Dave Benett/AmFAR; Andreas Rentz/AmFAR; Samir Hussein
The AmFAR gala is always the social highlight of the Festival de Cannes, though this year’s, the 27th, was far more low-key, with guest numbers at 400 rather than the usual 900, and strict COVID-19 protocols in place.
Global campaign chair Sharon Stone (in custom Dolce & Gabbana) played host, while Alicia Keys (in Chanel prêt-à-porter and Chanel haute joaillerie) performed live, at the outdoor affair held at the Villa Eilenroc in Antibes.
Carine Roitfeld curated a live fashion show as part of this year’s charity auction.
Guests included Stella Maxwell (in Atelier Versace), Kat Graham (in Nicolas Jebran), Nina Dobrev (in Mônot), Regina King (in Schiaparelli), Bella Thorne (in Miu Miu), Nicolas Maury (in Chanel), Rachel Brosnahan (in Vivienne Westwood), Lyna Khoudri (in Chanel), Vicky Krieps (in Chanel), Marina Ruy Barbosa (in Mônot), Dylan Penn (in Chanel), Lola Nicon (in Chanel), and stylist Jenke Ahmed Tailly (in Chanel).
Prior to the 2021 event, the Cannes gala had raised over US$235 million in the fight against Aids.
Photocalls and premières as the 2021 Cannes Film Festival closed saw Jeanne Balibar and Vicky Krieps in Chanel on day 11; Sharon Stone in Dolce & Gabbana, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Gucci, Gemma Chan in Oscar de la Renta, Leila Bekhti in Dior, Rosamund Pike in Dior, Mati Diop and Lyna Khoudri in Chanel, Adèle Exarchopoulos in Jacquemus, and Tilda Swinton in Schiaparelli, on the final day.
Julia Ducournau won the Palme d’Or for her movie Titane, and wore Chanel as she accepted the honour. She is only the second female director to take home the prize.
Dave Benett/AmFAR; Andreas Rentz/AmFAR; Samir Hussein; courtesy AmFAR
Andreas Rentz; Pascal le Segretain; courtesy labels
How to merge sustainable vision and fashion? A tough call, and many are still rushing at the answer. A few years ago the American art visionary Denise Domergue established a not-for-profit to engage the first half of that question in the context of art.
The Made Out of What?! initiative has mounted exhibitions, sponsored artist work, and created a library of informative videos highlighting how artists have engaged and embraced the concept of circular economy. To date they’ve launched a global movement, even going so far as to build an exhibit pavilion in the centre of NYC’s Times Square, a temporary structure made from repurposed materials which attracted global attention. Now a quarterly digital magazine from MOOW tracks the project’s progress.
The current issue addresses sustainability and style, a topic dear to the hearts of Lucire readers. You can view and download the issue here.
More importantly, participation, a donation or membership in support of the foundation’s work will make a difference in helping to reimagine Planet Earth in the shape we all would like to see.—Stanley Moss, Travel Editor
After a school located in the largest urban slum in Africa was forced to move because it was not up to code, eco-fashion label Ministry of Tomorrow raised money to help it relocate. Now, however, the school lacks funds to pay its teachers and cover operational expenses, including a daily meal for its students.
Ministry of Tomorrow, with its Los Angeles retail partner Church Boutique, is stepping up again, teaming up with Christie’s and CharityBuzz, to auction a series of bags to benefit the Chema Vision Children’s Centre in the Kibera division in Nairobi.
Ministry of Tomorrow’s Julian Prolman, and Church Boutique founders Rodney Burns and David Malvaney, turned to their celebrity friends to paint their art on an MOT tote, made in Nairobi, for the auction.
Celebrities include Naomi Campbell, Halle Berry, Madonna, Eddie Murphy, Bria Murphy, Maggie Q, Paris Jackson, Zoe Kravitz, Lenny Kravitz, Usher, Lionel Richie, Evan Ross, Raquel Britton, Lee Daniels, David Banda, Ashlee Simpson Ross, and artist Montana Mills of Modern Multiples. Laurie Lynn Stark, of fashion and jewellery brand Chrome Hearts, created her own MOT tote.
The auction runs through June 15 and the bags are on display at Christie’s in Manhattan, coinciding with luxury bag week at the auction house. All proceeds will be donated to Chema, with a US$100,000 goal set.
Adut Akech is Estée Lauder’s newest brand ambassador, joining the beauty company’s current roster of models, including Ana de Armas, Anok Yai, Bianca Brandolini d’Adda, Carolyn Murphy, Diana Penty, Grace Elizabeth, Karlie Kloss, Kōki, and Yang Mi.
Her campaigns for make-up and skin care will begin in July.
Akech was named model of the year at the Fashion Awards in 2019 and featured on the Time 100 Next list the same year.
South Sudanese by ethnicity, Akech was born en route to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya. Her family then settled in Adelaide, South Australia, where she joined a modelling agency and walked in Melbourne Fashion Week. In 2016, she was cast as a catwalk exclusive in the Yves Saint Laurent spring–summer 2017 show, making her fashion week début. Akech has regularly walked for major labels and appeared in campaigns. She has modelled in editorials in at least seven international editions of Vogue, and covered at least three; she has also appeared in I-D, Elle Hrvatska, L’Officiel Singapore, Numéro, and many others. She recently began working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to promote causes supporting refugees around the world.
‘To be part of the Estée Lauder family is a dream come true. Estée Lauder has such an amazing heritage, and the story of Mrs Estée Lauder continues to be an inspiration to women around the world. Like her, I hope to inspire girls everywhere to never give up on following their dreams,’ said Akech in a release.
‘Adut is one of fashion’s biggest and most influential stars,’ said Stéphane de la Faverie, group president for the Estée Lauder Companies, and global brand president, Estée Lauder and AERIN. ‘We believe her incredible story, personality and beauty will help us continue to inspire and connect with our consumers and establish her as a beauty icon of her generation.’
Spain’s Sophie et Voilà, the brainchild of creative director Sofia Arribas and CEO Saioa Goitia, have shown the bridal brand’s 2021 collection, Hydrangea.
Sophie et Voilà is known for clean, minimalist styles, a welcome departure from some of the overly complex shapes that have been seen on catwalks of late. Hydrangea, meanwhile, has been inspired by the flower itself, which grows abundantly in the Basque country.
As the label explains, the flower goes from nothing to everything each year: ‘the hydrangea is a flower that sprouts with the security of knowing that every spring it will be spectacular. Like Sophie et Voilà.’
The designs reflect the different stages of the annual cycle of the hydrangea: minimalist; others like ‘an explosion of leaves’; and the remainder ‘designs that appear like a flowering of clean romanticism.’
For US readers, the gowns can be viewed and ordered online at https://us.sophieetvoila.com/collections/bridal-collection. Prices start at under US$2,000.
Above: Alber Elbaz as photographed by Lucire Paris editor Lola Saab.
Moroccan-born French designer Alber Elbaz has died at age 59, according to Richemont, which partnered with him on his latest venture, AZ Factory. It is believed Elbaz died from COVID-19, which he had had for three weeks, and had been in an induced coma.
Elbaz was behind the rejuvenation of Lanvin and helmed the label’s artistic direction from 2001 to 2015.
Richemont founder and chairman Johann Rupert said in a statement, ‘It was with shock and enormous sadness that I heard of Alber’s sudden passing. Alber had a richly deserved reputation as one of the industry’s brightest and most beloved figures. I was always taken by his intelligence, sensitivity, generosity and unbridled creativity. He was a man of exceptional warmth and talent, and his singular vision, sense of beauty and empathy leave an indelible impression.
‘It was a great privilege watching Alber in his last endeavour as he worked to realize his dream of “smart fashion that cares”. His inclusive vision of fashion made women feel beautiful and comfortable by blending traditional craftsmanship with technology—highly innovative projects which sought to redefine the industry.’
Speaking with him in 2011, Elbaz displayed a sense of humour and a wonderful insight into his work at Lanvin.
‘For each woman there are ten different women … even in men there consists ten different men … and that is what this collection is about. It is not only about one person with one type of haircut with one look, but these are different occasions and different personalities. [The different designs represent] individuals and very personal [looks],’ he told Lucire’s Paris editor Lola Cristall.
On the menswear side, Elbaz explained the approach he took: ‘When we began at first, the image was of a man who was very specifically created being emotional and poetic, and then we advanced [creating] man as more linear, a little more edgy and a little cooler … Then we wanted to go back to our roots: the essentials of where we started. Finally, we realized that it is not one outfit for one man but it is clothing for different men … here we wanted to show the different façades of a man.’
Elbaz was born in Casablanca, and moved to Israel when he was 10. He studied fashion in Israel after his military service, and went to New York in 1985. There he worked for Geoffrey Beene, before moving to Paris and heading the design at Guy Laroche. Elbaz took over for Yves Saint Laurent at the appointment of Pierre Bergé at the end of the 1990s, until Gucci took over the label. He briefly worked for Krizia before joining Lanvin in 2001.
Despite bringing the brand back from irrelevance, he fell out with Lanvin’s owner Wang Shaw-Lan and CEO Michele Hubain in 2015 and was ousted from the label, which caused him great distress. After some smaller projects, Elbaz launched AZ Factory with Richemont last January.
