Dear Shaded Viewers,
One of the reasons I moved to Paris was to explore more deeply the academic and psychological dimensions of fashion, and the individuals who shape this vast and ever-evolving cosmos.
I attended a full day of conversations exploring exactly that.
Hosted by Université Paris Dauphine and the Chaire Filière Textile Responsable, the event brought together thinkers and professionals from across the fashion landscape. It was an invitation to reflect on how we create, connect, and transform, and how the industry itself is evolving in real time.
The day opened with a conversation between designer Olivier Theyskens and Daria Richter-Widhoff from École des Arts Décoratifs. Olivier spoke about cultural perceptions of beauty, the pressure to constantly generate digital content, and how creativity, not profit, should be the true north of fashion companies today. He also paid tribute to the photographers he’s worked with over the years, recognizing how their gaze helped shape his world.
Despite his generosity during the talk, he declined to speak on camera for this piece. A bittersweet memory.
As a student in the Executive MBA program at the Institut Français de la Mode, I was happy to see a few IFM alumni in the crowd, along with Professor Andrée-Anne Lemieux (IFM Sustainability Chair, in partnership with Kering). She spoke about the interplay between psychology, community, and symbolic value, and how society assigns meaning to garments, shaping the way we decide what to buy, and how we value it.
Andée-Anne was joined by Valentina Jacquier-Nardi and Jérémy Legardeur, who offered a glimpse into the upcoming digital product passports, aimed at enhancing traceability and transparency in the industry.
Later, a panel moderated by Isabelle Lefort (Paris Good Fashion) included Maud Herbert (IAE Lille), Colette Depeyre, Francesco Delloro, and Joséphine Schmitt. Their conversation centered on consumer behavior; how perceptions and social cues influence our choices, and what it might mean to reimagine the value of a garment. C’est quoi un vêtement responsable? What makes a piece of clothing truly responsible? Feel free to send me your answers ^^.
Rami Benabdelkrim (Mines Paris – PSL), together with PhD students and members of the event’s organizing team, inaugurated La Galerie de Recherches Doctorales, a dedicated space for showcasing doctoral research.
In a quieter moment during the event, I took the opportunity to visit the gallery. There, I met Luciana Padoan Volkmann, a Brazilian scholar based in Lyon. She is two years into an extensive comparative study exploring the representation of women in Vogue magazine across France, the USA, and Italy, analyzing both editorial and advertising imagery.
I also ran into my friend, fashion designer Ivo Castaneda. His shoes, as always, turned heads.
The day ended with a conversation on creativity across the value chain, moderated by Benjamin Cabanes and Pascaline Wilhelm. Speakers included Philippe Berlan (EverDye), Myriam Chikh-Mentfakh, and Adeline Sapin (Solstiss). It all wrapped up with a conversation between philosopher and psychoanalyst Cynthia Fleury-Perkins and moderator Cédric Dalmasso — touching on ethics, feminism, and what it means to stay human in an increasingly accelerated world.
Yours digitally,
Pedro Guez
