Saint Laurent Productions: From Runway to Cinema!

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The first luxury house to take the leap, Saint Laurent launched its own audiovisual production unit last May, aptly named: Saint Laurent Productions. Artistic director Anthony Vaccarello has made a mark in this new role by producing the new short film by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, presented at the 76th Cannes Film Festival last May and now in theaters. An elegant western, where clothing plays a leading role, marking the beginning of a new creative direction for the house that transitions from runway shows to cinema. Discovering this first spaghetti western production, blending romance and revenge.

How Luxury Houses Integrate into Films

Fashion has always had a special bond with cinema. On one hand, through costumes created for productions, showcasing the craftsmanship of artisanal trades as well as trends inherent to the industry. But also, by shining a light on pieces and their fame, as the series Sex and the City has done time and again, notably with the Birkin bag, as well as the jewelry stilettos by Manolo Blahnik.

Beyond iconic pieces, entire houses have sometimes been highlighted in feature films. Recently, we fell in love with the 5 outfits created by Chanel for the Barbie film by Greta Gerwig.

Another example is certain houses that have found themselves as the subject of a film, such as the acclaimed House of Gucci, directed by Ridley Scott, which revisits the assassination of the heir grandson of Guccio Gucci in 1995.

Moreover, designers with a strong connection to the 7th art have occasionally set aside their collection sketches for storyboards, like Tom Ford, who made Gucci what it is today and worked at YSL before launching his own eponymous brand. The stylist has directed two notable films, A Single Man and Nocturnal Animals, and designed costumes for two installments of the James Bond series, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall.

Thus, various links exist between fashion houses and cinema; however, the creation of an audiovisual production as a standalone activity for a house remains a first. Consequently, all eyes are on Saint Laurent Productions.

The Beginnings of Saint Laurent Productions

Although the creation of Saint Laurent Productions is at the center of all discussions, its establishment is ultimately not so surprising… Indeed, if we take a look at the relationship the house has with cinema, we can identify many early signs of the recent creation of its audiovisual production unit.

Of course, when we think of Yves Saint Laurent and the 7th art, we immediately think of the two biopics released simultaneously in 2014 about the house’s creator. One directed by Jalil Lespert, featuring Pierre Niney, and the other conceived by Bertrand Bonello, in which the late Gaspard Ulliel brought the couturier to life.

A great lover of the 7th art, Yves Saint Laurent designed in 1967 the costumes for the award-winning Belle de Jour by Luis Buñuel, featuring Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, and Michel Piccoli. This connection to cinema has nurtured the couturier’s creations for many years, inspiring him to create pieces worn by great figures of this art on red carpets around the world. Like Sophia Loren, who also wore iconic creations by Yves Saint Laurent (for Dior) in the feature film Arabesque. Even today, Anthony Vaccarello continues to create within the house silhouettes reminiscent of characters straight out of a film, full of grace and elegance.

Cinema Through the Lens of Saint Laurent Productions and Anthony Vaccarello

With the desire to create this audiovisual production company to “work with all the great talents of cinema who have inspired me over the years and provide them with a platform.”, Anthony Vaccarello had already highlighted filmmakers during a campaign for his Spring 2023 menswear collection. Portraits, gathered in a series called “Director’s cut”, were thus created around David Cronenberg, Abel Ferrara, Jim Jarmusch, as well as Pedro Almodóvar, whom we find alongside the house that signs its first production with him.

The Kering group, which owns the Saint Laurent house, also showcases talents from cinema with its Women in Motion award.

While the luxury house is now fully showcased through Saint Laurent Productions, it is not its first foray into production. Indeed, in 2019, the house had partnered with two other production companies to co-produce Lux Aeterna by Gaspar Noé.

It is now as a lone rider that the house operates under its Saint Laurent Productions entity. And the artistic director has smartly chosen the timing of the launch of this new creative avenue, namely during the last Cannes Film Festival. With not just one, but two productions, the house has carved out a place on the Croisette, and not an insignificant one.

In addition to supporting filmmakers with its production company, Anthony Vaccarello, who has been at the helm of the house for seven years, has announced that he himself will create the pieces Saint Laurent worn in the films.

How Does Saint Laurent Productions Plan to Unfold Its Universe?

While one might have thought that Saint Laurent Productions would focus on films echoing the world of fashion, the reality is quite different. And Anthony Vaccarello seems eager to challenge himself to explore new horizons through this creative medium, to further enrich the palette and artistic vision of the French luxury house. Presented in official competition at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, held from May 16 to 27, 2023, the first two produced creations have thus anchored themselves in two distinct universes.

On one hand, the “Trailer for the film that will never exist ‘Funny Wars’, is a trailer showcasing works by Jean-Luc Godard, created before his passing in September 2022, which were part of the development of his future film, which consequently will never see the light of day.

On the other hand, Saint Laurent Productions has once again showcased the talent of filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar by producing his new short film, Strange Way of Life, a spaghetti western blending vengeance and gay romance.

A creation made alongside the filmmaker’s production company El Deseo, which we now have the chance to see in theaters since August 16, through an unprecedented experience, where it is screened alongside the filmmaker’s previous short film, La voix Humaine, directed in 2020.

How Does Saint Laurent Productions Leave Its Mark in Strange Way of Life?

On one hand, Pedro Almodóvar offers us a perfectly mastered spaghetti western infused with his distinctive aura, both in writing and in the tableau-like aesthetics of the direction, while Saint Laurent Productions also rises to the challenge.

Alongside Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke, the clothing appears as a character in its own right, thanks to strong pieces resonating with the filmmaker’s universe. We discover two cowboys looking exceptionally stylish, breaking away from the usual dusty cowboy imagery, while respecting the costumes associated with this period and genre.

María Clara Notari, Artistic Director, and Anthony Vaccarello embraced Pedro Almodóvar’s vision and his rich primary color palette, playing with green, ochre, and red tones for the character of Silva (jacket, plaid shirt, t-shirt, scarf), and blue and black tones for the character of Sheriff Jake (shirt, jacket). A detailed work around the pieces extends to the underwear, bath towels, knots, and double belts that mark a complete wardrobe.

Clothing is given its close-ups and mentions in dialogues, adding a certain presence to the characters while also characterizing them and enriching their construction. The pieces also play a crucial role in the characterization of the bond between the two main characters and allow, like the famous scarf, to bring ambiguity and questions regarding their relationship, both for the two men and the viewer.

Saint Laurent Productions thus marks a successful first production that does not go unnoticed. At the same time, with the mentions “Saint Laurent Productions” and “Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello presents” being more prominent than the film title and names of the teams, it’s hard to overlook… A bit more subtlety would be appreciated…

That said, we are eager to see the upcoming productions featuring Anthony Vaccarello. Notably with names of filmmakers like David Cronenberg and Paolo Sorrentino making the rounds…

In the meantime, if you want to succumb to the double belt worn by the protagonists, here is a Modalova selection of Saint Laurent belts: