Hyères Festival 2024 x Première Vision

The yearly appointment that reunites experts, emerging talents, and enthusiasts from fashion, photography, accessories, and art in a dream-like villa in a town that still feels like summer and where the hidden architectural gems are in every corner took place during the weekend of October 10th to the 13th. Four days in which the activities were never ending; from exhibitions, performances, fashion shows, parties, cocktails, and talks, the energy was buzzing, everyone was excited, and the ambience couldn't be any better. The event founded by Jean-Pierre Blanc thirty-nine years ago has been on a steady and significant growth ever since its creation, not only in scale but in influence and impact on the industries it is involved with. The number of guests, the quality and professionalism of the jury members, and the interest amongst the press and public have always been a direct reflection of what Hyères means in our context, and this year was not the exception.

The three competitions that this festival is shaped around are the main course of each journey. The contestant in the three categories—fashion, photography, and accessories—have been selected amongst hundreds of nominees after a long process that makes the fact of just being a finalist an award on its own and the opportunity of having their work exposed in one of the multiple rooms at the Villa Noailles a unique chance to introduce themselves to the industry’s finest eyes. Thanks to the multiple partners of the festival, a good amount of prizes are awarded in each category, which results in an incentive to the contestants and a relief to us. The quality of the projects from each one of them is so high, it results in an almost impossible task to pick just one favourite.

In the accessories category, the professional jury this year was led by Achilles Ion Gabriel, one of fashion's most interesting minds and responsible for the eye-catching designs we see not only at his namesake label but also as creative director of Camper. Among the jury members we could count Imruh Asha fashion director at Dazed, Krzysztof Lukasik design director at Bottega Veneta, or photographer Kito Muñoz. The grand prix of the jury was awarded to Chinese-born UK-based designer Chiyang Duan, with the collection The Distorted Objects inspired by the London subway, not only by its shapes, colours, and aesthetics but also in terms of functionality, materials, and techniques. The Hermès Fashion Accessories Prize was granted to Clara Besnard from France; the Special Jury Mention went to Swiss Camille Combremont; and the Public Prize of the City of Hyères went to Mexican Maria Nava.

Coco Capitán was the president of the photography jury, and no wonder why. With her vast experience that ranges from her highly influential works behind the lens to her other ventures in the painting, installation, and prose realms, her name is a synonym of quality. On her jury table sat names like fashion designer and artistic director Paula Canovas Del Vas or print director at Labyrinth Photographic Printing, John McCarthy. The Grand Prix went to Nepalese photographer Arhant Shrestha with Between Space and Memory, which explores his relationship with Katmandou, his hometown, where the necessity to explore the nightime world during his teenage years was restricted to the confines of his mind, creating a fantasy nighttime world that the photographic series retells. The American Vintage Photography Prize went to Basile Pelletier from France, while British Thomas Duffield was given a Special Jury Mention, and French Clément Boudet was recognised by the city of Hyères with the Public Prize. 

As for the fashion price, there is always a special buzz and curiosity about it. The fashion show that takes place during two consecutive nights attracts an impressive amount of people and represents the culmination of a road that started back in February, where the finalist attended Première Vision in Paris with the hopes of finding the materials and textiles for their collections and establishing networks with suppliers that can support and enrich their vision and their concepts. For Lucie Jeannot, International Fashion Project Manager at PV, this is the core of Premiére Vision and Hyères festival. “What is really important for us is to bring and link young creations and new ideas and give a voice to young talents. Bring them to the real industry and not only what they used to do perhaps when they were in school, but to give them a place in the industry where they connect to the reality of the fashion world, giving inspiration and energy to both the students and our suppliers.” 

When asked if the industry is matching the creative expectations and needs of the XXI century youth, where concerns ahead of the aesthetics are key factors, like sustainability and ethical practices, Jeannot says, "It's less about a story; now it's at the core of their project. It's not something that they are flagging and telling everybody that everything is dead stock. The way of thinking, the way of including that in their work, how they treat the material... It's their morals, the core values of them. It's not something that they have to change because now it's the norm; it's how they think." When speaking to the designers, it is made evident how this way of thinking is unanimous, and it speaks volumes about the awareness of the new generations and the possibly bright future ahead of us.

The president of the fashion jury, Nicolas Di Felice, head of artistic direction at Courrèges, could not be more appropriate for the job. As a creative who has revitalised a house with an extensive history and has known how to process the codes of the past to create new ones that make sense in our present and our future, his criteria are well regarded. Along with the ten members of the jury with names like photographer Carlijn Jacobs, Interview Editor-in-Chief Mel Ottenberg, or model Jeanne Cadieu, they picked Israeli designer Dolev Elron as the winner of the Grand Prix of the Jury Première Vision with his collection Casual Turbulence, where the archetypes of masculinity and a fabric as common as denim are redefined, translating digital manipulations like swirls to real life and creating unexpected effects on expected garments, like curvy maxi belts of zippers than twist and turn.

Belgium’s Romain Bichot had a deserving win streak, getting not only le19M Métiers D’art Prize but also L’atelier Des Matières Prize with his collection Call Me If You Get Lost, two awards that highlight Bichot’s availability, care, and inventiveness in handling materials and fabrics, offering a new look to traditional textiles and making them his own. The Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize went to USA’s Logan Monroe Goff, who made use of his father's old motorcycle suits and adapted pieces of them to his new creations, adding not only complexity to the collection but also personal meaning to an already personal proposal. 

Gaëlle Lang Halloo from France won the Public Prize Award with no surprise, after having probably the most memorable runway and creating a vibrant and nostalgic energy with her collection inspired by football and the sense of togetherness this sport brings to people and Tal Maslavi from Israel got a Special Jury Mention for Sugar Rush, a collection that featured edible garments, temporary tattoo t-shirts, back massaging jackets, and “is it cake” inspired shoes. With all these creative ideas and concepts, what  Lucie Jeannot tells us makes sense. “I don't think the designers need us to be like you should do this or you should do that. They have amazing ideas; let's do them together. We need to adjust to them rather than them adjusting to the industry. We need to, in a way, be very pedagogic about materials, values, qualities, and know-hows. But that's something we trust them to educate; we need to find a way to support them in a 360º environment.”