October 4, 2017 |
For over 25 years, show designer Alexandre de Betak has built worlds of pure fantasy and imagination. Having worked with the likes of Dior, Galliano, Raf Simons and Hussein Chalayan, he has perfected the art of animating the fantastical visions of these fabled designers, and combining them with his own artistry to create some of the most breath-taking and memorable spectacles we’ve ever seen in fashion. Those amorphous white ice caves for Dior Couture SS14? The Renaissance garden for Diane Von Furstenberg at Pitti, Cruise 2009? Louis Vuitton’s transparent dome in Tokyo for AW06? All Betak.
Now, his new book ‘Betak: Fashion Show Revolution’, celebrates all those incredible moments he has given us over the years and provides insight into his revolutionary creative approach to shows. Betak has never seen fashion shows in terms of mere aesthetic potential. His approach is far more profound and multifaceted, treating each show as architectural, artistic and emotional expressions, equally responsible for transporting the viewer and carrying a narrative, as the clothes themselves.
Between images of his works, each more breath-taking than the last, are pages of conversation between Betak and his many collaborators, with whom he fondly recounts the events of each show. The Mulleavy sisters are part of that list – Betak has produced their Rodarte shows for the past eight years and has been instrumental in the overall guidance of their brand, as Kate Mulleavy told CNN in a recent interview, “Alex will always push everyone to go one step further…you can see shifts happening in the industry as a development of ideas, but the process only takes place when a leader in the sector like [de Betak] takes charge and says here’s what we have to do to make it relevant for now.”
For Kate, as well as his many other collaborators, it’s Betak’s energy that stands him apart, “He’s a revolutionary because he makes ideas happen in terms of both necessity and creativity. It’s the combination of the two.”
‘Betak: Fashion Show Revolution’ will be published by Phaidon on October 4th 2017
