directed the video for Stay The Same, and we loved it. We wanted to work with him again, and he really likes our music. So we talked about doing a new video for Time to Dance, and he was really into it. Daniel is working a lot with actors, in Stay the Same it was with Johnny Harris (This is england), this time it was with Jake Gyllenhaal.
    Would it be fair to see it as symbolic of a full-on cross-over to mainstream fame?
    No, we don’t think so. We’ve never been more indie ! It’s about a famous british director doing a video for an indie french band with a mainstream A-listed american actor, and about this same actor who likes our music, playing a psychopath serial hipster killer in our video, because it’s far away from roles he usually plays.
    And how has his presence in your video affected your popularity as a band?
    Everybody was talking about it, about him and then about us. But we won’t play at le Stade De France like David Guetta because of that.
    A lot of bands that are viewed as underground in the early stages of their careers often adjust their sound as they get popular, has your sound changed as you’ve grown? if it has, how has it changed? If not, then how do you stay true to it?
    In the beginning our music was more electronical, but also because we just through out few tracks one day on myspace, and producing electro music at this time was a good way to become famous and produce for others. We have always been a pop rock band. So as we get popular, we also get closer to what we are really : a pop-rock band. We are just becoming what we trully are.
    The imagery used in some of your videos is pretty dark, and all the way to gruesomely violent in your video for Time to Dance, what’s the deal? What is the narrative behind the Time to Dance video?
    Ha ! This is Daniel Wolfe style ! We let him free to decide about his imagery because it’s his job. We won’t give him advices because we don’t ask for his opinion on our music productions.
    We adore what he did the two times we worked together.
    The songs I’ve heard from you are in English, why English over French?
    Because English is internationnal, and pop music is english, rock too.
    There’s an opulent and somewhat camp disco sound that comes across in your music, amongst other influences, and it has also been described as dark electro pop. Are these intentional influences?  If they are, where do these influences come from for you? If not, what are your influences?
    We have this common interest for pop music since forever, and separatelly we can say we are influenced by almost everything musical. Benjamin in more into french music, french rock, some folk music. I like hip hop, rap and electro music. We were in many bands, we had that drum & bass band when we were young, we then had a french rock band, we did some electro music too, we produced instrumental and classical music for Woodkid recently. So many things.
    What is on your playlists currently?
    You’re gonna laugh but i have a lot of my music label’s artists in my ipod, because some are friends too. Anyway the music is always good : Woodkid, Part Company, Rocky…
    How important is image to you?
    As important as music. Nowdays a great single has to come up with a great video.
    What is the next step for The Shoes?
    Holidays ! And maybe a new ep, or album, and many new collaborations
    Can we hope to see you playing in South Africa one day?
    We wish ! Please invite us we want to meet Die Antwoord !
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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères just a taste… steven tai

    - by filep

    Meet Steven Tai, our final Hyères designer.

    Steven. Photo by Filep Motwary

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?

    I feel incredibly honored to be selected for this year’s Hyeres. I vividly remember that when I first discover the festival I did not even begin my education at Central Saint Martins. But at that point I already felt a strong connection to the competition and I knew I would try to be apart of the festival one day. Therefore, being selected as a finalist really means a great deal to me because it means that an audience I truly respect understands my work.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    Natural, familiar, friendly..

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    The entire process has been incredible. It really is difficult to pick just one favorite part. Having the name Hyeres backing you means you are granted opportunities that I could not normally even dream of. A selection of those moments include: – having countless fabric companies at Premiere Vision sponsoring my work – working with the prestigious Givaudan Fragrances to create a personal perfume – having the opportunity to create a look for the house of Chloé – coming to Hyeres and meeting all the wonderful designers and the team at Villa Noailles

    In three words , what is your collection about?

    Geeky, Awkward, confident

    Steven Tai / CANADA / Central St-Martin's London.
    Photo: Rene Habermacher.
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    hyères just a taste… ELINA LAITINEN, SIIRI RAASAKA & TIIA SIREN

    - by filep

    Elina Laitinen, Siiri Raasakka and Tiia Sirén come from Finland and design menswear together. They have been selected for Hyeres 2012.


    Elina. Photo by Filep Motwary

    Siiri. Photo by Filep Motwary

    
    Tiia. Photo by Filep Motwary
    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?
    We feel really honored to be selected regardless of the fact that this is the first collection we have ever put together. We want to break every boundary there is, and it’s exciting that other people can understand our world as well.
    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?
    Coolest thing EVER!
    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?
    We have totally enjoyed the whole process of making the collection since we like to get our hands dirty and here in Hyères its really amazing to be able to work with a professional team.
    In three words , what is your collection about?
    Boys! Youth! Revolution!
    
    
    Elina Laitinen + Siiri Raasaka + Tiia Siren / FINLAND / Aalto University Helsinki
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  • EYE CANDY

    hyères just a taste… jean-pierre blanc

    - by filep

    Jean-Pierre Blanc, director of Villa Noailles and founder of Hyeres Festival for 27 years.
    Photography by Filep Motwary
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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères just a taste… daniel hurlin

    - by filep

    Meet French-born Daniel Hurlin, one more talented original from this year’s selection of Hyeres’ Festival.

    Daniel. Photo by Filep Motwary

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?

    I am very happy. I am also very worried, because I want to make my collection the best it can be! But I am very happy, and proud.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    My world is in colors, so : Azure, emerald and beige

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    Meeting the other selected designers help you rationalize everything, and make the whole process more human. Fashion design is an isolating process, even though you are constantly brought to collaborate with other people for all the bits of your collection. Being able to share with people who perfectly understand your dilemmas, is invaluable.

    In three words , what is your collection about?

    While I’m tempted to say “Perfect Blue Tamara” (title of my collection), I think this will be more enlightening : colours, materials, bodies.

    Daniel Hurlin / "Perfect Blue Tamara" / FRANCE / IFM Paris
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    hyères just a taste… lucas sponchiado

    - by filep

    Continuing the introduction of the Hyeres 2012 selected designers. Meet Belgian womenswear designer, Lucas Sponchiado.

    
    Lucas. Photo by Filep Motwary

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?

    It is incredibly great! It is an honor to be selected…

    The Hyeres Festival is a huge event and a great opportunity for me to show my work. I am glad to be selected, exited and very enthusiastic about it.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    Opportunity, meeting with other creatives from around the world and creativity.

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    It is very hard to answer because there is a lot of different things happening during the process of the festival. Meeting all the different contestants and the festival crew is great. Professionally, presenting my collection to Maida Gregory-Boina was a great experience.

    In three words , what is your collection about?

    Contrast, sensuality and architecture.

    Lucas Sponchiado / "out of vacuum" / BELGIUM / La Cambre Brussels
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    hyères just a taste… ragne kikas

    - by filep

    We have started introducing the Hyeres 2012 selected designers. Meet womenswear designer, Ragne Kikas from Estonia.

    Ragne.Photo by Filep Motwary.

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?

    It is an honor to be one of the ten finalists and present my newest knitwear collection to such a wonderful audience. It makes me feel happy and proud.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    Creative, forward-looking, inspirational.

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    Translating my feelings, inspirations and impressions into garments/outfits and collaborating with great companies like Swarovski or Givaudan to name just a few. It was also a great experience to create a look for Chloé and pair my own visions with the heritage of Chloé.

    In three words , what is your collection about?

    Knitting, plate Armour, femininity.

    Ragne Kikas / ESTONIA / HAW Hamburg. By René Habermacher.
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    hyères just a taste…maxime rappaz

    - by filep

    Continuing the introduction of the Hyeres 2012 selected designers. Meet Swiss womenswear designer, Maxime Rappaz.

    
    Maxime. Photo by Filep Motwary.

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?

    A chance to show what I’m working on and the opportunity to learn more through rewarding meetings.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    Professional. Stimulation. Fashion

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    The challenge to update my collection and take decisions in a short time.

    In three words , what is your collection about?

    Geometry. Femininity. Poetry.

    
    
    Maxime Rappaz / SWISS / HEAD Geneva.
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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères just a taste…KIM CHOONG-WILKINS

    - by filep

    Introducing the Hyeres 2012 selected designers. Meet menswear designer, Kim Choong Wilkins from the U.K

    Kim. Photography by Filep Motwary.

    How does it feel for you being selected as one of the ten designers for this edition of Hyeres Festival ?

    For me this is the culmination of a very long journey. The idea that during the selection process many esteemed fashion specialists, including Yamamoto, have given their approval to my work is very encouraging. It is a crucial milestone.

    I graduated as textile designer and moved to Milan to follow my dream-job which turned out to be my nightmare job. I was a bit naive. I learn t a lot about what fashion was and what it emphatically wasn’t. Returning to London to take up my masters in menswear, allowed me to figure a few things out in terms of what fashion means to me. Personally, it is a medium to rally against mediocrity.

    I went to work for a handful of designers, sometimes as a seamstress, sometimes as a designer and all the time developing my signature and allowing me to mature.

    For me this is a kind of compulsion, I can only do this; to draw and make and knit and sew. Its not always so rational.

    Being selected for Hyeres gives this kind of obsession a context to nurture your neurosis and be part of a wider, critical audience.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    Limitless, creative , freedom…

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    Being involved in a festival this prestigious has a huge focusing effect, simply being granted the brief has allowed me to find my voice. Working to develop a perfume, being given free rein to use a multitude of fabrics and an exclusive print..

    Basically to be a mega-brand for a month, lucky does not even describe it. The festival is both a very slick operation and a compassionate nurse for our creative ambitions. The festival is both a very slick operation and a compassionate nurse for our creative ambitions.

    What is your collection about in three words.

    Subversive, dazzling, dystopia

    Kim Choon-Wilkins / UK / Royal College of Art London
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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères just a taste…narelle dore

    - by filep

    We have started introducing the Hyeres 2012 selected designers. Meet womenswear designer, Narelle Dore from Australia.

    Narelle. Photo by Filep Motwary

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?

    I feel not only honored to be selected for Hyeres but also overwhelmed that my work will stay in the wonderful archive forever.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    Sunny, open-minded and wonderful!!

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    Well, arriving at Hyeres, at the Villa was wonderful also the preparation for the show, the presentation while meeting the rest of the contenstants and people who work at the Villa Noailles

    In three words , what is your collection about?

    Macrame, salt crystals and women

    6a0105362716cd970c01630027b66e970d-800wi

    Narelle Dore / AUSTRALIA / Royal Academy Antwerp, Photo by Rene Habermacher
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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères just a taste…jasmina barshovi

    - by filep

    We have started introducing the Hyeres 2012 selected designers. Meet menswear designer, Jasmina Barshovi from Switzerland.

    Jasmina. Photography by Filep Motwary.

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?

    I was very happy to receive the phone call, though I did not expect to make it to the finals.  I feel honored to be here.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    A great opportunity to meet many important people from the industry, it has a laid back environment that combines business and pleasure and in a way it feels like being back to school. Of course, there is the jury at the end of the shows, which adds a bit of stress.

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    Rethinking the collection, going back to things I left on the side for a while. I was an opportunity for me to re-think women, as I am a menswear designer.

    What was the women’s garment you created for Chloe about?

    A sophisticated by nature, confident yet simple. The clothes featured all sorts of details.

    In three words , what is your collection about?

    Nostalgia, blurry memories and emotions.

    The Stimuleye

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères just a taste… paula selby avellaneda

    - by filep

    Starting today, we will be introducing the Hyeres 2012 selected designers. The first is 26 year-old Paula Selby Avellaneda from Argentina..

    How does it feel for you being selected for this year’s edition of Hyeres?

    It is an honor-It’s motivating because it makes you feel as if you are doing something right, you‘re on the right track. The Festival is a good chance to make a collection for the sake of creativity, a boundless opportunity.

    How would you describe Hyeres in three words?

    Independent, for the love of art and generous.

    What has been your favorite part of the process so far?

    I am studying business at the same time so getting back to “stitching” for me was great. Before sending the work I was dreaming of the concept, the collection as a whole, trying the fabrics, carefully choosing and combining them. This time though the process felt different, as it was the first time I had created a collection respecting my archetypal sketches and drawings.

    In three words , what is your collection about?

    Materials, couture and Rock&Roll.

    The Stimuleye

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  • EYE CANDY

    hyères just a taste… entering Villa Noailles

    - by filep

    In a few days, one more Hyères Festival will be taking place at the Villa Noailles.

    The house is an exceptional building amenity that combines amazing spaces, light, the most amazing view of the Hyères peninsula, the most romantic botanical garden, with cement paths and staircases, inside and outside whilst cubism is visible on every corner….

    photography by Filep Motwary

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères just a taste… pascale mussard

    - by filep

    “Ready to fight like a lionness.”

    It’s hard to imagine those words coming from the mouth of Pascale Mussard.
    But as art director in a very special company, the “petit h” division of Hermès, she knows how to wait for the right moment before springing into action, while in the meantime keeping an eye for that special quality — talent.

    Which makes her the perfect Hyères 2012 jury member.

    Pascale Mussard, photography Rene Habermacher © Hyeres 2012

    How should luxury be interpreted within a young creator’s work?

    At Hermes, an object, a creation, must “speak”. It is nourished by the soul and hand of craftsman. It is designed, created, pampered, shaped, dreamed, ennobled, sublimated. It is made with respect, love, passion. Young creators work must inscribe beauty in use, and use in beauty. Nothing superfluous, only honesty every step of the way: from design to production. As heirs of a noble tradition of craftsmanship, our initiatives must be loyal and the innovative expression of this tradition. It must show our optimism and wonderful ingenuity, that last long and leave all horizons open.

    What would you say is key to sustaining a fashion brand in a world like ours which is ever changing?

    Innovation?

    “L’obligation ardente de toute culture” Hélène Ahrweiller [the impassioned obligation of any culture]

    Integrity : Never forget our values, from where you come from and invent objects that will last long, be transmitted and bring joy.

    Continue to give testament to the relationship between man and the wisdom flowing from acceptance of nature and the unchangeable beauty of usefulness, by reflecting through craftmanship on the meaning of objects and the importance of the ties within mankind.

    New petit h film, produced by Partizan.

    The art at Petit h is so colourful, fun, happy. Do you feel that ‘happy’ is a keyword for our fashion era now? For our Hyeres contest, would you look for ‘happiness’ to be an aspect in choosing the winner?

    My uncle Jean Louis Dumas was saying “où que vous soyez , refusez de vous embêter, dans un milieu de qualité , ce serait du gâchis.» [wherever you may be, refuse to be bored, in a place of quality it would be a waste.]

    Petit h : May be not happy as « youthful» Petit h is indeed linked to childhood, particularly in the way to perceive objects and materials, in a new way without preconceptions or prejudice. It is a light, constant, free creation process which makes this petit “h” the legitimate child of Hermès: though sometimes impertinent, a child that does not cease to grow while learning on the materials, the hands that create, and the values of Hermès. For Hyères, it is a “team” judgment under a very innovative President: Mr Y Yamamoto.

    Happiness is always a positive value for me, but innovation, fantasy and talent are more important.

    Working for a house as historic and of great heritage as Hermès, how do you encounter the challenge to align new ideas with the skills of traditional craftsmanship?

    “During a long time I worked on a one-on-one basis with artists and designers. Then, in 2009, the project truly took off and we started working with a cabinet of accumulated materials and craftsmen who worked closely with the artists (at the time Gilles Joneman, Christian Astuguevielle and Godefroy de Vireu) in the recreation process. The pieces created were then submitted to the family and the artistic direction, and the project was approved for a first sale which went very well, allowing us to keep growing.”

    “An artist, designer, “geotrouvetout” [inventor] is invited by me to come to the atelier and to dive into the cabinet of materials – the materials are the source of inspiration for all creations, They must work with what is available. These materials will spark the creative process and discussion between the craftsmen and designers to find a solution that is concrete, realizable and esthetic according to Hermes values and procedures. The creation at Petit h comes primarily from a dialogue between the hands of the craftsmen, the materials and the ideas of the designer.”

    Craftsmen and designers do not necessarily have the same priorities. What is the collaboration like?

    Si vous écoutez vous finissez par entendre. Et un bon entendeur est plus facilement entendu…

    [if you listen you will hear. and a good hearer is more easily heard…]

    They have to be able to work together well, be able to respond to their partner. I frequently act as a middle person or a kind of midwife. I encourage the team members and say: “We have never done anything like this before, but why don’t we try it out?” If the designer knows exactly what he wants, then the craftsman has to use all his memory, skill and bring out all the techniques that he knows. Currently, we are working on a life-sized bear which is intended for the exhibition in Berlin (23 April – 12 May). The leather is folded using the origami technique – which is something that is for us completely without precedent. The designer Charles Kaisin calls up frequently to find out how we’re getting on. Last week, one of our craftsmen said he thought he would never be able to realize the idea. But eventually everyone in the studio found a method which works.

    An inner connection must be forged between the designer and the craftsman. If this happens then I am prepared to defend their work within the company like a lioness.

    What is the last thing that you experienced, saw or heard that stimulated you?

    Recently I had the chance , the luck to visit really inspiring places, Naoshima (Japan), Inhotim (Brazil) two sites that offer a unique combination of major contemporary art collection and nature.

    Two wonderful projects: A DREAM. Brazil and Japan, two countries very energetic and inspiring for me. A great encounter in Brazil: the architect Marcio Kogan ( Sao Paulo)

    This summer a beautiful and peaceful trip: Ladakh.

    Hyères Fashion + Photography Festival
    April 27-30, 2012

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  • EYE 2 EYE

    hyères just a taste… irene silvagni

    - by filep

    With one of the longest careers in the industry, Irène Silvagni is considered as one the master-keys that open every door in fashion.

    As creative director of Vogue Paris in the late 80’s, she initiated collaborations with Peter Lindbergh, Paolo Roversi, Steven Meisel and Ellen Von Unwerth.

    One of the 2012 Hyères festival fashion jury members, picked by president Yohji Yamamoto, for whom she does creative direction, we asked for her view on ethics, talent and achievement…

    Irene Silvagni photo by Elise Toide ©

    What are the ethics a young designer should have?

    The most important is the “freedom”. One needs to follow what ever what he/she believes in.

    Stick to your style.

    In your career you have introduced to the industry and the world a lot of new talent. Do you still find yourself as excited by the new crop of talent today? And do you find there is a lot of progression in terms of work that is coming out today?

    I remember the time when we were a few editors fighting to have Azzedine Alaia recognized, wearing his clothes at the shows, fighting to have editors and buyers get to rue de Bellechasse; and those were moments of intense happiness.

    I also remember when the Japanese designers arrived in Paris, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto. It was a shock, a new kind beauty, a page was turned but in a way it seemed like a battle against a certain form of journalism which did not understand and accept this evolution.

    A revolution that opened all the Belgian movement, which is to this day still at the top.

    What do you think is the most challenging thing for young designers to conquer to achieve success today?

    The main problem is of course to resist the pressure of economics and the space given to big advertisers in magazines, also to be able to produce and deliver.

    The success of Carven, Rochas, Giambattista Valli, all of the independent designers has given a new energy to fashion… The placement of Raf Simons at Dior, the return of Slimane at YSL will bring new challenges in term of aesthetics…

    Irene Silvagni photo by Elise Toide ©

    How do you relate fashion with elegance?

    I do think that elegance is related to the woman or the man wearing clothes.

    Though, some clothing are not supposed to be “elegant”, they have style, magic, they are strong or soft, black or white all and its contrary. A piece of cloth wrapped around the body is elegant. I could go on and on talking on elegance. Sometimes I cross some girls in the street and I feel amazed by their creativity in putting clothes together. It’s amazing, inspiring and elegant!!

    There are more magazines then ever, yet the paper publishing is in crisis. How do you see fashion magazine publishing today? What excites you or you are missing to see?

    I miss the space given to young designers and new talents, I miss being surprised, I miss the adrenaline.

    These days, while turning the pages I often know what I am going to see, I read the same news on every magazine, see always the same people. As a professional and a reader I am disappointed most of the time, although there are still some magazines that I find exciting!

    What is the last thing that you experienced, saw or heard that stimulated you?

    The last Azzedine Alaia fashion show…

    Olivier Saillard exhibitions and performances.

    Hyères Fashion + Photo Festival
    April 27-30, 2012

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