Fashion powers up at Cannes: From runways to film sets
Luxury fashion labels are increasingly extending their influence beyond the red carpet and exclusive parties of the cinema world, becoming partners with filmmakers and production companies. At this year's Cannes film festival, which begins Tuesday, labels aim to showcase their couture creations and their credibility as investors in the entertainment industry.
Celebrating its 78th edition from May 13 to 24, 2025, the Cannes Film Festival remains the most prestigious and widely covered event in the cinematic calendar. Drawing more than 30,000 industry professionals and 5,000 journalists each year, the festival continues to serve as a global crossroads for cinema and culture — second only to the Olympic Games in terms of media visibility.
Alongside corporate heavyweights such as Chanel and Dior, the trendy Paris-based label Ami and its founder, Alexandre Mattiussi, are linking up with the festival for the first time.
Ami will introduce a new award for emerging talent — the Grand Prix Ami Paris — during the Critics' Week section, a parallel program spotlighting fresh voices in cinema.
"We're going there humbly, in support of cinema and its actors, to accompany artists," said Mattiussi, who serves as creative director of his brand, in a statement to AFP.
Beyond its fashion accolades, Ami has also co-produced several films, including The Beast (2023) by Bertrand Bonello, starring French actress Léa Seydoux, and Enzo by Robin Campillo, which will premiere at Cannes this year.
"Fashion and cinema are, in a way, the same job. I also tell stories through clothing. A runway show has a context, music, and this idea of spectacle — it's a narrative process too," said the 44-year-old designer.
Still, Mattiussi emphasized that he doesn't see himself as a film producer. 'That would be pretentious,' he added. 'I don't get involved in the scripts or creative decisions.'
His label contributed costumes for The Beast, much like Jonathan Anderson — the newly appointed creative director of Dior Homme and formerly at Loewe — did for Luca Guadagnino's 2024 film Queer.
For years, Anderson's runway shows have also doubled as gathering points for cinema figures, including Timothée Chalamet and Tilda Swinton.
Expanding roles
Other fashion houses continue to broaden their footprint in film. Saint Laurent now operates a dedicated cinema division, namely Saint Laurent Productions.
Led by artistic director Anthony Vaccarello, the division aims to co-produce two to three films annually. It has already supported productions by Paolo Sorrentino (Parthenope), David Cronenberg (The Shrouds), and Jacques Audiard's 2024 breakout musical Emilia Perez.
Kering — parent company of Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Balenciaga — sponsors a prominent Cannes prize, Women in Motion, which honors individuals advancing the role of women in cinema and society. This year's recipient is Australian actor Nicole Kidman.
L'Oréal, the festival's official makeup partner for 28 years, also presents an award celebrating 'women in cinema.' In return, its logo gains high visibility on red carpets alongside stars such as Eva Longoria, Helen Mirren, Andie MacDowell, Viola Davis, and Aishwarya Rai.
A new entrant this year is French carmaker Alpine, which has partnered with the Directors' Fortnight — another key section of the festival. Alpine plans to showcase its sports cars along Cannes' iconic boulevard, La Croisette.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fashion Network
2 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Hermès to auction the first-ever Birkin bag in Paris this July
French luxury brand Hermès created the first-ever Birkin bag for actress Jane Birkin, and the iconic piece will soon be auctioned in Paris. As a symbol of modern fashion history, the sale is expected to spark a bidding frenzy. Now a globally recognized design icon, the Birkin bag remains so exclusive that Hermès offers it only to its most loyal clients, with prices starting at approximately $10,000. Auction house Sotheby's, which is handling the sale of the Birkin prototype in Paris on July 10, declined to specify a reserve price publicly and its value is hard to forecast. "The original Birkin holds the potential to redefine records," Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's global handbag and fashion head, said in a statement. The previous record sale price for a handbag at auction was set by a highly customized Birkin in Hong Kong in 2017. The diamond-encrusted crocodile-skin Birkin 30 with white gold details fetched $510,000 at Christie's. The seller of the original Birkin is well-known Paris-based handbag collector and dealer Catherine Bénier, whose appointment-only boutique in the high-end 6th district of the capital has a cult following. Bénier told The New York Times that the bag was the "jewel in my collection." Sotheby's said it has changed hands twice since being put up for sale by Birkin at an auction in 1994, when the proceeds went to an AIDS charity. A record-setting sale price for the prototype would be in keeping with the fashion world's recent flashy aesthetics. After years of so-called "quiet luxury" dominating catwalks, designers have embraced more ostentatious looks in recent seasons, which some trend forecasters have dubbed "boom boom". Celebrity fans The birth of the Birkin bag has become a modern fashion legend. During a Paris–London flight, the singer and actress—who died in 2023—complained to a fellow traveler about being unable to find a bag suitable for her needs as a young mother. That fellow passenger happened to be Jean-Louis Dumas, then head of Hermès. Their conversation resulted in a spacious tote with room for baby bottles, the Birkin, created in 1984. Sotheby's said it is engraved with the initials J.B. and has several unique features, including closed metal rings, a non-detachable shoulder strap, and a built-in nail clipper. Its condition "reflects the many years of use by the actress and singer," Sotheby's said. Since then, a slightly differently sized version of the original has become the flagship product of the immensely profitable family-owned luxury French leather goods maker. Produced in very limited numbers, the bag has maintained an aura of exclusivity and is beloved by celebrities ranging from Khloé Kardashian to Jennifer Lopez to Victoria Beckham. Frustrated fashionistas in America even sued Hermès in a class-action suit in California last year after they were refused access to the bags. Birkin also had a sometimes strained relationship with Hermès, once threatening to take her name off the bags because of the group's treatment of crocodiles whose skins are used for its products. The former wife of French singing legend Serge Gainsbourg championed a host of causes, including animal rights. The prototype Birkin will be exhibited at Sotheby's in New York from June 6 to 12 before being put on show in the French capital before the sale. In addition to the Birkin bag, the Sotheby's "Fashion Icons" sale will feature runway pieces from designers including Christian Dior, John Galliano, Thierry Mugler, and Alexander McQueen. Bidding will open online on June 26 and close on July 10.
Fashion Network
2 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Hermès to auction the first-ever Birkin bag in Paris this July
French luxury brand Hermès created the first-ever Birkin bag for actress Jane Birkin, and the iconic piece will soon be auctioned in Paris. As a symbol of modern fashion history, the sale is expected to spark a bidding frenzy. Now a globally recognized design icon, the Birkin bag remains so exclusive that Hermès offers it only to its most loyal clients, with prices starting at approximately $10,000. Auction house Sotheby's, which is handling the sale of the Birkin prototype in Paris on July 10, declined to specify a reserve price publicly and its value is hard to forecast. "The original Birkin holds the potential to redefine records," Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's global handbag and fashion head, said in a statement. The previous record sale price for a handbag at auction was set by a highly customized Birkin in Hong Kong in 2017. The diamond-encrusted crocodile-skin Birkin 30 with white gold details fetched $510,000 at Christie's. The seller of the original Birkin is well-known Paris-based handbag collector and dealer Catherine Bénier, whose appointment-only boutique in the high-end 6th district of the capital has a cult following. Bénier told The New York Times that the bag was the "jewel in my collection." Sotheby's said it has changed hands twice since being put up for sale by Birkin at an auction in 1994, when the proceeds went to an AIDS charity. A record-setting sale price for the prototype would be in keeping with the fashion world's recent flashy aesthetics. After years of so-called "quiet luxury" dominating catwalks, designers have embraced more ostentatious looks in recent seasons, which some trend forecasters have dubbed "boom boom". Celebrity fans The birth of the Birkin bag has become a modern fashion legend. During a Paris–London flight, the singer and actress—who died in 2023—complained to a fellow traveler about being unable to find a bag suitable for her needs as a young mother. That fellow passenger happened to be Jean-Louis Dumas, then head of Hermès. Their conversation resulted in a spacious tote with room for baby bottles, the Birkin, created in 1984. Sotheby's said it is engraved with the initials J.B. and has several unique features, including closed metal rings, a non-detachable shoulder strap, and a built-in nail clipper. Its condition "reflects the many years of use by the actress and singer," Sotheby's said. Since then, a slightly differently sized version of the original has become the flagship product of the immensely profitable family-owned luxury French leather goods maker. Produced in very limited numbers, the bag has maintained an aura of exclusivity and is beloved by celebrities ranging from Khloé Kardashian to Jennifer Lopez to Victoria Beckham. Frustrated fashionistas in America even sued Hermès in a class-action suit in California last year after they were refused access to the bags. Birkin also had a sometimes strained relationship with Hermès, once threatening to take her name off the bags because of the group's treatment of crocodiles whose skins are used for its products. The former wife of French singing legend Serge Gainsbourg championed a host of causes, including animal rights. The prototype Birkin will be exhibited at Sotheby's in New York from June 6 to 12 before being put on show in the French capital before the sale. In addition to the Birkin bag, the Sotheby's "Fashion Icons" sale will feature runway pieces from designers including Christian Dior, John Galliano, Thierry Mugler, and Alexander McQueen. Bidding will open online on June 26 and close on July 10.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Cannes red carpet gets second life as handbags, hats or slippers
The red carpets were replaced daily at the festival, which ended on May 24, with organisers handing over 1.5 tonnes of fine red material to a non-profit organisation in the port city of Marseille. The carpets now sit on pallets or in black waste bags in a warehouse used by the La Reserve des Arts in the deprived northern suburbs of Marseille where they are being sorted, cleaned and prepared for re-use. Some of them have small holes -- possibly a result of hosting all those towering stilettoes -- while others have been marked by footsteps or scuffs. "By reconditioning them, we're helping to reduce the environmental impact of the event -- something the festival is aware of," Jeanne Re, coordinator at La Reserve des Arts, told AFP during a visit on Wednesday. The charity specialises in re-using or "upcycling" products used by the fashion, theatre or other entertainment industries, finding new lives for items that might otherwise have ended up as waste. The approach helps to reduce landfill and is seen as a response to growing public concern about the volume of single-use items used to put on public events. But some environmental groups believe so-called second-life policies can result in "greenwashing", leading organisers and companies to tout their recycling policies rather than focusing on reducing their overall consumption. Cruise footsteps The Cannes carpet is being resold at just one euro a kilo, Re telling AFP that amounted to 33 cents per square metre -- an "unbeatable" price. She added that the goal was to make it "as accessible to as many of our members as possible". Elsa Ramouni-Yordikian, an artist and member who has been using the red carpets for the last four years, told AFP she had used the material for handbags, bucket hats, glasses cases and even bags for wine bottles. Some were "quite unique pieces", she said of her work with the charity Les Nippones. She recently showcased her creations made with the 2024 carpet in an exhibition in Marseille titled "Dress like a Movie Star". "The fact that it comes from a famous festival and is recycled locally -- that makes sense to us," she said. Production of synthetic materials like the red carpets will "never stop, there will always be more, just like festivals and trade shows, so we need to find ways to give them new value", she said. The top prize for best film at this year's Cannes Festival went to dissident Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi for his highly political movie "It Was Just an Accident". The red carpets were walked by a host of entertainment world A-listers from Cruise and Rihanna, who accompanied her rapper partner A$AP Rocky, as well as Halle Berry, Scarlett Johansson and Robert De Niro.
