Etienne russo biography books
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We were a small team and everyone was doing everything. Even if you get a very good response, you have your own personal judgement on the entire production, the execution, the micro details. So, with Remo Ruffini we started to present Moncler Grenoble, rooted in the core of the brand, the Olympics, the technical stuff. But before any of that happens, Russo sat down with System to discuss the past, present and future of creating shows that engage all five senses.
Thomas Lenthal: Very simply, how would you describe what it is you do?
Etienne Russo: It has never had a name because it is not an old profession.
And this person has now started to receive information directly, in real time.
I went to talk to the engineer and asked how it all works. So, I asked the engineer, ‘Why? A few became very good friends.
Do you take inspiration from other fashion shows that you see taking place?
No, never. I was living in Brussels, where I was born, and coming to Paris to do my thing for the Belgians.
The first ever show I produced was Dries, in Paris.
But you have to balance dissatisfaction with the voice that says ‘It’s okay’.
For Hermès, we have to pay even more attention to detail; the show construction has to look like it’ll last forever, to convey the sense of craftsmanship.
Etienne Russo
Do you feel more pressure now, with budgets bigger than ever?
So, when Genius arrived, my first question to him was, why change the system? And then Instagram arrived, and you were no longer looking at lighting or at a set, you were looking at it all through a phone. In one, we are executive producers. I went to talk to her. And then there was this ultra-polished luxury, when Tom Ford arrived with his sort of porno chic…
What was your inspiration back then?
Everything.
Now you need to be a public figure, you need to be a good designer, you need to show up in the office in the morning and you need to know about marketing.
Pharrell is a producer, to me. But a show is a tool for months afterwards.
More than months, years; it becomes part of the history of the brand.
Yes, it is image-building.
I was installing the show and selling the next day: one client in the morning, another in the afternoon, and then I’d cook for a client in the evening. Plus, if a show was just about the moment, I don’t think productions would be so big. Technology pushes boundaries but there are moments where technology fails, too.
I would say it took four months to think it all through and get it right.