Schiaparelli's Creative Director to chair jury at 32nd Hyères Fashion Festival
"I hear people say that fashion is dead, but the Hyères Fashion Festival is proof of the contrary. Fashion isn't dead, it's in sparkling form!" Jean-Pierre Blanc, Director of the 32nd Fashion and Photography Festival scheduled in Hyères, France, from 27th April to 1st May, chose to send an optimistic message on Wednesday as he announced the composition of the jury and the names of the event's finalists. For the first time, the festival will be presided by Pascale Mussard, the new President of the Villa Noailles association - the festival’s venue - now that Didier Grumbach has become Honorary President.
The Festival's guest of honour will be the historic French fashion label Schiaparelli - also featured in two exhibitions - while its Creative Director Bertrand Guyon will chair the jury for the fashion awards. They succeed Paco Rabanne and its Creative Director Julien Dossena, featured last year.
"There is a natural connection between our fashion label, celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, and the festival's venue, Villa Noailles, since Elsa Schiaparelli often outfitted Marie-Laure de Noailles, a renowned art patron who, together with her husband Charles, had the villa built in the 1920s by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens", said Bertrand Guyon.
This year the jury panel will be very international. It consists of 10 members, including journalist Sophie Fontanel, the director of Lesage, Murielle Lemoine, jewellery designer Sabine Getty and UK photographer Max Vadukul. Among nearly 300 candidates, the jury selected ten emerging designers from eight different countries.
"Some of the candidates had very similar styles, it was very difficult to make a selection. But we tried to find a good mix," said Bertrand Guyon.
For the first time this year, a fashion accessories competition will feature alongside the fashion prize, its jury chaired by footwear designer Pierre Hardy. The 'Swarovski Fashion Accessories Prize', sponsored by the crystal manufacturer, will be worth €15,000.
"A fashion accessories prize was featured in the past, then it was abandoned, but it has now been reinstated. It is true that fashion accessories have gone from strength to strength in the last few years, but the sector is not renowned for its training opportunities. Now, the new prize will be able to support the professional development of emerging accessories designers," said Jean-Pierre Blanc.
Ten young accessories designers from five different countries were short-listed for the prize. "Shoes, handbags, jewellery, eyewear and hats are represented. The selection was based on one item, as indicative of a whole approach. We chose the ten which looked to us more relevant in terms of the world we see around us," said Pierre Hardy.
Another novelty will be the second photography prize, thanks to the support of Marseilles label American Vintage, which has joined forces with the festival for three years and endowed the 'American Vintage Photography Prize', worth €15,000. British fashion photographer Tim Walker will chair the jury, which has selected ten young photographers hailing from nine different countries.
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