Disastrous Management at Villa Noailles in Hyères: Measures Taken to Save the International Fashion Festival
By Christelle Marques published May 9th
With supplier debt estimated between 3 and 4 million euros and a deficit of 4.2 million euros, Villa Noailles must urgently reduce its expenses. In January, the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) PACA alerted the regional prefect to the situation: a deficit of 4.2 million euros at the end of 2024, including 700,000 euros over the last two years, and supplier debt close to 3 million euros. The Ministry of Culture was aware of these issues and commissioned an audit of the institution’s governance. The report, presented in March 2025, highlights excessive spending, especially on representation costs-over 1.2 million euros in 2023. Supplier debt now reaches 4 million euros, up 2.8 million since 2022.
The management of director Jean-Pierre Blanc is under scrutiny, notably for high personal expenses charged to the association. There are also concerns about delayed financial reporting, which is a prerequisite for receiving subsidies, though these have continued to be paid.
To address the crisis, urgent savings are required, with the goal of repaying 800,000 euros per year for four years. Despite these difficulties, the 40th anniversary of the fashion festival-considered essential for the institution’s international reputation-will go ahead. The City of Toulon has increased its subsidy for the event from 30,000 to 90,000 euros.
To restore confidence and ensure better governance, an independent managing director will be appointed, leaving Jean-Pierre Blanc in charge of artistic direction. The Villa Noailles will refocus on its core activities-fashion and design-after years of financial overreach. Additionally, the association may convert to a public interest group, which would allow for greater oversight and potentially put the institution on a path toward fiscal discipline5.
The appointment of a managing director, under whose authority every decision must be validated, a debt repayment plan… Several measures, announced on Friday, have been implemented in an attempt to preserve the association running the Villa Noailles art center, which is responsible for the Hyères International Fashion Festival.
The party is over! That, in essence, is the conclusion of the decisions taken following the Ministry of Culture’s report regarding the disastrous management of the Villa Noailles association, notably in charge of the Hyères International Fashion Festival. No one is using the term “receivership,” but it strongly resembles it, in an effort to safeguard this internationally recognized event and also to reassure private investors.
Several measures have been adopted, but one of the most emblematic is the appointment of an independent managing director. In a statement sent by Villa Noailles to “ici Provence” on Friday, it was stated: “Jean-Pierre Blanc, founder of the festivals and general director for thirty years, has chosen to devote himself to artistic direction.”
But in reality, it was never a matter of choice, but of necessity. “The managing director will be the head of the institution. And there will be an artistic director, Jean-Pierre Blanc. And all commitments must be authorized by general management. That is a real change,” explains Jean-Pierre Giran, mayor of Hyères and president of the Toulon metropolitan area, who agreed to answer questions from “ici Provence.”
More Oversight
Another point raised: Villa Noailles must return to its core missions-fashion and design. “Villa Noailles should stop spreading itself everywhere by organizing exhibitions. For example, the exhibition at the Hôtel des Arts in Toulon should be discontinued. Exhibitions at Villa Noailles should also last longer to reduce costs. Admission should be charged. There also needs to be a review of the association’s legal status. Should it remain an association or become an economic interest group? And whatever the status, institutions must be present on the board of directors, which has not been the case until now,” details Jean-Pierre Giran.
So, the party is over, because the stakes are high and there is a real risk the festival could disappear. Strong measures were needed to make an impact. “This would avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Even if it is the most important festival of its kind in the world today, and even though the world of culture and fashion, in particular, is glamorous, where appearances matter and the welcome is warm, that is no reason not to be rigorous,” concludes Jean-Pierre Giran.
In the Villa Noailles statement, there was not a word about the suppliers’ debt. Yet it must be repaid within four years. Each year, a sum of 800,000 euros will be allocated as a priority to those who, until now, have given a lot but received little.
Tightening the belt, and above all reassuring private investors (without whose financial support the festival would also be definitively doomed), is also the goal of all these measures, which will come into effect very soon.
“EXCLUSIVE – Who will pay? The financial management of Villa Noailles in Hyères slammed by the Ministry of Culture”
Christelle Marquès published May 8 th.
The Ministry of Culture points out, in a report sent in mid-March to the local authorities that subsidize the association, the disastrous management implemented by the leadership of the Villa Noailles art center in Hyères, notably including a “suppliers” debt of several million euros.
The Ministry of Culture has said stop. In a report presented in mid-March via videoconference to representatives of the local authorities that fund the association overseeing the cultural center, the report specifically mentions exorbitant representation expenses and costly spending. According to our information, the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs indicates that Villa Noailles must return to its core mission and save nearly 800,000 euros per year. The Ministry also recommends the appointment of a financial director.
“I remember a speech that Jean-Pierre Blanc gave about the duty to set an example because we were working with public money. When I heard him say that, while seeing his antics and with everyone already complaining about not being paid, it was mind-blowing,” confides one of the former collaborators of the director of Villa Noailles.
What is particularly criticized are the travel, mission, and hospitality expenses: more than 1.2 million euros in 2023. At the head of Villa Noailles, Jean-Pierre Blanc appears to be living large, with exorbitant taxi bills and hotel invoices in Paris or spa treatments paid for with Villa Noailles credit cards-all while earning a salary exceeding 10,000 euros per month. Enough to raise eyebrows with the inspector. “When you earn a good living, you pay for your own taxi,” notes one exasperated associate.
But how did things get to this point?
What started as a small end-of-study project with no other ambition than to organize a fashion show for Hyères shopkeepers quickly caught the attention of Léopold Ritondale and became a European fashion festival. As head of the association managing Villa Noailles for several years, Blanc succeeded in turning it into an internationally recognized event, attracting prestigious private partners like Chanel. “You can’t blame him for not seeking funding. His problem is that if he brings in 1,000 euros, he spends 2,000,” says another collaborator.
The association is partly funded by private sources-nearly 2.4 million euros according to the 2024 provisional budget seen by “ici Provence.” But above all, it survives thanks to public funds. The cities of Hyères and Toulon contribute, as do the Metropolis, the Region, the departmental council, and the State, for a total of just over 3.9 million euros.
Four million euros: the debt explodes
The scale of the damage is striking. According to our information, in 2024, the “supplier debt” amounted to nearly four million euros. That is, the association owed four million euros to all the companies that worked for it-and there are many. More importantly, this debt ballooned very quickly: it was “only” 1.2 million euros two years earlier.
As one associate of Jean-Pierre Blanc puts it, “You don’t attract Chanel if you don’t put flowers everywhere.” Still, there is reason for surprise, especially since the local authorities seemed to discover the extent of the problem only when the report was presented in mid-March, although suspicions had arisen just before. Suppliers complained so much about unpaid bills that rumors spread.
Yet in 2023, François Carrassan, deputy for culture at Hyères city hall, tried to draw attention to a lie that had worked well: the so-called centenary of Villa Noailles. The 100 years were far from reality. But no one objected, and the celebration of a nonexistent centenary took place. The Hyères official even wrote a book to “restore the truth of the story.”
Deliberate lack of transparency or inability to manage?
Until the mid-2010s, it was still possible to find accounting documents, but this became more complicated closer to 2020. Board meetings were held in recent years, but not general assemblies. “In any case, the debt never appeared in the financial tables that were provided,” reports another source. Another observation: an association must submit a financial report when applying for a grant from a local authority.
However, according to documents seen by “ici Provence,” the 2022 financial report was created in September 2024, a year too late. “That’s not possible, because this document is an integral part of the grant application file. If it’s missing, you almost certainly won’t get the money,” explains someone familiar with public accounts. Yet subsidies were still paid out.
“Everything Jean-Pierre Blanc wanted, he got. Success went to his head. But he doesn’t know how to manage or lead. Everyone knew, especially the suppliers, but no one dared say anything because he had a sort of aura. But now, it’s gone too far. This has to stop, because professionals and individuals have found themselves in difficulty. You can be generous, but not with other people’s money,” concludes another former member of Villa Noailles.
In the meantime, Jean-Pierre Blanc gathered his teams a few weeks ago, telling them that savings would have to be made, and that visits would probably become paid. That won’t stop the festivities for the 40th anniversary of the fashion, photography, and accessories festival in October. “The show must go on,” as they say. The city of Toulon recently voted to increase its subsidy for the event from 30,000 euros per year to 90,000 euros for 2024.
According to some observers, there is no question of letting this quality event disappear. Jean-Pierre Giran, the mayor of Hyères, told “ici Provence” some time ago: “This festival allows the city and the Metropolis to shine internationally. The risk is that it could cease to exist.” Each to their own talents-creativity to those who can create, finance to those who can count and, above all, manage. The inspector from the Ministry of Culture made this very clear in her report, warning that otherwise, there may be no 41st candle to blow out.
*Contacted multiple times, the Ministry of Culture’s communications department was unable to answer our questions, despite the existence of this report following an audit by a ministry inspector. Furthermore, many people wished to remain anonymous for protection. Some still have professional ties with the Villa Noailles management, while others work within the various local authorities.
**François Carrassan is the author of “Si Noailles m’était contée. Retour au réel,” published in November 2023 by Cahiers de l’Égaré.
