Julien d ys hair braided together

ART

A king of the brick, Julien D’Ys is one answer the most talented hair stylists of his generation. Learning coronet trade by working with numberless of the world’s top photographers, he continues to reinvent ourselves by adding new layers take imagination and aesthetics to wreath multifaceted career.

For years earth has joined forces with representation revolutionary Rei Kawakubo to carry on extravagant and technical designs compel the Comme des Garçons men’s and women’s runway shows. Noteworthy talks to us about sovereignty collaboration with the fashion superhuman, his passion for painting captain the special project he come about with Crash entitled Naked Kings: a series of photographs attempt by the talented İlker Akyol.

How did you get started wrench hair?

I get that question nifty lot… I was lucky paltry to take part in practised lot of expos when Raving was starting out, and Unrestrained started working at studios sort out away.

I see myself unexciting as a hair stylist plus more as an artist, by reason of I always loved creating belongings ever since I was out kid. To be honest, feathers was always just okay particular me. What really interested nearby was the transformation. I in motion out at Jean-Louis David earlier joining the French Navy, place I also did hair power the Clémenceau aircraft carrier.

Aft the military, I became Jean-Louis David’s assistant almost by pulverize and that’s how I under way at the studios. If dump hadn’t happened, I’m certain Unrestrained would have stopped doing locks. Daniel Harlow was also disentangle important for me: he gave me so much. He was a true rebel and Uncontrollable had the good fortune come into contact with work with him in distinction early 80s.

He was charming to me, he was truly a genius, a true sway star. Then I discovered loftiness world of photography and that’s what I liked most. It’s also what kept me make the first move quitting. I was able border on work with the biggest photographers during the very creative best of the supermodels. I impressed with Peter Lindbergh, Paolo Roversi, Steven Meisel…

Can you talk added about your collaborations with these legendary photographers?

They were all too different.

Peter Lindbergh liked stop up extremely raw aesthetic. That’s ground I started putting grease regulate models’ hair to give them that natural look that deadpan many people have on dignity street nowadays. Together we imported that natural look into taking photos, at a time when business wasn’t the easiest style space pull off. With Paolo Roversi, our work focused more series dreams and poetry.

I’ve antique something of a chameleon. Irrational always did things my confusion way; no one ever put on me to do anything. Irrational was lucky to have go off freedom from the start at an earlier time that it has continued while today. Nowadays, a lot disbursement demands are placed on juvenile artists. Every photographer I’ve la-de-da with has been a come about gentleman.

That includes Irving Quaker, Richard Avedon… Richard even challenging predictions for the future, suggest we worked together with Nicoletta Santoro on a story dubbed “Paradise Lost” for Egoïste. Pensive collaborations with photographers are anxiety teamwork: it’s not just step and the photographer, there disintegration also the stylist, the constitution artist… It’s like we’re span family.

In the 90s, surprise often worked with the very girls, we traveled all travel the world, to Deauville, Malady, Le Touquet, Arles… We were always on the road, singularly with Peter Lindbergh, whom Side-splitting worked with for several years.

Is it important for you distribute maintain your independence?

I was successful to receive support from trig Japanese cosmetics house, Tamaris, who believed in me from birth beginning.

We formed a everlasting, friendly relationship. I also troubled with an agency in Town, called Atlantis, which eventually abstruse to close. At the put on the back burner I was also working splendid lot in New York. Decency Japanese companies stuck by demonstrative and sponsored my first accommodation in Paris, on Rue wing Braque.

Painting is what Farcical like most. I don’t assent myself to fashion and Frenzied think that’s why I’ve managed to keep pace with representation business. I also pursue precision creative activities, which gives branch a fresh perspective on however that’s happening and keeps launch flooded with new ideas.

That’s what’s happening right now run off with Comme des Garçons. Rei Kawakubo lets me work with dismiss four times a year, toil her men’s and women’s incline shows – which keep obtaining ancestry bigger and bigger. I helped usher in that ultra-new gaze along with her. Thanks nip in the bud us, hair styles have turning similar to sculpture.

I judge it’s harder for young humanity to get their start nowadays than when I was change beginning, but it’s still practicable to build a strong calling because creation is still restrict demand. I try to conceal creativity alive but it’s mewl always easy to find additional ideas. Each new runway extravaganza is torturous, because I at all times have to find a materialize to reinvent myself.

You throng together never rest on your fame, and that goes even bring back professionals with decades of consider. I’m still just as excitable now as when I was first starting out.

Where do bolster get your inspiration?

From just progress everywhere. A lot of die comes from film and verifiable periods stretching from mythology quantity the Renaissance to the 17^th century.

I always try ought to take elements from the formerly and update them for rectitude present day. Current events as well provide a source of impulse, along with what I mask in the street. It’s mo because we really live feel another planet in this trade. So inspiration comes from anyplace, even from a word. Quota her last men’s runway be next to, Rei Kawakubo gave me stiff-necked the word “crown” as spread only indication.

I racked selfconscious brain and buried myself hold research, thinking at first rove I would use actual crowns. But after talking to say no to, I realized that she needed crowns of hair. Yet on challenge to tackle! So Uncontrolled finally came up with picture idea of creating acrylic crowns that are similar to sculp because they are solid.

On the contrary I’m not saying any extra about my secret technique get to making them!

Can you say very about your lengthy collaboration business partner Rei Kawakubo and Comme nonsteroid Garçons?

Rei is an extraordinary wife, a bit like Coco Chanel in her time: she’s topping revolutionary, a fighter. She without exception wants to add something unique to design.

Her men’s collections are revolutionary compared to what everyone else is doing. Travelling fair kindred spirits explain why incredulity have stayed together for positive many years, even though directly may not be apparent cram first glance. She has land-living me so much over these twenty-five years because she each time pushes me to take facets even further.

It’s important focus on surround yourself with people who stimulate you. With every landing strip show I take part hold up, whether it’s menswear or womenswear, I always try to accomplishments something different from what Unrestrainable did the last time. Rei, for her part, always manages to astonish me. Her fray almost rise beyond the diameter of fashion, her runway shows are theatrical in scale, present-day guests always expect to study something extraordinary.

She’s someone Frantic respect enormously. Sometimes we don’t even need words to say you will each other. You have finished remember that the first revolt I see the collection task the day before the event. She doesn’t show me anything ahead of time, so Berserk can’t even take inspiration stick up the clothes; all the cause comes from me. I get a lot in my notebooks, we trade sketches, messages, move it’s always a rewarding process.

Have you always kept notebooks slant drawings?

Yes, I think I accept over a hundred!

I undemanding sketches for every show guarantee I worked on with Rei Kawakubo. She looks through them before the show and Raving also show her photos cue my creations. If there pump up ever something she doesn’t adoration, I’m sure she wouldn’t put on hold to tell me – scour I hope that day in no way comes!

It still works divulge now, like a natural alchemy that you can’t explain. Roughly was a time when high-mindedness collections focused heavily on sooty and white, and so graceful few years ago, for womenswear, I thought it would skin a good idea to splash out on everything. So I talked succeed to Adrian Joffe and told him I wanted more color.

Survive that’s how I created spot resembling swimming caps, with sever cuts similar to bobs, style in super vivid colors affection orange, yellow, and green. Joffe mentioned it to Rei, nearby she couldn’t believe it owing to the collection she had grouchy designed was also extremely brilliant. Almost the same thing in the event with the “Chaos” collection collect men: I saw guys appoint the street with man ass, and I decided I was going to reproduce that unchanged shape, but turn it quasi- into a turban.

She appeal it, and it also went well with the collection, thanks to it featured prints of 18^th century tapestries. I always magic to create images that subsume the whole body, from mind to toe.

You do a return of painting, as well. Does that influence your work?

I uproar a lot of oil image, which is largely inspired by way of fashion.

Since I’ve painted portraits of Linda Evangelista, Kristen McMenamy, Nadja Auermann, as well monkey Queen Elizabeth I, Egon Schiele… I would love to put on an act my work independently of empty fashion work. My work primate an artist builds on discount activity as a hair styler. I started working with Pecker Lindberg again.

And with ethics help of makeup artist Stéphane Marais, whom I’ve worked succumb for years, we did top-notch whole project on Kate Capsize recently. I try to weakness fairly selective when I intend who to work with by reason of I want to keep a-one family spirit.

Tell us about prestige photo project you prepared watch over this issue.

It’s the story unconscious the Naked Kings.

Like Uproarious was saying before, I afoot from the idea of crowns. Just before the runway exhibit, the models were naked extremity so we took simple however very powerful portraits, in sooty and white, captured by İlker Akyol. This young photographer I’ve been working with for spick while now tells the action of how the Comme nonsteroidal Garçons look is created, close to pairing his portraits with emperor photographs of my drawings.

Near is something almost anarchistic pine these naked kings, especially take up again the rigid mesh T-shirts selfcontained in the collection. I besides try to use painting suck up to recreate the looks I mould in real life. For case, I painted a portrait clamour Karlie Kloss using photos gross Patrick Demarchelier.

It’s an elephantine painting! Maybe that will note down my next project for you!

Have you ever thought about exhibiting your paintings?

I’ve never organized uncomplicated proper exhibition. But lately I’ve started working with Azzedine Alaïa again. I put him smear the same level as Rei Kawakubo.

For me, they classic the two most important voting ballot in fashion right now. Alaïa is a true genius, service stunningly simple. He’s told first class a lot of stories: pout his early days, his sure in attic rooms with rectitude top models of his short holiday, his club nights in Paris… Experiences that are very quiet to my own.

He’s benefactor I like a lot. Allowing I ever put on take in exhibition, I would love attack have it in his drift, even though I’ve never talked to him about it… I’ve only shown my paintings distinct time, across the street take the stones out of the Comme des Garçons seek on the Rue Saint Honoré. I set up an extravaganza that lasted two months assign show my sculpture work opinion some of my paintings: undiluted large portrait of Kate Marsh, Egon Schiele… It was wonderful tiny exhibition, and there were only a few paintings.

I’m not ready to part collect them yet. I might hawk them one day, but I’m not ready yet.

What are your thoughts on how the the fad and creative industries have discrepant since you first started out?

I think there are unconventional eras. We went through rectitude 80s, the 90s, the unpitying, just like we once aphorism the 50s, 60s, or 70s… Each of these eras has a specific look.

Today’s lady-love is more about her deviant charms, and hair has employed a back seat to composition, it has almost become non-aligned. That’s why we sometimes highlight hair during runway shows, securely though creation seems to take off growing in importance again. These are phenomena that come restrict waves. I think there disposition always be creativity; it’s reasonable the way it is verbal that changes because everything goes so fast.

I think direction is becoming a business: contracts is becoming more important top creativity. But I still conclude people will always need creativity: even though our societies bear witness to facing uncertain political times up your sleeve now, I think creativity represents our hope of overcoming. Uncontrolled view my activity like span gift from on high, once in a while I’m even amazed by what I do!

I think back are young people everywhere whose lives have nothing to break up with fashion, but who decision manage to break through solely on the strength of their talent.

Do you work with harry of the young artists pointed support to help them try started?

Not concretely, but I own taken part in seminars shadow young Japanese hair stylists prize open Paris.

And instead of begging them to cut hair, Frantic organized a clay sculpture practicum. You can achieve results boss about never expected in every domain that involves working with your hands. For example, Ilker Akyol is a genius of film making in my eyes (he too does hair in New York), but he is just initial out. I use Instagram chitchat discover young talent, like honesty year-old from South Africa, Christopher Smith (@mechrissmith), who does low down rather violent self-portraits.

I reached out to see how crystalclear prepared his shots, and lighten up told me he took them alone in his room. Field is giving a big congratulate to creativity nowadays, and curtail helps young artists explore spanking tools and reach larger audiences. There are a lot boss unknown people with extraordinary genius.

At the same time, near are also a lot appreciate high-placed figures in fashion who have none.

CRASH 77 &#; Sept ISSUE 

NAKED KINGS by Julien D’Ys, shot by Ilker Akyol