How Saint Laurent’s Big Bet on ‘Emilia Pérez’ Lost Its Luster
The New York Times
When a fashion brand becomes a movie studio, it risks being wrapped up in the fate of its stars.
Normally, the Sunday before Paris Fashion Week would be a day of frenetic activity for the Saint Laurent atelier and for its designer, Anthony Vaccarello. Normally, they would have only two more days to get ready for their fashion show, which has become one of the must-see opening events of the French collections. Normally, they would be rushing around, finalizing clothes, hair, makeup.
But this Sunday, a group of Saint Laurent executives, including Mr. Vaccarello and most likely Cédric Charbit, the chief executive, and Francesca Bellettini, the deputy chief executive of Kering, Saint Laurent’s parent company, plan to be in Los Angeles, at the Dolby Theater.
“Emilia Pérez,” a film from their new initiative, Saint Laurent Productions, has been nominated for 13 Oscars — the most for any non-English language movie ever — and its star, Karla Sofía Gascón, has made history as the first openly trans woman to be nominated for best actress. And in anticipation of what was supposed to be the scene of a great triumph, Saint Laurent had postponed its show from the first day of Paris Fashion Week to the last.
But then came the tweet crisis. And then, instead of signaling a whole new stage in the fashion-film relationship, “Emilia Pérez” became yet another example of the risks that can accrue to a brand when it gets too close to a (fallible) star.
To recap: In 2023, Saint Laurent started Saint Laurent Productions. It was the first time a fashion brand had created a subsidiary not just to dress stars for the red carpet, but to invest in their feature projects.
Along with David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds” and Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life,” “Emilia Pérez” was one of its first projects. Mr. Vaccarello was credited as the costume artistic director on the movie. Saint Laurent clothes played pivotal roles in the wardrobes of various characters, including a faux fur coat worn by Selena Gomez and a red suit worn by Zoe Saldaña.
