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The 20th Festival internationale de mode et photographie, at Hyères

by Denyse Beaulieu

Every year, the Hyères festival spawns tomorrow’s new talents… Among past laureates: Viktor&Rolf, Gaspard Yurkievitch, Xuly Bët, Christian Wijnants and Marc Le Bihan. Which explains why international fashion observers are willing to climb the steep, Louboutin-breaking path to the Villa Noailles – where Franc’Pairon, head of IFM’s fashion designer program, was a willing and enthusiastic historic guide – or to sink their stilettos in the damp sand of the Plage de l’Ayguada – regally crossed by divas Sylvie Grumbach, Andrée Putman, Paquita Paquin and Diane Pernet – to attend the contestant’s presentations.

The German duo C-NEEON, Clara Kraetsh and Doreen Schultz, were awarded the 20th grand prize, for their neo-constructivist collection “Way too blue”, by a jury comprising Azzedine Alaïa, Carla Sozzani and Maria Luisa. Tonja Zeller (Germany) and the French-Columbian 79934321 – kudos to his gothic-gore death-head handbag – were awarded the 1.2.3. grant, enabling them to create and commercialize their first mini-collection. Frenchman Romain Kremer received a special award for his “creative universe” – an extravagant “Star Trek does the Cirque du Soleil” menswear line.

For the past 8 years, the Hyères festival has also set up a footbridge between young photographers and the world of fashion. Joint prizes were awarded to the Swiss duo Nico Krebs and Taiyo Onorato, and to Kathryn Hillier (USA) by a jury comprising, among others, Michel Mallard, the festival’s artistic director, Wallpaper magazine founder Tyler Brûlé, and Parisian art dealer Anne Barrault.