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France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Macron to rekindle relationship with Francophile King Charles on UK visit
The visit, at the invitation of the monarch, is a rare privilege full of spectacular pomp and circumstance and an opportunity to strengthen a bilateral relationship which the king called "indispensable" during his visit to France in September 2023. That visit, hailed as a symbol of "cordial detente" after Brexit, demonstrated a closeness between the two heads of state on issues such as Ukraine, but also on a personal level. "If you see their body language, and this was particularly noticeable during the state visit... it does seem that they get on tremendously well," said monarchy expert Richard Fitzwilliams. Macron touched the monarch on the shoulder several times during the visit, a casual gesture unthinkable in the time of Elizabeth II, but the king took no offence. Brigitte Macron and Queen Camilla, who share a love of literature, exchange kisses whenever they meet, even though official protocol dictates a curtsy. As well as Ukraine, the two men also share common ground on topics such as the environment. "Inspired and encouraged by my grandmother's and my late mother's example, France has been an essential part of the fabric of my own life for as long as I can remember," Charles declared before the French Senate in September 2023, in a speech delivered largely in French, which earned him a standing ovation. Like his mother, Elizabeth II, who often visited France and met every French president from Vincent Auriol to Macron, Charles III learned French from childhood. He reads it fluently, and speaks it with a hint of an accent. La vie en rose He has made more than 35 official visits to France since the 1970s, and according to him, Edith Piaf's "La Vie en rose" remains one of his favourite songs. Macron is the first European leader to be invited for a state visit since Charles III assumed the throne. The king's first state visit abroad was originally scheduled to also take place in France, in March 2023, but was postponed due to social unrest. The French couple's state visit will take place at Windsor Castle, as Buckingham Palace is undergoing renovations, and will follow the standard schedule. There are on average two of these visits per year, and preparation for them generally takes around a year. The Prince and Princess of Wales will greet the French presidential couple on landing and accompany them on the journey to Windsor, west of London, where they will be officially welcomed by the King and Queen. They will join a carriage procession through the town, attend a military parade and take lunch with the royal family at the castle. Macron and his wife will visit the Palace of Westminster in London on Tuesday, where the French president will address parliamentarians for a "very political" speech, according to the Elysee Palace. The day will end with a state dinner, including speeches by the King and the French leader in front of some 150 guests. On Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron will lay flowers on the grave of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September 2022, at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, and will tour the gardens. He will attend Thursday's Franco-British summit, the second since they resumed in 2023 after being suspended due to Brexit, before leaving with his wife later in the day.
France 24
3 hours ago
- France 24
Demna to bow out at Balenciaga in Paris Haute Couture Week
Demna, known for his daring work as well as controversies during his decade-long stint at Kering-owned Balenciaga, will unveil his final collection on Wednesday in what is expected to be one of the highlights of the week. Not to be confused with Paris Fashion Week, Haute Couture Week takes place exclusively in Paris — in January for spring-summer collections and July for autumn-winter. It is a uniquely French event dedicated to handcrafted, one-of-a-kind creations made to wear at red carpets, galas, and other high-profile events. The 44-year-old Demna, acclaimed by millennials and Gen-Z stars from Kim Kardashian to British pop sensation Charli XCX, has been tasked with reviving the flagging fortunes of Gucci by Kering CEO Francois-Henri Pinault. After multiplying sales at Balenciaga, where he made headlines with a $2,000 "Ikea" bag and a $1,800 so-called "trash pouch", he is currently being honoured with an exhibition titled "Balenciaga by Demna" at Kering's Paris headquarters. He will be succeeded by Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, who is set to present his first collection in October during Paris Women's Fashion Week. As usual, Schiaparelli will open Couture Week, followed later in the day by shows from Iris Van Herpen —- returning after a year-long break -— as well as Georges Hobeika, Imane Ayissi, Rahul Mishra, Julie de Libran, and Giambattista Valli. After Demna's farewell on Wednesday, Belgian designer Glenn Martens will find himself in the spotlight as he unveils a first collection for Maison Margiela following his appointment in January to succeed British designer John Galliano. American designer Michael Rider, who succeeded Hedi Slimane as chief designer at Celine, unveiled his first collection for the luxury French brand on Sunday, outside the official calendar. – Absences – On Tuesday, Chanel will present the final collection created by its in-house design studio, the fifth since Virginie Viard's sudden departure in June 2024. Her successor, the discreet and highly respected Franco-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy, was appointed in December and will showcase his first collection for Chanel in October. Up to Thursday, 27 houses will unveil their creations, including Elie Saab, Armani Prive, Aelis, Viktor&Rolf, Adeline Andre, and Dubai-based Rami Al Ali who is set to become the first Syrian to join the official calendar. Following a spate of major changes at fashion houses, some absences will stand out, particularly Dior's. After a highly anticipated debut during the men's Fashion Week on June 27, newly appointed artistic director Jonathan Anderson is holding back his first haute couture collection for January 2026. Named in early June to lead Dior's women's and couture lines as well, the 40-year-old Northern Irishman has become the first person since founder Christian Dior himself to oversee all three branches of the house. Jean Paul Gaultier is also missing. Dutch designer Duran Lantink, appointed as the brand's permanent artistic director in April, will make his debut during Women's Fashion Week in October. Since stepping back in 2020, Jean Paul Gaultier has handed over the reins of his couture collections to a series of guest designers, including Olivier Rousteing, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Haider Ackermann, and Simone Rocha.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
'Brilliant artist': Provocateur Demna takes on slumping Gucci
The 44-year-old, who fled the war-wracked Georgian region of Abkhazia as a child and dropped his surname "Gvasalia" in 2021, will bow out with a last show for Balenciaga on Wednesday before switching to Gucci -- both firms owned by France's luxury giant Kering. "Demna's contribution to the industry, to Balenciaga, and to the group's success has been tremendous," Kering chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault said at the time. "His creative power is exactly what Gucci needs." Investors were not so convinced and shares in Kering, which counts on Gucci as its main profit generator, fell around 12 percent on the day of the announcement before slumping even further. Other more established and mainstream designers from Hedi Slimane, Maria Grazia Chiuri or Pierpaolo Piccioli had been linked to the vacancy. Some analysts have questioned whether Demna's recipe for success at Balenciaga -- which leant heavily on provocative, streetwear-influenced design and showmanship -- can be replicated at the more classic Italian house. "He is iconoclast and ironic, which is good to attract attention toward a small brand like Balenciaga," Luca Solca, a luxury analyst at the Bernstein brokerage, wrote afterwards. "However, we are not sure the strategy would work as well for a bigger brand." - 'Absolutely uncompromising' - Demna's final show for Balenciaga will take place on Wednesday during Haute Couture fashion week in Paris and he will join the Italian label the very next day. During a decade at the Spanish-born but Paris-based brand, he drove sales and attention sharply higher with a mix of headline-grabbing creations as well as personal publicity -- not always positive. He achieved notoriety with his $2,000 "Ikea" bag, a luxury leather version of the 99-cent original. He followed it up with an $1,800 garbage bag -- the so-called "trash pouch" -- in a show in March 2022 that was dedicated to Ukrainian refugees. Other daring designs included a head-to-toe black shroud that US reality television star Kim Kardashian -- a personal friend -- wore to the Met Gala in 2021. A-list celebrity endorsements have been plentiful, but have not always worked out. Kanye West —- Kardashian's ex and another friend -- opened Balenciaga's show in October 2022 shortly before the first of several anti-Semitic outbursts, and the group had to cut ties with the rapper. Demna's lowest point came in February 2023 when he was forced to apologise for an ad campaign that appeared to reference child abuse and had underage models in what looked like bondage gear. He has plenty of fans among Gen Z tastemakers, however. "I've always gravitated toward Balenciaga, because I love Demna's vision," British pop sensation Charli XCX told British Vogue last year. "He feels like he's speaking his own language, which is absolutely uncompromising, and to me, that's what makes a brilliant artist." - 'Aggression and darkness' - Annual sales at Balenciaga were estimated to be $350 million when he arrived and had surged to about $2 billion in 2022, according to GQ magazine. Gucci's fortunes have headed in the other direction: they slid 23 percent last year, prompting Kering to fire creative director Sabato de Sarno after only two years in the job. Demna is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp in Belgium and went on to work at Maison Margiela and Vuitton. He co-founded the label Vetements with his brother in 2014, a year before he was named to the top job at Balenciaga. For many years, his childhood trauma fleeing pro-Russian separatists in his homeland affected his work, but he told Vanity Fair in 2021 that counselling, meditation and exercise had helped exorcise some demons. "Fashion used to feel like a battle for me. That is why there was a lot of aggression and darkness in what I did. Today I feel at peace with the system," he said. © 2025 AFP
