Stephan Janson spills the secrets on the new YSL LEXICON book
Curated by Stephan Janson and Martina Mondadori, the new scrapbook-style tome from Rizzoli traces the fashion, life and inspirations of Yves Saint Laurent.
'Now I'm working on another Yves Saint Laurent exhibition - I'm addicted! It is an adventure that started with the book. Then the Yves Saint Laurent foundation contacted me to do the exhibitions in Paris for the sixtieth anniversary of its first fashion show " says Stephan Janson, referring to the 6 Yves Saint Laurent aux musées exhibitions of this summer. The final installement runs at the Musée Yves Saint Laurent until September 18th. Janson's latest book YSL LEXICON: an ABC of the Fashion, Life, and Inspirations of Yves Saint Laurent is styled like a notebook and explores the life and universe of the Algerian designer. 'Usually the books on Yves are either controversial or sensationalist. I wanted to give a more intimate imprint and create something a little more natural, like he was'.
How did the idea of making the YSL LEXICON book come about?
Spontaneously. The proposal came from Rizzoli International Publications, with whom Martina Mondadori had already collaborated on the book The Interiors and Architecture of Renzo Mongiardino: A Painterly Vision. I like to collaborate with Martina because I am Editor at Large of Cabana magazine and - knowing my knowledge of Yves Saint Laurent - she called me in search of ideas. I immediately thought of a scrapbook because it seemed to me a fun and effective format to enter into the intimacy of the character. Then I contacted Madison Cox, president of the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Fondation , because I wanted to know her opinion and she confessed that it was one of the things that the partner and life partner Pierre Bergé wanted to do, before his death. Madison Cox knows perfectly well what I think about Yves Saint Laurent, so she trusted me and so she sent me all the material for the project.
Scroll down to discover the full interview with Stephan Janson and the new YSL LEXICON book an ABC of the Fashion, Life, and Inspirations of Yves Saint Laurent
What was it like working with Martina on the book?
I've known her since she was little because I knew her parents, then she got me involved for her magazine and I still work as Editor at Large for Cabana magazine today. It's a 10-year collaboration.
With your new book, you have managed to collaborate with a considerable number of contributors. Did they give you a different view of Yves Saint Laurent? Or was it exactly what you expected?
It was funny to see their interpretation and it was very easy, except for the letter Q. I wanted to talk about the sailors because Yves was obsessed with them, he liked the perverse side and that is why the Q was interpreted with Querelle, the film by Jean Genet. I didn't want to limit everything to the representation of sailors with caps and striped T-shirts, I also wanted to focus on the ambiguous world. So for this text I contacted Claude Arnaud. It was difficult to convince because he did not feel prepared on the subject of Yves Saint Laurent and he managed to prepare a wonderful literary text that speaks very little of him. Amy Fine Collins talked about his vision of women, while Carolina Issa talked about the Algerian designer's obsessive relationship with the street. The piece by Hamish Bowles that tells the emotion of his first time at one of his fashion shows is also very beautiful, it is a balanced testimony despite its filter of youthful memories.
Scroll down to discover the full interview with Stephan Janson and the new YSL LEXICON book an ABC of the Fashion, Life, and Inspirations of Yves Saint Laurent
Is there anything you learned from your new book?
Lots of things, especially thanks to the foundations that opened the doors of their archives to me. There were no major discoveries but I dusted off information that I had forgotten over time and it suddenly reappeared in my mind. I hope that many people will find out something new about Yves by reading the book.
What was the most inspiring thing?
Simply him. Having known Yves well throughout my life, it was a bit of a challenge and a gamble. For the letter B, which stands for Pierre Bergé, I wanted to tell the truth about his relationship with Yves, because he was always represented as a fragile saint and Pierre was instead the evil devil. This is why poor Bergé had so many enemies in his life, and still today he has a lot of enemies despite leaving us in 2017. And here, too, Madison Cox gave me permission to tell the truth, and it was much more interesting and inspiring.
I know you were also his neighbor in Paris ...
From the window of my house I could see the roofs of the Maison de Couture and when I met Bergé for the first time he said to me: "Do you want to see one of his fashion shows?" so I immediately gave him my address and he said to me: "But you live behind us!" and I replied: “I know! I see you every day! ”.
How would you describe it as a book?
Intimate but free of gossip. I received some great feedback, one of them, Betty Catroux : “This is perhaps the first time I see Yves in a book”.
Do you feel you have something in common with Yves?
No, except we both wear glasses. I learned a lot from him and when I met him I was obsessed with him. He taught me that fashion was secondary and the power that was given to the women who wore his clothes mattered much more. It was a great life lesson.
By reviewing the historical archive you have certainly retraced the history of the fashion system. How has it changed over the years?
Today everything is in the hands of large groups that are very powerful and unfortunately dictate the law to the sound of money. The clothes have lost their soul, they are just numbers. I recently found some particularly fun and interesting collections, but when you find out how much the garments cost the public, they become shameful. I would add that the surge in social media has also brought a lot of sadness to the fashion industry.
How do you imagine the future?
Made of uniforms, because what we now call fashion is more of a uniform. When there is a garment or an accessory in trend, everyone buys the same thing. Not to mention that today there is a war going on and we are constantly forced to see uniforms. This idea of uniformity makes me very sad because in the 1970s, individualism was a fundamental value. Today, unfortunately, the individual disappears in favour of a system.
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