From marionettes to Madame Prada, we talk exclusively to Hiam Abbass, director of the latest instalment in Miu Miu's series of Women's Tales
Miu Miu’s series of Women’s Tales captures exactly what the name suggests: stories for women, by women. Each season the Miu Miu collection is woven through a short film created by a female director, with previous work by Massy Tadjedin and Giada Colagrande.
The latest instalment is by Palestinian director Hiam Abbass. Entitled Le Donne Della Vucciria (The Woman of Vucciria), the film translates the collection through a charming display of marionettes against the backdrop of the Sicilian town of Palermo, Italy. “Marionettes are one of the most important traditions in Palermo,” explains Abbass, “I visited their marionette museum and I thought it would be so interesting to mix Madame Prada and her creations with the artisanal people from the heart of Italy. To play with the dramatic light of the story, and watch puppets come alive.”
“An interesting mix of Madame Prada and her creations with the artisanal people from the heart of Italy"
The city has a distinct quirkiness recognisable within Miu Miu’s striped socks and polka-dots; sailor collars, neckerchiefs and metallic, toy-box shoes, steeped in historic tradition. Following the work of an Italian dressmaker, the film is set against Palermo’s Vucciria, a historic market that runs through the city. “I fell in love with the city of Palermo,” explains Abbass. “The creativity, the light and the water; whatever it is in the city makes me vibrate. Three days later I got the call from Madame Prada, and I knew it was a sign.”
Speaking on Miu Miu, Abbass cites the label as both “classy and chic… I really like their colours and shapes and how they mix with each other so unexpectedly. What I find most interesting is the stripy socks, which you can match with your mood for the rest of the day.”
Watch Le Donne Della Vucciria here.
Text by Mhairi Graham
