The Hyères Festival is preparing to celebrate a special 40th edition

In lieu of grand celebrations, the Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories has chosen a fresh start for its 40th anniversary. Following the departure of Jean-Pierre Blanc, the emblematic founder and director of the famous fashion competition for young designers, whose management was criticised by the French Ministry of Culture last April, the event is turning a page with a scaled-down edition.

The Festival will be held over three rather than four days, from October 16 to 18, under the aegis of Hugo Lucchino, who was appointed director-general of the Villa Noailles art centre in August and also oversees other year-round events such as the Design Parade. He will kick off the festivities this Thursday evening with the president of the villa, Pascale Mussard.

It’s a low-key, transitional edition that is taking shape. Last spring, Villa Noailles was singled out for serious management problems, with accumulated debt of €3.8 million, and has since embarked on a far-reaching restructuring. While all the event’s patrons, including Chanel, one of the principal partners, and Première Classe, which is retaining its opening-night party, have remained loyal, the institution has had to scale back its programme, notably by reducing most of the parallel events and festivities that punctuated previous editions and created valuable opportunities for professionals across the fashion and luxury industries to meet and exchange ideas.

As always, the beautiful modernist edifice of Villa Noailles, with its terraces and hanging gardens high above the city, hosts the event, which is open to the public. Overall, the main prizes and awards have been maintained. However, there will now be just one fashion show presenting the creations of the ten competing designers, scheduled for Friday evening, which can nevertheless be viewed via a screening on the villa’s forecourt. A number of workshops will also be available to the public.

The three conferences organised by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) as part of its 24th Rencontres Internationales de la Mode will also go ahead. They are scheduled for Friday October 17 on the following themes: “What’s the current state of fashion exhibitions?”, “What’s the current state of fashion entrepreneurship?” and “Fashion as seen from Hyères: an exchange with the members of the Fashion Jury”.

A jury of professionals

As far as the jury is concerned, this year the Hyères Festival has chosen to rely exclusively on professionals, without appointing a president for each panel. Out go actors, journalists, and other personalities. Instead, some of the most compelling creative directors and designers on the fashion scene will make up the juries for the fashion and accessories competitions, with renowned photographers judging the photography contest.

Alexandre Mattiussi of AMI Paris, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Julien Dossena, head of design at Rabanne, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, Christelle Kocher, Louis Gabriel Nouchi and Lacoste creative director Pelagia Kolotouros will, among others, judge the ten young fashion designers.

Ten finalists of different nationalities are competing in each category at this Festival, which in the past has revealed the likes of Julien Dossena and Viktor & Rolf. Notably, French designer Adrien Michel has been selected for the fashion competition, while seven young finalists from France feature in the accessories category. The verdict will be announced on Saturday afternoon at the awards ceremony.

Last year, the Festival awarded the Fashion prize to Israeli designer Dolev Elron, who will present his new collection alongside the finalists, while the Accessories Jury Grand Prize went to Chinese designer Chiyang Duan.