the daily couture

Pour Marianne #1328, j’ai rédigé un article sur le franco-lavage (le faux made in France) publié dans le numéro du 25 août 2022. A présent, également disponible en ligne

That we live in a world that is increasingly saturated with images has led Peter Szendy to explore their economic dimension. An area of research called by the philosopher « iconomy », a neologism derived from « icon » and « economy ».

Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli does not shy away from reflecting on what the heyday of Haute Couture could look like in today’s globality, and furthermore one in which China is key for the luxury industry. Fashion needs to be “plural”.

Avec panache, Pierpaolo Piccioli offre le spectacle esthétique d’une Haute Couture baignant dans une mondialité où la Chine est un pays clé pour l’industrie de la mode et du luxe. De la rencontre avec l’Autre naît une beauté “plurielle” – du troisième type.

Summoning the art of poetry, the Valentino Autumn-Winter 2019-20 collection offers a story of the inner world and the touchable – an ode to imagination, and above all to the experience of the most beautiful and complex feeling there is: love.

Praising timelessness as the Paris Fashion Week runs at full tilt may sound out of beat. And yet, betting on a timeless style as talented designer Maiko Kurogouchi does it might just help to make clothes last longer for a more sustainable fashionable wardrobe.

At the emblematic Parisian bookstore-gallery of Saint Germain-des-Prés, La Hune, French Buddhist monk and photographer Matthieu Ricard invites us to his contemplative journey and hymn to beauty.

The traditional codes of luxury are facing obsolescence and renewal. The time has come to reinvent a dream of creation that reconciles the culture of image and the culture of responsible manufacturing. And this is the mission of the Biennial 1.618.

The Alaïa house will survive the death of the extraordinary couturier. More than ever, the house honours his creative heritage that will be kept alive thanks to the new Alaïa Foundation.

For this winter, the iconic floral prints of the Parisian company founded in 1958 are beautifully reinterpreted, giving a refreshing modernity to the brand. Without denying its stylistic DNA whatsoever, on the contrary, here and there, a boiling creativity was renewing the in-house heritage know-how of prints.

An exclusive selection of fashion photographs from the 1950s to the present day are on display in the Parisian palace during the Fashion Week. Works by renowned photographers are on the agenda.

Renown for marching to the beat of his own drum in every aspect of his work, Azzedine Alaia did hit his mark again with the not-to-be-missed exhibition conveying his art of couture and details with a totally sensible, personal and high-octane touch ─ miles away from usual clichés evoking master craftsmanship and ateliers.

« Nous sommes des créateurs ». Aux oubliettes les catégorisations sclérosantes, les étiquettes de designers, d’artistes ou d’artisans ! La Biennale Internationale des Métiers d’Art et de la Création met en avant « une communauté créatrice en mouvement » au Grand Palais.

The annual meeting of the European Days of Fine Crafts celebrated the new generation of craftspeople. Who are they? How do they work? Their daily lives? The statement exhibition wanted to overcome the culturally based poor image and low profile of manual work.

L’incontournable rendez-vous annuel des Journées Européennes des Métiers d’Art célèbrait les artisans d’art nouvelle génération. Qui sont-ils ? Comment travaillent-ils ? Leur parcours ? Leur quotidien ? Des questions révèlant le besoin de mieux faire connaitre les métiers d’art porteurs d’avenir.

Every year from March to November, the singular and radical work of the Giverny Gardens of Monet offers us an infinite reservoir of imagination. “He is a painter who says that you have to paint what you don’t see,” Jean-Luc Godard rejoiced.

For the Première Vision website, the Daily Couture was asked to interview three artisans of excellence exhibiting at Maison d’Exceptions. Each year, the edition grows and echoes an increasing interest by major fashion brands in artisanal mastery for a soulful design.

Fresh off the Haute Couture workshops tour the Daily Couture organized for Shelly Gottschamer, Sportwear Sourcing Manager at Patagonia, we were so delighted with our meeting with her that having a look inside what is regarded as the most sustainable clothing brand in the world felt spot-on. 

Three news, three ways to immerse yourself in the art of jewels and gems in Paris. The common point between Jean-Marie del Moral’s book “Flore”, the Galerie des Bijoux of the the Union centrale des Arts décoratifs (MAD) & the Van Cleef & Arpels School? Van Cleef & Arpels supports them. In other words, a reference!

Trois actualités, trois manières de s’immerger dans les métiers d’art du bijou et du joyau. Le point commun entre le livre « Flore » de Jean-Marie del Moral, la Galerie des Bijoux du Musée des Arts Déco & l’Ecole Van Cleef & Arpels ? La maison Van Cleef & Arpels les soutient. Autant dire, une référence !

The label Made in France is so unconstrained. Did you know that a garment “made in Romania” may have been made from textiles made in France? To promote French textiles suffering from an image deficit, the Union des Industries Textiles created the France Terre Textile label.

Pépites du Grand Paris, les métiers d’art et du design se dévoilent grâce à la Biennale Emergences. Le rendez-vous incontournable pour apprécier le dynamisme des savoir-faire d’excellence pratiqués sur ce territoire décidé à pérénniser son riche héritage industriel et créatif.

Empreintes : un magnifique écrin conçu comme un cabinet de curiosités où dénicher, quel que soit le budget, une pièce singulière signée par l’un des 250 artisans présentés. Un lieu convivial propice à l’immersion dans l’univers des savoir-faire d’excellence.

Outils artisanaux et numériques s’allient pour la conception d’une mode expérientielle ludique, en phase avec l’éthique des Hackers Spaces ─ que l’utilisateur garde le contrôle de ses données personnelles.

En pionnière, la créatrice militante bataillant pour l’avènement d’une mode « désirable » a créé Front de Mode, un concept store mettant en avant la fabrication locale, artisanale ou recyclée. Une façon de sensibiliser les clients aux multiples facettes menant vers une mode écolo.

“I think the greenest way to live is to use what already exists. We met with Irene Kostas, Onar’s designer, who works with fur and leather parts coming from stocks, waste and vintage parts.

To restore the ancestral industry of tanning fish skins according to the principles of the circular economy in the Arcachon Basin in France: that is the ambition of Femer Peau Marine which creates a sustainable and ethical production chain “from the fisherman to the handbag”.

« En Grèce, Chanel a plus de valeur que l’argent liquide », titrait tragiquement un article du Washington Post. Une illustration concrète du statut patrimonial de certains produits iconiques des marques de luxe. Et de la nécessité de la lutte anti-contrefaçon – finançant le terrorisme – qui n’inquiète pas seulement les grandes maisons : l’UNESCO s’en mêle.

“In Greece, Chanel is more valuable than cash”, was the tragic headline of an article in the Washington Post. As counterfeiting finances terrorism, promoting the value of real high end creation has become a cause to fight for by all, including UNESCO for the first time.

Lanvin in the time of Jeanne Lanvin: Palais Galliera takes us on a journey through the world of the oldest Parisian couture house: from the discovery of superb illustrations to the expression of the virtuosity of craftspeople with pieces from the company’s rich archives.

Que serait donc la mode française sans la contribution de créateurs de mode venus d’ailleurs ? « Fashion Mix », l’exposition mode au Palais de Porte Dorée nous propulse vers les enjeux soulevés par ces questions hautement sensibles : l’immigration, l’identité nationale et la façon dont les étrangers ont contribué au pays.

Changing our perception of anything takes time and a lot of effort to overcome the habits we shape before they end up shaping us without our attention, as John Dryden wrote. It’s high time for the advent of a different perspective on the world of disability.

Meeting with the master watchmaker Michel Parmigiani, founder of the eponymous Swiss brand. About his vocation and expertise, we talked about the specifics of crafts and the need to perpetuate them, of course, but also about inspiration and even mysticism. Spotlight on the beauty of master craftsmanship!

The Daily Couture met with Ann Shoebridge for her Haute Couture Ateliers tour we organized for her while in Paris where she were to attend the final of the Hat Designer of the Year 2013 international competition as one of the finalists. For the Daily Couture, Ann shared a bit of her experience as one of Australia’s most respected hat designers.

The Hand Intelligence Prize awarded by the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation has been rewarded craftspeople every year since 1999. Its praises both the values and forward- looking creation embodied by master craftsmanship in France.

The “Haute Cuisine” exhibition praises the craftsmanship at work at the Museum Nissim de Camondo. The historical house greets Paris Chef Alain Passsard’s artworks deriving from his lastest book, “Le Beau Geste” (The Perfect Touch). A pure pleasure for the senses.