Jean-Pierre Blanc Steps Down From Hyères Festival

Jean-Pierre Blanc, who founded and directed the Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Accessories for 40 years, is leaving the organisation. Under his leadership, Villa Noailles and the town of Hyères became a cultural hub with year-round programming, attracting sponsorship from Chanel, Hermès and other industry heavyweights, and launching the careers of designers including Viktor & Rolf, Anthony Vaccarello and Julien Dossena.

Despite growing support from sponsors and the French government, the festival has struggled with soaring operating costs and unpaid vendor bills, drawing repeated accusations of financial mismanagement.

Blanc’s departure raises questions about the festival’s stability ahead of its 40th anniversary edition this October, set to take place over three days instead of the usual four.

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Twisted Creativity Takes Home Top Honours at Hyères

Dolev Elron, a menswear designer for Acne Studios, wowed the fashion jury with his distorted jeans and tank tops at the fashion festival in the South of France. Accessories winners Chiyang Duan and Clara Besnard also twisted bags, belts, and eyewear.