Katerina Jebb talks to Filep Motwary

Katerina Jebb, The Scissors of Balthus, 2012

Katerina Jebb’s way of documenting fashion, the body, garments and objects is a form of immortalizing diverse (or not) aesthetics and contexts as it goes beyond photography, releasing imagery from any notion of perspective. This painstaking digital scanning process re-contextualizes the gaze (our gaze) onto the historic or contemporary artefacts she encounters in such a precise manner that it feels almost like the work of an archivist. It has already been a year since her major retrospective, Deus exMachina at the Réattu Museum in the French city of Arles, which featured 111 works—the biggest monographic exhibition of her work in 20 years. Continue reading “Katerina Jebb talks to Filep Motwary”

Julien d’Ys talks to Filep Motwary

Selfportrait by Julien d’Ys

Julien d’Ys is more than a hairstylist. He is a storyteller, a poet and a fashion veteran who finds amusement in mixing the strangest materials together for the sake of beauty. Each of his projects serves as a testimonial—a point of reference in contemporary fashion’s history and the key to the gates to dreamland.
A good fashion show is everything together: the clothes (of course), the music, lights, casting, hair and make-up. The most incredible hair stories have carried his signature for almost 40 years. He also likes to paint, keep his notes in sketchbooks, and to flirt with photography. Julien d’Ys responds to my phone call in a very good mood. He has just returned from New York where he participated in “Art of the In-Between”, the Metropolitan Museum’s retrospective on Comme Des Garçons and Rei Kawakubo, with whom he has worked closely for more than two decades creating the hair for her shows and occasionally the make-up as well. He asked me to call him precisely at 11:32, as 32 is his lucky number. Continue reading “Julien d’Ys talks to Filep Motwary”

Mats Gustafson talks to Filep Motwary

Mats Gustafson, Eric, 1991

Fashion illustrations, landscapes, erotic portraits, plants, floating swans; the broad sweep of his brush transfers the most exquisite garments, senses and emotions, memory and fragility to paper, suggesting an almost poetic arbitrariness. A solemn simplicity even!
Mats Gustafson boldly uses watercolour to express his personal thoughts, desires or virtues, but most of the time to reflect the work of others through his talent in illustrating fashion. Ever since his multi-chaptered creative journey started around 45 years ago, his majestic work has been featured in the glossiest of the glossies while being exhibited in museums since 1986, as well as in galleries and renowned publications. He is soon to present a series of unrevealed works in Tokyo’s MA2 Gallery. I call him at his wonderful apartment in Sweden where he only arrived the day before, straight from New York. Continue reading “Mats Gustafson talks to Filep Motwary”

June Newton talks to Filep Motwary

Helmut Newton, In our kitchen, rue Aubriot. Paris, 1972 © Helmut Newton Estate Portrait of June Newton

My first attempt to interview June Newton was back in 2010. Unfortunately, she was busy at the time and we were informed that finally she could not do the interview for Dapper Dan—information that came as sad news. She rarely talks to journalists anyway. Six years later, I decide to send a letter requesting an interview again. Today, June Newton, known as a photographer under her pseudonym Alice Springs, spends her time in Monte Carlo while her photography shines in a three-part show along with work by her late husband Helmut and Mart Engelen at the Helmut Newton Foundation in Berlin. Her part in the show is titled The MEP Show and it was initially presented at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris in 2015, as a smaller retrospective of her photography works accompanied by a book by TASCHEN. Continue reading “June Newton talks to Filep Motwary”

Sacai’s Chitose Abe talks to Filep Motwary

Photography by Fanny Latour-Lambert

Following eight years of working for Rei Kawakubo and Junya Watanabe, Japanese fashion designer Chitose Abe created her label Sacai in 1999. Her powerfully pragmatic aesthetic has turned Sacai into one of the most interesting brands presenting collections in Paris, with an international fan base that is growing day by day. Its relatable and coherent style mixes sporty and urban silhouettes to create incredibly desirable pieces. Filep Motwary spoke to the quietly committed designer in Tokyo right after her menswear presentation in Paris. Continue reading “Sacai’s Chitose Abe talks to Filep Motwary”

Peter Lindbergh talks to Filep Motwary

Peter Lindbergh has been a photographer for more than 40 years. It is hard to find the right words to describe his vast body of work and singular vision—an approach based on simplicity and the truth embodied in each of his images. Rising above changes in the fashion industry, his work remains as pertinent as ever. An emotional boldness is echoed in the models’ faces, their surroundings and the clothes they wear. From September 2016 to February 2017, Kunsthal Rotterdam, in collaboration with guest curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot, gives access to the photographer’s archives with Peter Lindbergh: A Different History of Fashion Photography, an exhibition featuring over 200 of his most iconic images, along with original pieces by 25 renowned fashion designers from different eras and previously unseen additional material, including personal notes, contact sheets and films. Dapper Dan spoke to Lindbergh just after he finished working on the latest Pirelli Calendar. Continue reading “Peter Lindbergh talks to Filep Motwary”

Pierre Hardy talks to Filep Motwary

Photography by Vassilis Karidis

I am having a video call with Pierre Hardy, who is known for the various shifts in colour and shape in his work. He appears on the screen wearing a vibrant orange jumper and during our conversation he reveals his fondness for black at a younger age, how he worked simultaneously for Dior and Hermès in his mid-twenties and how dancing and sports formed the man he has become. Confusing? You bet, but his work is creative, constantly flourishing and continues to be copied throughout the world. Continue reading “Pierre Hardy talks to Filep Motwary”

Sebastien Meunier talks to Filep Motwary

Photography by Marie Déhé

It’s been almost two years since Ann Demeulemeester chose Sebastien Meunier as her successor. Since then, the brand’s atmosphere has moved towards a freshness with a sense of an urgent appeal for a new start. One would expect that a great loss for fashion would follow this enormously onerous transfer of responsibilities, but thankfully, Meunier’s collections are far from being a failure. The clothes are good, the sales are good, the mood is good—and today is a bank holiday in Belgium to boot. Continue reading “Sebastien Meunier talks to Filep Motwary”

Thom Browne talks to Filep Motwary

Photography by Thomas Goldblum

Apart from shaping a new era for menswear, Thom Browne is also a skilled storyteller. It’s considered a true privilege to be invited to his shows because they exceed all expectations. There is no element of risk, as his world is very precise and draws circles around terms like elegance and classic while always managing to raise questions. Such was the case for his recent show where everything was about a gathering, or, more specifically, a funeral. Continue reading “Thom Browne talks to Filep Motwary”

Luigi Murenu talks to Filep Motwary

“SPHINX”. Rick Owens AW 15/16. Photography by Filep Motwary

Hair can be defined and shaped by the use of hands. Hair can be immortalized through photography, complimented by clothes, makeup, through a story, in a context where instant reality becomes a global fantasy or a fact for the years to come. A champion in his own right, today Luigi Murenu creates fashion via hair styling and photography, and observing him at work is like attending a masterclass. His recent hairstyles for Rick Owens Homme and his photographic stories alongside Iango Henzi make fashion seem to be a game with rules to be broken. Continue reading “Luigi Murenu talks to Filep Motwary”