Paris Fashion Week will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the “Battle of Versailles” with a special screening and design competition. The event in 1973 put American fashion and African American models on the map, and director Deborah Riley Draper plans to adapt it into a feature film. To foster creativity and inclusion, her production company has partnered with French fashion house Ungaro and the With Love Halston Foundation to sponsor a competition for students at the Istituto Marangoni fashion school in Paris.
Paris Fashion Week to Mark 50th Anniversary of Battle of Versailles – WWD
Paris Fashion Week will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the “Battle of Versailles,” an event that put American fashion and African American models on the map. Director Deborah Riley Draper, known for her documentary “Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution,” plans to adapt the event into a feature film. To celebrate the anniversary, her production company Coffee Bluff Pictures has partnered with Ungaro and the With Love Halston Foundation to sponsor a design competition for students at the Istituto Marangoni fashion school in Paris. The winners will be revealed at the Ungaro headquarters, and the event will also include a special screening of the documentary.
Design Competition for Students
As part of the commemoration, Coffee Bluff Pictures, Ungaro, and the With Love Halston Foundation are sponsoring a design competition for students at the Istituto Marangoni fashion school in Paris. The competition aims to foster creativity and inclusion among young designers. Participants will present their creations on September 27, and the winners will be revealed at the Ungaro headquarters on September 29 in the presence of the brand’s creative director, Kobi Halperin. Scholarships will be awarded by Ungaro and the Halston Foundation, with the All things considered winner receiving the Versailles ’73 Prize, which includes a cash award.
50th Anniversary Screening
To mark the 50th anniversary, a special screening of the documentary “Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution” will be held at the Grand Rex cinema in Paris on September 29. The screening will be followed by a talk with director Deborah Riley Draper and members of the cast. The event aims to expose young minds to the history of American fashion and inspire them to be creative and innovative.
