(Hyères) Christian Louboutin, creator of the iconic pumps with red soles, was seduced by accessories as “repulsive” as certain films by David Lynch. Because “provocation” is a “very classic” element in fashion, he notes in an interview with AFP.
The accessories must question, but without making the wearer feel guilty, sums up the stylist, president of the fashion accessories jury of the international festival of Hyères, in the south of France, which ends on Sunday.
What are the criteria that guided you in choosing the finalists?
A: Emotion and questioning. It doesn’t have to be something I like or wear, but it does have to make me want to know more. In some forms of ugliness there is a lot of interest. It must not be “beautiful” in the classical sense, it must question, it must strike.
I love David Lynch, some films that I saw were repulsive, but that did not prevent me at all from liking his work, from going to see his following films… There are films which are very beautiful and very distressing. In the end, provocation is a very classic factor in fashion.
We are in a rather repulsive period. When I see plastic clogs, I find it super repulsive (but) there are a lot of (these) things that are considered very fashionable.
What is the role of accessories in fashion?
A: Emphasize. One of the finalists spoke of a form of uselessness. Jewelry is worn, but it has no “useful” function, unlike clothing or shoes.
The role of the accessory is to put very personal accents in a form of dress standardization, the accessory speaks more about the personality, in a subtle way.
Because the messages should not be too demonstrative, they should be felt in the background. If people want to acquire something you do, it’s to feel good about it, not to feel guilty or responsible.
You presented your latest shoe collection at the Atelier des lumière in Paris with a performance and an immersive fashion show. Has the pandemic and the virtual changed the way fashion is shown?
A: It’s okay to try, there is no point in showing off fashion in a frozen fashion and sticking to it. Things are moving. There are new technologies that make it possible to do some pretty incredible, very evocative things.
Among these technologies, mapping (a multimedia technology which makes it possible to project light on volumes and recreate large images on monuments: Editor’s note). It’s always good to play with that. I have a taste for the theater, the music hall. Everything that is entertainment has always interested me. We are still only at the beginnings, a story is being established.