Our Lady of Sexy Fashion

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Carine Roitfeld looks for sparks where others only see business . In a sector where the algorithm now reigns, she surprises with the unexpected . She is a GOAT (to use a sports acronym that, if you continue reading this interview, makes sense) without fanfare, but with depth. Former director of “Vogue Paris”, from 2001 to 2011, now the soul of the fashion bible CR, her initials, which she founded in 2012, Carine Roitfeld is also Officière de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Born in Paris in 1954, raised in the 16th arrondissement, daughter of a famous French film producer of Ukrainian origin, Jacques Roitfeld, she embodies that kind of elegance that a certain French upper-middle-class, hers, loves to subvert, playing with perversions, see under the voice Pauline Réage. Tom Ford's muse, she defined with him the famous "porno chic" trend of the late Nineties, that sensual, morbid and lascivious aesthetic, which is now imprinted in the collective imagination. "Unfortunately, in these years fashion surprises less and less" , she tells me. “I have been working in the industry for over four decades, I have seen so many shows and met so many designers, so I feel lucky because today many designers and journalists do not have the same opportunities. There have been changes in the industry, both positive and negative. For example, from a creative point of view, September will be interesting for a series of highly anticipated debuts: Jonathan Anderson at Dior, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Proenza Schouler at Loewe, Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, Glenn Martens at Margiela, Demna at Gucci. A reshuffle that could give one of the most interesting seasons in recent years because for a long time there has been no more emotion, but only too many shows. We are all a little blasé (which is a really untranslatable term, you have to take it for what it is, ed.), waiting for the one that will make us forget the rest”.

Roitfeld would like to instill hope, well aware that the numbers say otherwise: fashion is in fact going through a deep crisis that is pushing brands to make extreme choices, in the hope of obtaining immediate answers. For example, at the time of writing it seems that in September Gucci will opt for the “see now buy now” formula, replacing the fashion show with a less classic formula, to obtain almost instantaneous answers on the appreciation of the collection. Like: I trust Demna, but not too much. “When he arrived at Balenciaga, it was a surprise; whether you liked it or not, he was strong,” he explains. “I would like to go back to saying ‘wow’, to be amazed by something that makes me fall in love with fashion again. But I also think that designers today are under enormous pressure . They have to manage too many things: create many collections, develop bags that have to sell like peanuts and so much more, with a superhuman effort. Nobody can understand what people expect or want anymore. But we know that designers today are not as free as they once were; but they are creative, and their artistic vision, at this pace and in this way, is compromised.” She recalls the times when Helmut Lang changed the course of fashion by showing in Paris in a white room without decoration, very simple, at 17 rue Commines, without special effects, but with the emotion of a stylistic vision: “It would be nice if Jonathan at Dior started again from something like that,” she reflects. In the current situation, it would be a revolutionary gesture, made by a designer at the helm of one of the most important brands in the world: slow down, go back to making people dream with clothes and not with proclamations and gimmicks from marketing offices that have shifted the balance too much towards finance to the detriment of genius. “Today the product and the economic aspect are increasingly important, but they are difficult issues and not many deal with them well, also because there are so many clients, and too different,” he explains. “When I started, there were far fewer fashion shows in fashion. The first one I worked on was Gucci, with Tom Ford as creative director and Domenico De Sole as president and CEO . They were in perfect harmony, because the lawyer trusted Tom's vision one hundred percent. He didn't look at the clothes, not even on the day of the show; he didn't judge and was there to support him. The same was true with Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé. It's not a relationship between a couple, but the relationship between the designer and the CEO must be a little closer.” It is the same attitude that Roitfeld recognizes for example in Pietro Beccari both today at Louis Vuitton with Pharrell Williams and at Fendi in the days of Karl Lagerfeld: positivity, energy, confidence. “Fashion is still beautiful, but it is in a difficult moment. I do not deal with business, but it is evident. And then for those who work in big brands it would be constructive to be a little less capricious” he adds. “Because we have to adapt to changes. Before I never stopped and I had all the comforts, but now it is different, I take note of it and I do not get sad. However, I observe that despite everything some people are still attached to that type of life and I consider it very démodé, as well as the lack of support among stylists. I remember that Lagerfeld always sent flowers before the show to wish good luck to those he admired, a kind and respectful gesture. In some way, I find this sympathique attitude, I like this word, in Pharrell who in fact is much loved both at Vuitton and in Paris in general”. The digital revolution has opened highways by accelerating communication possibilities, but it has also confused insiders and consumers. The constant pursuit of novelty, Roitfeld reflects, has often taken attention away from quality, while professionals have been traded for views and likes, choices that have often made the system lose consistency with the illusion that it was important for their business, an idea she doesn't agree with . So I ask her what the recipe is for staying relevant today. "You know, I've always been fearless. Maybe I'm the last one now," she jokes.

“I am not afraid to dare, while respecting people. I do not want to be a bad teacher by provoking with the wrong messages. But on the other hand, in fashion there is room to tell things that have never been said with new means and I want to maintain this freedom, this is why I created CR”. Today, brands push to photograph only the total look, taking away space from the aesthetic game, dismantling the editorial point of view. For Roitfeld, this is the wrong path because it flattens a system that is already quite standardized: “When I was in charge of Chanel campaigns, Lagerfeld always asked me for an innovative approach: “Surprise me, Madame Roitfeld” , he would say. “I don’t want to photograph the total look of the fashion show, I’ve already seen it and it bored me, I want something fresh and new”. So he pushed me to change it, even for advertisements. This is unthinkable today, both because there aren’t many Lagerfelds around, and because people don’t dare”.

And in fact, she explains, publishing is increasingly becoming a tug-of-war with brands: on one side there is the desire to push product sales, on the other the magazine insists on freedom of interpretation. In reality, she observes, in most cases the editorial choice arouses many more emotions and desires than simply putting clothes on the page, to everyone's satisfaction. Making magazines has become much more complex, so I ask her why powerful women in fashion used to head magazines while today they are mostly independent. "They prefer to collaborate with many magazines and not direct them because that way I have more freedom of action and realization. There are so many niche titles, like "CR", where I can express myself better. When I was at "Vogue Paris" it was different, it was the perfect time: I had autonomy because the financial situation was better too." So the power of women in fashion today has moved outside the editorial offices. Carine reflects on the great work Lotta Volkova has done with Demna, first at Vetements, then rewriting the world of Balenciaga and more recently Miu Miu.

But she points out that it doesn't always work; if the partnership isn't sincere and long-lasting, it's nothing more than a well-paid job, but of little relevance. "Today, when you attend a fashion show, sometimes the name of the stylist seems more important than that of the designer, and it saddens me a little. I worked with Tom Ford and I think the word 'consulting' in that case was misleading; it was something deeper. It's very difficult to give so many fresh ideas in a short time, so it's almost impossible to do it well for several fashion shows in the same season, and I also find it disrespectful for designers and brands," she underlines. This power, she adds, has also given rise to new professions: "Today, there's the rise of the figure of the celebrity stylist, powerful and paid. If a brand dresses you for a fashion show or an event, you end up on every social media over and over again, but for me that's not exciting, because real stars should have their own aesthetic, not stylists” who propose looks programmed for all hours of the day, all forgettable. “I have to admit that I no longer feel emotions even when I see people dressed at fashion shows, as a careful observer I am much more stimulated by what happens outside the fashion system,” she says. “The last time I was surprised at a show was when Virgil Abloh designed Vuitton: the show, the concept, the atmosphere, the people were different. He had brought a community that before him didn't have access to our closed world. There I understood that something never seen before was happening.” For some time, Roitfeld launched “Players”, a magazine that crosses fashion and sport, an idea of ​​her son Vladimir. “I think it came at the right time, not too early and not too late. It's exciting because athletes are still enthusiastic about fashion and being part of the magazines. I am not an athlete and I choose technical clothes only for aesthetics. I remember that for the cover of “Vogue Paris” in November 2004 I chose a model who hated sports, famously Kate Moss” she jokes. “Mario Testino shot it with real athletes, she was wearing a Nike top with Gucci fur. For me it was simply cool, but for the company the mix changed their strategic vision forever”. It was another page in the history of fashion.

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