That, said Jean-Pierre Blanc, the festival’s founder and director, was by design—a decision
intended to reflect age-old Mediterranean values of generosity and sharing. “From the moment they chose Hyères, Charles and Marie-Louis de Noaille championed young talents. At the time, Salvador Dali and Alberto Giacometti weren’t yet the artists we know them as today, they were only 20 years old. Today, people tend to forget how profoundly, in the past 20 to 50 years, people like Azzedine Alaïa, Claude Montana, Thierry Mugler, and Jean Paul Gaultier changed the rules of the game, and changed fashion. I think we’re following in that wake. Lots of things are possible in fashion today that weren’t 20 years ago,” he said.
Hyères, Blanc, and his team can take their share of credit for that. But for all the outlandishness one can reliably expect from the Festival, for all the creative exuberance and late-night partying at the Speedkart amusement park, this edition brought a very real sense that Hyères has reached a new level of maturity. Forever young at heart but hardly the Riviera renegade it once was, Hyères is now officially part of the larger conversation. The exhibitions at the Hyères Festival, including fashion installations like Garderobe(s), a contemporary reimagining of Marie-Laure de Noailles’s wardrobe by Chanel, Daniel Roseberry for Schiaparelli, Julien Dossena for Rabanne, Jean Colonna, and Esther Manas, among others, will run through January 14, 2024.
The 2023 Prizewinners
Grand Prix of the Jury Premiere Vision: Igor Dieryck, Belgium
The le19M Métiers d’Art Prize: Igor Dieryck, Belgium
L’Atelier des Matières Prize: Petra Fagerstrom, Sweden
Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize: Petra Fagerstrom, Sweden
Grand Prix of the Jury, Accessories: Gabrielle Huguenot, Switzerland
The Hermès Fashion Accessories Prize: Victor Salinier, France
Public Prize: Victor Salinier, France
The 7L Photography Grand Jury Prize: Thaddé Comar, France/Switzeland
American Vintage Photography Prize: Souleymane Bachir Diaw
People’s Choice Prize, Photography: Kin Coedal
