A file picture shows Zoe Saldana posing with her Oscar. The film she appeared in, 'Emilia Perez', had the backing of fashion house Saint Laurent. Photo: AFP
Luxury fashion labels are increasingly reaching beyond the red carpets and exclusive parties of the cinema world, becoming partners with filmmakers and production companies.
At the Cannes Film Festival this year, which starts Tuesday (May 13), labels will be looking to showcase not only their outfits, but also their credibility as investors.
Alongside corporate heavyweights such as Chanel and Dior, trendy Paris-based label Ami and its founder Alexandre Mattiussi have linked up with the festival for the first time.
Ami is set to present a new award for emerging talent – the Grand Prix Ami Paris – at the secondary Critics' Week section of the festival.
"We're going there humbly, in support of cinema and its actors, to accompany artistes," said Mattiussi, who serves as creative director of his brand.
But Ami has also co-produced several films such as The Beast in 2023 by Bertrand Bonello, starring French actress Lea Seydoux, or Enzo by Robin Campillo which will premiere in Cannes this year.
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According to Mattiussi, 44, fashion and cinema are "in a way, the same job".
"I also tell stories through clothing. A runway show has a context, music, and this idea of spectacle – it's a narrative process too," he added.
But Mattiussi stressed he doesn't consider himself a film producer as "that would be pretentious".
"I don't get involved in the scripts or creative decisions," he said.
His label contributed to costumes for The Beast, much like Jonathan Anderson – newly appointed creative director of Dior Homme and formerly at Loewe – did for Luca Guadagnino's 2024 movie Queer.
For years, Anderson's runway shows have also served as gathering spots for cinema stars, from Timothee Chalamet to Tilda Swinton.
Expanding
Other fashion houses are expanding their presence in the film industry with Saint Laurent running a division devoted entirely to cinema, called Saint Laurent Productions.
Run by current artistic director Anthony Vaccarello, the division aims to co-produce two to three films per year.
It has already backed works by Paolo Sorrentino (Parthenope), David Cronenberg (The Shrouds), and Jacques Audiard's 2024 smash hit musical Emilia Perez.
Kering, the owner of Gucci, Saint Laurent and Balenciaga among others, is also the sponsor of a major Cannes prize, "Women In Motion", which recognises figures who "advance the place of women in cinema and in society."
This year's winner will be Australian actor Nicole Kidman.
Read more: Fashion house Saint Laurent bet big on 'Emilia Perez', it didn't quite pay off
L'Oreal, the festival's official makeup partner for 28 years, also sponsors a prize supporting "women in cinema".
In return, its logo appears behind stars including Eva Longoria, Helen Mirren, Andie MacDowell, Viola Davis and Aishwarya Rai.
A new sponsor this year will be French carmaker Alpine, which has teamed up with another major parallel section of the Festival, the Directors' Fortnight.
It will be showcasing its sports cars on the water-front boulevard of Cannes known as La Croisette. – AFP
