Nadine and Paul both wearing Y/PROJECT.

Legends are not born, they are made.

Photography by René Habermacher.
Creative direction by Antoine Asseraf.
Styling by Rogelio Burgos.

Hair by Panos Papandrianos @ CLM.
Make-up by Yannis Siskos @ Airport.
Production assistant Marion Louapre.

Models: Nadine Strittmatter @ Next, Zoe Alayrangues, Paul L @ Rockmen, Timothée @ M Models, Florentin @ M Models.

Clothes by Drome, Icosae, Koché, Léa Peckre, Neith Nyer and Y/Project.

Special thanks to Versae @ Next, Adrianna @ Rockmen and Guillaume @ M Models.

Irene Silvagni, in vintage Yohji Yamamoto.

Today icons of the fashion industry, Peter Lindbergh, Steven Meisel, Martin Margiela, Paolo Roversi and Azzedine Alaïa were once young and on the outside. Yet before New York, before Milan, Paris gave them a chance.

Irene Silvagni, as fashion editor of Vogue Paris in the late 1980’s, fought for a new generation of talent despite nascent commercial pressure, supporting photographers and designers until she had to face a tough choice –
sell-out or pack-up.

(Hint: she didn’t sell-out).

Fast-forward over 27 years of Irene crafting the image of Yohji Yamamoto, fast-forward over her acting in a film alongside Jean-Pierre Léaud, fast-forward over then-nascent commercial pressure reshaping fashion entirely, fast-forward to today.

As the center of the city slowly shifts north and east to République, the question is, can Paris still give talent a chance, can there a new creation generation ?

(Hint: yes).

Zoe in a Drome dress.

Did you choose Paris or did Paris choose you ?

I have Russian origins, both my parents were Russian, I’m the great-great-great niece of Trotski. I was born during WWII in Cannes, because it was the free zone and we were in hiding. Then my parents chose Paris because they were refugees, I studied in Paris, started working, then married in Italy and lived there. And I would say I love Paris, sometimes I have a grudge against it because it’s not an easy city, but I feel like a world citizen, meaning I could move at any second. I am not trapped in Paris. But I think I didn’t choose Paris, it is Paris that chose me.

How does one become Parisian ?

Being born in Paris doesn’t automatically mean becoming a Parisian. I think you fall in love with this city, you set up camp, ground yourself, whether Paris accepts you or not, because it’s not that simple.
I’ve always thought, with much affection, that Rome was a whore and Paris a great lady. One chooses Paris, the skies, the roofs, the light, there are extremely endearing moments, and then moments where as with any grand lady, it’s not that great…

“Rome was a whore and Paris a great lady”

Timothée in Icosae sweater and jacket.

When is Paris – 19th, 20th, 21st century ?

I don’t feel that Paris is in the 21st century, but Belleville is a neighborhood I really love, very liverly, fun, and to me the mixing of cultures is very important.
For example in the south of France where I live part of the year, there is terrifying anti-Muslim, anti-North African racism, and it’s a shame. Paris has had this mixed culture for a longtime, and that’s formidable. When you have foreign roots, you feel it very deeply.
This “mixité” is not regressing yet, but these days people are afraid, and when people are afraid, they may turn racist, anti-semitic, etc. I don’t want to be too pessimistic, there are so many great people out there that are fighting for an integrated society.

Left: Nadine in Y/PROJECT. Right: Nadine and Paul in Neith Nyer.

What are your current projects ?

Christophe Lebourg, a fashion designer famous in the 90’s brand for his brand Dimitrios, and I are creating a school. My main project right now is transmission of knowledge, because so many people do not know, they haven’t been told about fashion, about art, about many things. This school would be in Nîmes, the city where denim was born – it has an incredible tradition. Some buildings have iron measuring sticks built into the walls.

“My main project right now is transmission of knowledge”

Paul and Florentin both in Icosae.

It seems the schools which train the most influential designers are less and less based in Paris…

With the exception of Studio Berçot, it’s true. The Bunka school in Tokyo is extraordinary. But you know many designers have never gone to school. It’s something you can have within you. You can learn cutting, pattern-making, but that’s learned quickly.
I’m still surprised by the consecration that is having a fashion show in Paris. But will it last ? In the US, Anna Wintour, with whom I’ve worked, truly supports designers, she has this power. But there is no one in Paris to do this. The issue is that fashion journalists don’t have the curiosity anymore. It’s the same everywhere but it’s sad.
Azzedine Alaïa would lend, not offer, dresses to about a dozen editors, and we would wear them to launch him, that’s how impassioned we were ! Today editors leave empty seats at fashion shows, openly saying “you’re not an advertiser, you don’t interest us”!

Zoe in Koché.

I remember at Vogue there was a wall with a magnificent picture of by Peter Lindbergh of Kirsten McMenamy with a dress, and one of my bosses asks “Who’s this, the designer ?”. I explained the dress was by Martin Margiela, a talented young designer.
“Maybe we don’t need in the office” my boss said.
“It’s your advertiser of tomorrow,” I replied, “if you remove this photo, I’m quitting tonight and I’m not coming back !”
I left journalism myself because when I was still at Vogue, I had been called in by the CEO of a big fashion company, who told me “Mme Silvagni, we are the ones paying your salary.” And I took the decision to stop, because the freedom to create is essential, for me or for designers…

Left: Paul, Florentin and Timothée in Icosae. Right: Paul in Y/PROJECT.

“the freedom to create is essential”

Do you imagine dying a Parisian ?

If the Front National were ever to get elected, I would leave France. Otherwise, I could die in the street tomorrow, in rue Notre Dame de Lorette where my dad was a shirt-maker, and, hop, be gone. My dad made the shirts and boxers of Maurice Chevallier right there, so it’s strange that I would come back to live here.
But if I were to chose…in Provence.

What would be your last look ?

Yohji Yamamoto shirt and pants. Black. And with a pair of ear rings.

Right: Zoe wears Lea Peckre.

The last meal ?

Pasta. My husband was Italian.

Any objects you would take with you to the grave ?

Ancient blue and green ceramic from the south of France which I collect. A big ceramic vase in which I would put peonies – I love peonies.

Is Paris Dead ?

No. I love Paris, I am critical, auto-critical even, but Paris is a city that survives, there’s something in the ground or under the Seine which can spring up.
Because there is an active minority who really loves Paris. It’s very difficult not to love Paris – it has many faults – but I think it won’t disappear any time soon.

Left: Nadine wears Lea Peckre top and pants. Right: Paul wears a Neith Nyer coat.

“there is an active minority who really loves Paris.”

Romain wearing jewellery by René Talmon L'Armée.

Photography by René Habermacher.

Creative direction by Antoine Asseraf.

Styling by Kanako B. Koga

All jewelry by René Talmon L’Armée.

Starring Loulou and Romain Eugene Campens.

Special thanks Versae @ Next, Rodger @ Success, Christophe @ City-Models and Muriel @ Airport.

Loulou, rings by René Talmon L'Armée.

If you can’t say something nice, say it with flowers.

Romain wearing jewellery by René Talmon L'Armée.

Romain wearing jewellery by René Talmon L'Armée.

Loulou.

“It is both a blessing and a curse to feel everything so very deeply.”
– David Jones

Romain wears jewellery by René Talmon L'Armée.

Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni in a peignoir of black and red Swarovski - Gaultier Paris.
Ring: "Antigua," 27.97 carat Paraiba gem, mounted with blue sapphires and diamonds. Creation by Nadine Barbey.
Cuff: "Medusa," 55 carat blue green Australian black opal, set in white diamonds and white gold. Creation by Nadine Barbey.

Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni is a nomad, never an exile. London, New York, Los Angeles and Paris have all played host, and all have felt her presence. Venit, vidit, vicit.

Photography by René Habermacher.
Styling by Suzanne von Aichinger.
Conducted by Antoine Asseraf, Rene Habermacher, and Suzanne von Aichinger.
Transcribed and edited by Edward Siddons.
Make-up by Min Kim @ Airport. Hair by Philippe Mensah @ L’Atelier (68).
Production by Agathe Rousselle, assisted by Marion Louapre.
All looks by Gaultier Paris. All jewelry by Nadine Barbey.
Shot in the private salons of Lapérouse, Paris.

Left: mirror at Hôtel Lapérouse. Right: Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni in white silk chiffon blouse and high 
waisted black wool crêpe pant - Gaultier Paris.

The iconic Lapérouse, where Cavassoni is photographed, is no stranger to formidable women. Society’s historic femmes fatales have left their mark in the form of scratches carved into the restaurant’s mirrors, a test of their new diamonds, the gifts from their lovers.

But Ms Cavassoni is no kept woman.
She is no cocotte.

Fearless, incisive and literary, and with a recently published book on the style icon Loulou de la Falaise – co-done with Ariel de Ravenel – and a tome on Christian Dior as seen by his clients, she is a force to be reckoned with.

Who better to cut deep under Paris’ infamous veneer?

Left: Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni in white silk chiffon blouse - Gaultier Paris, worn with Giambattista 
Valli Haute couture metallic and porcelain tiara. Right: mirror at Hôtel Lapérouse.

Did you choose Paris or did Paris choose you?

I fell in love with Paris when I was 12. I came here with my godmother, so it was always a special place.
Plus, London was awful for kids in the seventies. Imagine sleeping on nylon sheets? The food was disgusting too.

[Later] I was living in New York, and I really didn’t like New York in ’89. I was working at Interview magazine, and I wanted to move back to Europe. I’d been working with the Warhol studio, I had my own column, and it all looked so good on paper, but it was the height of the yuppies, and I found it so materialistic, predictable and dull. Looking back, I just didn’t belong and felt very sad and isolated: a tragic combination for the city that never sleeps!

When I decided to leave for France, Anna Wintour was kind and sent out a lot of faxes on my behalf, and I ended up at Chanel. Anna was seriously generous to have done that because Paris is really closed. You need someone to open the door. But you also need to be able to dance through and stay there!

“I think it’s both a strength and a weakness of Parisians that they’re so exclusive.”

I think it’s both a strength and a weakness of Parisians that they’re so exclusive. If I go to a party in Paris and don’t know anybody, I’ll just leave, because there’s no point. It used to annoy and frustrate me. But I now wonder if that attitude, to a certain extent, has helped Paris keep its gritty persona and charm.

In London, everyone talks about its amazing energy and that’s true. The English are fabulously curious and funny, both traits that I really admire and relate to. Still, there’s this recent obsession with money that I occasionally find pretty terrifying. It’s very old-fashioned of me and I’ll probably end up as a toothless hermit in a smelly but ecological cave but I do have a horror of vulgarity: the idea that only money counts and that everyone has a price and can be bought. What I love about Paris is that individuality and quality count more than anything and are so prominent in their culture. There’s also that continual fight not to become globalised. Love that!

That’s one thing I love about the French: they also refuse to allow a price on their head. In their minds, they are priceless and they are right! When people ask why Sarkozy didn’t work with the French, I say it’s because he refused to understand their sophistication and they found him pretty vulgar, in many ways. Impossible as the French are, they don’t have the same Anglo-Saxon obsession with money and success.

“Impossible as the French are, they don’t have the same Anglo-Saxon obsession with money and success.”

You say you have a “horror of vulgarity” and that the French do too, but doesn’t this sometimes mean less fun?

Not all French – that would be naïve.com of me! And being in fashion, I kiss the toes of those wonderful people that shop til they drop! Fashion has to sell. I’m pretty bohemian, so people that define bon goût all the time, well, they just wouldn’t have time for me, nor I for them, ever! [Laughs.] I have a horror of bourgeois people, French or English, because I don’t get them and they don’t get me. But if I had to choose between the British or the French bourgeoisie, I’d choose the French, because at least the food is good!

“Tough and unwelcoming as they can be, [the French] admire courage and individuality in someone.”

How does one become a Parisian?

I think the Parisians are every cerebral. When I arrived I thought I was being dismissed and judged, and often they’re just thinking about it, chewing an appearance over and I like that. Tough and unwelcoming as they can be, [the French] admire courage and individuality in someone. They’re upfront, and I like that. They set their own terms and there’s a healthy lack of passive aggressiveness and hypocrisy that can lurk behind politeness.

Do you feel like you’re a Parisian?

I am fairly individual in spirit but I don’t think I’m a Parisian. No, not at all! Still, when I go to England, people view me as “Parisian” and that makes me smile and feel a bit of a fraud! I like being a foreigner who lives in Paris because I’m allowed to do and say things that the French can’t.
I once made the mistake of saying sorry, when working in the Chanel studio, and suddenly everything was my fault. I then realised that the French don’t say sorry. Maybe it’s a historical thing, too many times being invaded – that strange pride thing. And they’re right in a way – when the British say sorry it doesn’t mean a thing, it’s just their strange way of being polite.

I wish someone had said to me when I moved to Paris that saying “no” actually means “maybe or even yes tomorrow.” There’s this French thing of just saying “Non!” to everything that can be brutal and quite shocking.

“I once made the mistake of saying sorry, when working in the Chanel studio, and suddenly everything was my fault.”

Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni in black wool crepe with white chiffon mille feuilles collar - Gaultier Paris.
Tank top: Haider Ackermann.
Ring: "Life of a Charmed Infinity," rarest 18.88 carat Harlequin black opal from Australia, double sided, surrounded by "mysterious setting" caliber Burmese rubies and diamonds. Creation by Nadine Barbey.

Where is the centre of Paris?

What I love about Paris is that it’s very personal to you. All my American friends would say the centre is the sixth or the seventh – which it is absolutely not for me! I love the romance of the first. I love the Palais Royal, the passage Véro-Dodat, the rue des Petits Champs avenue de l’Opéra… Paris is what you make of it.

Before the opening of the shop Colette, my hood was quite neighbourly and low-key and now it’s become a parade of flashy fashion shops. That one shop totally transformed the rue St. Honoré. You have to hand it to them at Colette! And clearly business is great and things are selling.

Where do you see Paris in five years?

[Hesitates.] I guess the ninth and the eighteenth will be further discovered and gentrified, and will be where the fifth and sixth were in the seventies. There’s something very Parisian and unspoilt about the ninth and the eighteenth, all those little shops, restaurants and small brands: it’s an area that hasn’t yet been globalised.

I do hope that Paris stays as it is. I refer to the state education and welfare system. I gave birth in a state hospital. Both my daughters are going through the state education system. All that really matters to me. I mean the idea that everyone person in France deserves a decent education and excellent medical care. But I keep on being told that it will change and become privatised. I pray not!

Is there a difference between old Paris and new Paris?

When I first arrived in ’89 I walked down the rue St. Honoré wearing jeans and there were stares. There was a lot of colour and Saint Laurent going on – those Matisse colours – and women were dressed much more like their mothers, and now there’s this horror of not looking remotely like their mother.  Instead women have this obsession with looking sexy and young. Speaking from experience, it doesn’t always work!

“… now there’s this horror of not looking remotely like their mother. Instead women have this obsession with looking sexy and young. Speaking from experience, it doesn’t always work!”

Besides, Parisians in their sixties and seventies often look great because they choose what suits them and they’re not obsessed with the age issue.  In general, young Parisians now make less of an effort, or alternatively, a lot more of an effort at looking like they’ve made less of an effort. It’s still done better in Paris than elsewhere though.

Is fashion still in fashion?

People have got so much money and they’re buying buying buying. Contrary to everyone’s prediction including yours truly, the obsession with the latest thing and next season’s items continues. Obviously, this is tremendous for fashion because, to keep it going, someone’s gotta buy it! [Laughs].

I think fashion has become such an Anglo-Saxon thing because they buy in a way the Parisians don’t. The Parisians have an eye, they will look at Elle and Vogue, and see what they want, do it their own way, and get it for twopence. They’ll say “I’ve had it for years” and they’ve just bought it…

I see it in my daughters at age thirteen, it’s something you acquire living in Paris – I mean is it in the water or the bread? Seriously, there’s an innate knowledge of fabrics, styles and a certain discipline of thought.

Left: Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni in black silk chiffon cape with black melting into blood red Swarovski 
- Gaultier Paris. Right: Lapérouse detail.

What would you wear to Paris’s funeral?

I would wear my Yves Saint Laurent leather jacket that has big diamond buttons and suede sleeves, because whether I am thin or fat, it has a certain 1980s presence. I bought it when I was flat broke. I had gone into the Rive Gauche boutique and a saleswoman grabbed me, saying “I have the perfect jacket for you.” She was right, it was perfect! There are only two that exist: Betty Catroux has the other one. At Paris’s funeral, I’d wear that jacket with black pants and Louboutins.

What object would you be buried with?

A photograph of my kids and – hopefully – their kids: I long to become a grandmother!

I might also wear a Loulou de la Falaise necklace, created when she was at Saint Laurent. From a distance you’d think it was a barbaric Cartier panther – made of glass, it’s all grey, reds and blacks. I loved Loulou – she was so brave, creative and ballsy. Like real French women.

“I think a city that appreciates individuality, creativity and courage can never ever be dead.”

Is Paris Dead? And if so what comes after death?

Paris isn’t dead. I think a city that appreciates individuality, creativity and courage can never ever be dead.

That said, I spend my time defending Paris. So many English people love – and I think it’s the Agincourt thing – saying “apparently Paris is really down,” but the Parisians have never been jolly, it’s always been foreigners that have made Paris fun. The point is quality of life and possessing an amazing respect for creativity. In many ways, Paris is the city to watch because of that.

MORE:
Loulou de la Falaise, by Ariel de Ravenel and Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni, Foreword by Pierre Berge, Rizzoli.
Monsieur Dior: Once Upon A Time, by Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni, Pointed Leaf Press.

Photography by René Habermacher.
Styled by Suzanne von Aichinger with Wanda Nylon.
Concept by Antoine Asseraf.
Translated and edited by Edward Siddons.
Make-up by Tiina Roivanen @ Airport. Hair by Jean-Luc Amarin @ Airport.
Model: Lida Fox @ Next Models.

Johanna Senyk and Peter Hornstein, designers of Wanda Nylon, both wearing Wanda Nylon.

Peter, a quiet German perfectionist who won a top prize at the 2007 Hyères Fashion Festival.
Johanna, an Algerian-raised, French-Polish, blond style tornado who never goes unnoticed.
Yin and Yang.

The icy beauty of Peter, the carefree energy of Johanna – Wanda inherits the best traits of her two progenitors. 

Unlikely as their collection specialized in synthetic outerwear might be, it has caught the eye of the fashion world, quickly positioning Wanda as one of Paris’ exciting, young, native brands.  Functional, resistant, sexy, playful, modern, a touch retro is the rare mix which they have pulled off.

To give it life (or death, depending on how you see it), dancer and model Lida Fox embodies a woman determined to prove…

Wanda Nylon clothes are not just waterproof, but also blood-proof.

Parka - Wanda Nylon.

Did you choose Paris or did Paris choose you?

Johanna Sennyk : I chose Paris. Well, it’s the biggest city in France and seeing as I didn’t know how to speak any other languages… [Laughs.] I decided on Paris at the age of seventeen, I was determined to move there and start a new life. I was in Tours—properly provincial!—but I grew up in Algeria as a young Polish girl with dual nationality.

Did Paris disappoint you?

JS: Not at all! The only thing that disappointed me was that I thought that I was going to lose myself here, that it was going to be bigger. I was sort of under that provincial impression that it was going to be a completely impersonal city, and that when you walk around you’d be completely free, you’d bump into nobody you knew. At last, I’ve realized that it’s quite the opposite: it’s so small, and there’s less freedom than I hoped for, less anonymity. It’s definitely less free than the image I had of it when I was young.

Peter, what about you? Did you choose Paris or did Paris choose you?

Peter Hornstein: I chose Paris five years ago… [Long pause.] For work it’s amazing. But the private side of life isn’t much fun. That’s changing though…

The Stimuleye: How does somebody become a Parisian? How did you become a Parisian? 

JS: Well first, to be Parisian, you need to have your papers, and that’s so complicated! You need parents, guarantors, a job—or to be good at Photoshop! [Laughs.] Sorry to be talking about all that, but when eight out of the ten people in the office are having legal problems becoming Parisian… I’m really angry about it.

PH: You have to be very speedy. And you have to eat very little!

JS: What?
If that’s Parisian for you, then we’ve got totally different ideas!

“If that’s Parisian for you, then we’ve got totally different ideas!”

Wide-brim hat; sleeveless top; mid-calf skirt: Wanda Nylon.

PH: [Laughs.] No, you do have to adapt quite quickly though, it’s a very speedy town—which is a really positive thing about Paris.

JS: Really? I feel as if nothing’s moving…

PH: True. In general, nothing’s moving, but for the physical side of things, you need to be speedy.

JS: I have the impression that if you were to come back in five years, you’d see the same people in the same groups who would tell you the same stories. Here, I know I’m going to bump into such-and-such, with so-and-so, et cetera. Nothing’s moving.

I dreamed Paris was a certain way, and was consequently disappointed. Maybe it would be the same if I moved to New York, and found a microcosm of exactly the same milieu I’m in now. But I don’t think all this would be the case in London, for example, because it’s so much more expansive, sprawling, and heterogeneous. People are less tightly connected. Or so I think!

PH: That’s because there’s a youth culture [in London.] In Paris you have no youth culture: it doesn’t exist. Youth is dead. They’re behaving like old people.

“In Paris you have no youth culture: it doesn’t exist. Youth is dead. They’re behaving like old people.”

JS: But isn’t that just because we’re a little too old for it? If we were going out in that scene, there would be young rock or punk movements, and parties with loads of alternative stuff that we just don’t have any idea about.

PH: No, because I know the scene, and there’s nothing, really nothing. For the size of Paris, there’s nothing.  On a business and administrative level, then yes, Paris is at the center of the world [from a fashion perspective], but on a creative level? No. It is a meeting point, though. It always has been, and it still is.

JS: [Hesitates.] It’s true that when you want to go out somewhere other than a fashion party, to dance, with a decent sound system, good music, a bottle of water, and to sweat and just lose it, you can’t.

Where do you think the creative center is?

PH: Well, preferably, or logically, in places that aren’t very beautiful, and which therefore trigger people to want to change things.

JS: But there are lots of things happening outside of our circles. Isn’t it maybe like that outside of our milieu?

PH: No I don’t think so. Creativity comes from something you want to rebel against.

“Creativity comes from something you want to rebel against.”

See -through trench coat - Wanda Nylon. Black bra and panty: Falke.

So is Paris too pretty?

JS: I don’t think anything can be “too pretty.” Nobody likes the same things, and nobody does things in the same way. At the minute, there’s nothing truly dazzling around.

PH: It would be too pretty if it were clean, maybe… But then it would be kitsch.

JS: Like some kind of Playmobil village! [Laughs.]

Where do you see Paris in five years?

JS: Very few things are going to change. I’d love to see more green space I’d be happy if we could sit on the grass at last. When you look at the British, their way of life, of sharing, and making the most of what they’ve got, and you compare it with the French and their grass that you can look at but not sit on, it reveals a lot about the different cultural mentalities. I’m all about l’art de vivre, the art of everyday life, and for me, the French art de vivre is exactly that liberty: to lie down, have a picnic, and relax on a patch of grass.

Do you imagine dying a Parisian?

JS: Yes! I’m a real parisienne! But then again I don’t know… I always dreamed of spending my last days living off a small vegetable garden and needing nothing else—living self-sufficiently, really. I doubt that’s going to happen, though, if I’m totally honest! I do think that by choosing to come to Paris, to move here, that you’re immediately more Parisian than those that have always lived here, who haven’t made the choice to be here. So yes, I’m definitely a Parisian.

PH: No.

Hat; see-through jacket ; sleeveless top and shorts - Wanda Nylon.

What would you wear to Paris’s funeral?

JS: [Gasps.]

I’d wear something extraordinarily tragic. I’d trawl through history, the history of Paris as the fashion capital of the world, of everything that’s happened here, above all at the start of the [twentieth] century. I’d wear something lace, exquisitely made, in black, something gigantic and tragic—nothing understated. Something without a corset for sure, but I’d be looking for a long time!

But in fact, the question is a lot like “what would you wear to your wedding?” You feel like getting married ten times because you have ten different ideas of what you want in your head, but then you’re told that marriage is for life. So the only thing to do is to get changed five times in the evening—I’d probably do the same at Paris’s funeral.

PH: I don’t go to funerals in general, but for Paris, I’d wear something classic and neutral.

“I’d wear something extraordinarily tragic.”

What do you think was the golden age or the youth of Paris? Has there been a golden age?

JS: Has there been a golden age? I don’t know. If we start thinking like that, it’s like those people who say “Fuck, the 80s were so great!” or “Le Palace was so much better back then!” or “The 70s were so much better!” But you need to stop because it’s never coming back, and it’s not helpful to think that way. It’s up to us to move forward, and make sure the time in which we live is as pleasant as it can be, or has ever been. We can’t just get nostalgic. We can’t feel some kind of stupid melancholy for a time or period that we didn’t even know. We need to try and do things as best and as beautifully as we can, because we will never know any different. You need to make your own happiness.

What do you want to be buried with?

JS: I saw this question yesterday and thought about it a lot and searched a lot, and it only made me realize that I am not materialistic at all. Bringing a ring, a jewel, a cat—even photos and things like that—seems sort of pathetic. I’m not a believer; I don’t think anything remains; and I have no interest in material things. I find it sort of pathetic to take one thing with you, just as I find it sort of pathetic to focus on accumulating things like that throughout your life. I would leave as I am.  All I’d take is my secrets.

PH: No. Nothing. And I’d like to be burnt actually, not buried.

“All I’d take is my secrets.”

What’s next for Wanda Nylon?

JS: Well we’re already doing six collections a year (including Men’s and Women’s pre-collections), so we don’t really want to add any more work—it’s already a huge job. The aim this year is to have more fun. Happiness will come out of that.

Also, we’re working on a project with Victoria’s Secret, which is pretty fun. We’re doing a collaboration for a collection of sunglasses coming out now in time for the fall, and for winter we’ve got three projects on the go which have to do with accessories and the kind of development that Wanda Nylon can’t do alone in the office, mostly technical stuff.

Wide-brim hat and trench coat - Wanda Nylon.

Is Paris dead?

JS: Mais non!
PH: Mais oui!

Wanda Nylon

Thanks:

Versae @ Next Models.

Muriel @ Airport Agency.