Ahead of the brand’s S/S18 show this afternoon, Julien Dossena details the impact that Paul Thomas Anderson's films had on his formative years
“When I first saw Boogie Nights I was still in high school, living with my parents in Brittany. I grew up in my father’s nightclub so I guess that world inspired me directly. In our tiny conservative town in France, my friends and I would go out to my father’s club and rave parties – that Californian teenage life was the ideal. I loved the aesthetic Anderson painted, this kind of pop culture utopia. It was also really relevant to me as a young gay man: The relationship between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Mark Wahlberg’s characters, their sexuality felt somehow noble. Anderson finds beauty in mainstream culture, too: In Magnolia, he captures LA’s feeling of hysteria, which just cuts you. When I was there, I discovered that same loneliness – I find it really beautiful. Now, when I think of a pop culture reference, I dig at it: I want to take it to the bone to make it more relevant.”
Though he stands at the head of a famed heritage brand, Julien Dossena is by no means traditional. Training under Nicolas Ghesquière for four years at Balenciaga, Dossena set up his own label, Atto, before being enlisted in 2013 by Paco Rabanne, which made its name in the 60s with its Space Age aesthetic and play on technical fabrics. Through his admiration for Anderson’s ability to unearth “intimate stories out of trashy culture”, it becomes apparent how Dossena’s deft hand has invigorated the storied house. He balances a reverence for its history with an off-key modernity, this season reworking the brand’s trademark chainmail with 80s comfortwear and dance-inspired silhouettes.
Hair: Taan at l’Atelier (68). Make-up: Mélanie Sergeff at l’Atelier (68). Photographic assistant: Corentin Thevenet. Styling assistants: Rebecca Perlmutar, Diego Diez and Sunnie Fraser.
The Autumn/Winter 2017 issue of AnOther Magazine is on sale now.
