Latest news with #AlexandreDimou
Business Mayor
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Mayor
Louis Vuitton captures zeitgeist for conclave chic at Avignon show
T he pageantry and drama of the papacy is very much on trend. Hot on the heels of white smoke at the Vatican and Conclave in cinemas, the gothic Palais des Papes in Avignon, home to the popes of the 14th century, hosted a Louis Vuitton catwalk, the first fashion show at the palace in its 700-year history. There was no shortage of pomp and ceremony in the central courtyard of one of Europe's largest medieval structures, where 400 chairs with tall, arched backs and plush, cardinal-red cushions were ranked tightly for Brigitte Macron, Cate Blanchett, Pharrell Williams, a clutch of celebrities making a post-Cannes detour, and a select few of Louis Vuitton's most deep-pocketed clients. Pharrell Williams. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters Cate Blanchett. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters 'Dressing is a performance,' says Ghesquière. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters In a preview, the designer Nicolas Ghesquière said the collection was part-Arthurian legend, part-Haim sisters on stage. (Danielle and Este Haim were in the audience; the medieval ghosts perhaps watching from within the walls.) 'There is something medieval, for sure, but something futuristic too. This is armour, but for now,' he said. Ghesquière chose the building last year, drawn not by its papal origins but by his own memories of attending the experimental theatre festival it hosts each summer. 'Dressing is a performance that we are all part of. I love that about fashion, I think it's really cool,' he said. Pageantry and drama: a model in Louis Vuitton's 2026 cruise collection in Avignon. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters That the papacy has been so visible this year is fitting for a designer whose nose for the zeitgeist has secured an impressive 11-year run at the helm of Vuitton. 'The coincidence is interesting, of course. And there is a magnetism to this place, to the idea of believing,' he said. Read More Learn Guitar for $17 Through February 4 The venue also reflects the scale of Louis Vuitton. It is the biggest fashion brand in the LVMH stable, which generated $88bn (£65bn) in revenue in 2024. Filling a gothic palace with celebrities is a power flex the 14th-century popes for whom it was built would have respected. Este, left, and Danielle Haim at the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Photograph: Edward Berthelot/Getty Ghesquière understands that luxury has become a vast industry, not because people want to be seen to have an expensive handbag, but because they want to be seen to have status, taste and class, all of which are signalled by taking over the Unesco-listed Palais des Papes. Louis Vuitton will finance a new architectural lighting project to spotlight the facade after dark. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Fashion Statement Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion Most of the looks were short tunic dresses worn with slouchy boots, a silhouette that was signalling both heraldic knight and Glastonbury. For evening there were glittering metallic jersey gowns with bishop sleeves: a bit Joan of Arc, a bit Janis Joplin. Short tunic dresses signal both heraldic knight and Glastonbury. Photograph: Alexandre Dimou/Reuters Ghesquière, who has stayed at the top of the game during two decades when fashion has grown from being a niche interest to a billion-dollar business, has a way of making esoteric historical and futuristic references look entirely contemporary. His job, he says, is 'to stimulate the eye. If you want to create a classic, first you have to make something new.' Ghesquière, who is contracted to Louis Vuitton until 2028, stands out as a beacon of stability in an industry in flux. Calm and smiling even minutes before the show, he said he was looking forward to the next Paris fashion week, which will be packed with designer debuts. 'October will be really exciting. Fashion is exploding. Fashion should always be about change,' he said.
Barnama
26-04-2025
- Barnama
Suspect In France School Attack Described As Loner Who Admired Hitler
A view shows the school Le Beau Rameau, formerly known as the Notre-Dame de Betharram institution, a French Catholic college-high school, in Lestelle-Betharram, near Pau, France, February 21, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou/File Photo PARIS, April 26 (Bernama-dpa) -- The 16-year-old accused of stabbing his classmates at a secondary school in western France, killing one student, has been described by those who knew him as a loner who admired Adolf Hitler, a public prosecutor said on Friday, German news agency (dpa) reported. The knife attack took place on Thursday at a private Catholic school in the city of Nantes. A 16-year-old girl was killed by the suspect, and two other students, aged 15 and 16, were injured. The teen did not give any reasons for his actions after his arrest on Thursday and has been temporarily admitted to a psychiatric ward, said Nantes public prosecutor Antoine Leroy. bootstrap slideshow He said the attacker attended classes as usual that morning before arming himself with a hunting knife and putting on a mask in a school bathroom around midday. He then entered a classroom and fatally stabbed the girl - who was said to have been the only peer with whom he had a positive relationship — 57 times. He then went on to randomly attack other students in a separate classroom. The rampage was stopped by a school IT technician who entered the room and struck the attacker with a chair, then held him at bay until police arrived. Leroy said the teenager had no prior contact with law enforcement. However, his mother had sought help earlier this year for his increasing social isolation, and he had attended six sessions at a counselling centre, he said. School officials had also raised concerns over his admiration for Hitler, prompting a meeting with school management and his mother earlier this month.
