Yahoo Movies Condé’s New Project
Recently, it was revealed that “The Last King of Scotland” director Kevin Macdonald was making a documentary on controversial British fashion designer John Galliano. What wasn’t mentioned is Condé Nast’s involvement in the project.
WWD understands that the Vogue publisher’s entertainment arm, Condé Nast Entertainment, which is run by former Disney executive Agnes Chu, is working on the project in a producer role. Anna Wintour, Condé’s chief content officer and global director of Vogue and a longtime booster of Galliano’s, is also involved to an extent, helping introduce the director to fashion contacts, especially in Paris. It’s not yet known if she’ll appear in the documentary, which is in its very early stages.
More from WWD
Condé’s involvement is all part of CNE president Chu’s plan for the legacy magazine publisher’s entertainment arm to be taken seriously in Hollywood as creative producers. Instead of simply selling its intellectual property to a studio, she wants to be involved in the process from beginning to end. Previously, its main focus was short videos, like its popular Vogue’s “73 Questions” series.
The documentary film will cover the British designer’s career, including his current work at Maison Margiela, and is being financed independently through TF1 film studio in France. It is being produced by Macdonald through his own company in association with CNE and is expected to wrap in spring 2023.
As well as movies such as “The Last King of Scotland,” “The Mauritian” and “State of Play,” Glasgow-born Macdonald has made a number of documentaries including “One Day in September” about the murder 11 Israeli athletes at Munich Olympics in 1972, for which he won an Oscar for best documentary. He has also directed documentaries on musicians Bob Marley and Whitney Houston.
In a statement on the documentary, Macdonald said: “John Galliano is one of the great designers of our era and an icon of style and creativity for Londoners of my generation. I first started talking to him during lockdown 2020 about the possibility of making a film exploring his work, his-at times-controversial personal life, and the complexities of his cultural legacy.”
Galliano is most famous for his 15-year tenure at Dior. He was ousted in 2011 after uttering racist and anti-Semitic insults in Paris. He subsequently sought treatment for his addictions and returned to fashion in 2014 as creative director of Maison Margiela. — KATHRYN HOPKINS
GIGI, BELLA, DONATELLA: Who can epitomize the Versace attitude better than Donatella Versace herself?
The brand’s chief creative officer stars in the women’s spring 2022 advertising campaign alongside Gigi and Bella Hadid, both regulars at the label’s fashion shows.
The family bond between the Hadid sisters and their close relationship with the designer is at the core of the concept of the campaign, which launched Thursday.
“Family is always at the heart of everything I do, which is why I love Bella and Gigi so much. They perfectly exemplify the strength between sisters, and they share that message to our Versace sisterhood worldwide,” said the designer, adding that she wanted the campaign to be “a warm hug to the global Versace family at the start of 2022.”
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott/Courtesy of Versace
With her blonde mane styled in waves, Versace appears in the color images laid against a white background and posing between the Hadids for photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, who looked at heritage Versace imagery — especially at Richard Avedon’s work for the brand — for inspiration.
While coordinated looks emphasize the connection between the characters, the Hadid sisters also front some shots without the designer, portrayed while sharing a hug dressed in boldly colored latex dresses, or cradling the La Medusa handbags and minibags.
In addition, Versace’s new face Maluma makes a cameo in some of the images alongside the models. As reported, the Colombian singer was tapped as key protagonist of the brand’s men’s advertising campaign, which was unveiled last week.
On that occasion, the designer teased the new campaign on her Instagram account, inviting her 7.5 million followers to guess the name of the new face. Versace replicated the move for this campaign, too, sharing a behind-the-scenes picture of her on the set as a teaser.
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott/Courtesy of Versace
This is not the first time Versace appears in an advertising campaign, both for her brand or others. Previously, she made cameos in Versace videos, including for spring 2019 where she tattooed the arm of Bella Hadid with the name of the brand. She also fronted Givenchy’s fall 2015 campaign, when then-creative director Riccardo Tisci invited her to appear in the black-and-white images. — SANDRA SALIBIAN
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
