Men of Fashion

By Ines Mendoza

As part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, from 5 to 11 September the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) presents Men of Fashion. Featuring tailor Ozwald Boateng, designer Paul Smith, and hairdresser Vidal Sassoon - these are documentaries which show once and for all that when it comes to fashion, it is a man’s world.

The program opens with the Australian premiere of A Man's Story (2010), showcasing the talents of Ozwald Boateng. At 28, he created history by becoming the youngest and first black tailor to open a store on London’s renowned street for bespoke menswear, Savile Row.

Across a 12 year period, director Baron Bonicos captured Boateng as he experienced the triumphs and disappointments of his career, including a stint at Givenchy and the theft of this first solo show collection.

Highly regarded for his craftsmanship and artistry, Boateng today boasts a Hollywood client list including Will Smith, Spike Lee, Keanu Reeves, Jamie Foxx and Laurence Fishburne.

In Paul Smith – Gentleman Designer (2011) – also receiving its Australian premiere – director Stéphane Carrel marks 40 years in the business by fashion designer, Paul Smith. One of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs, Paul Smith’s strategy of “maximising Britishness” has seen his brand grow to 400 stores across 35 countries worldwide.

From his London headquarters where he is surrounded by quirky trinkets, Smith travels to Paris and Tokyo with the documentary crew by his side. An avid photographer, he spends much of his time with his camera and cheerfully poses for photographs with his many Japanese admirers. Melbourne model Andrej Pejic also makes an appearance in the film.

Regarded as the first hairdresser to the stars, Vidal Sassoon is one of the biggest names in hairdressing. In Vidal Sassoon The Movie, director Craig Teper reveals how one man started a revolution by styling women’s hair with angular and geometric cuts instead of relying on potent salon treatments.

Creating some of the most iconic hair-cuts of the twentieth century, Sassoon chopped off Mia Farrow’s locks for her star turn in Rosemary’s Baby, and with a young Grace Coddington (Creative Director of Vogue US) then working as the Sassoon house model, developed his famous ‘five point’ haircut.

The next instalment in French fashion journalist Mademoiselle Agnès’ decade long series, Dressed Up for Winter 2011–2012 (Habillées pour l’hiver 2011-2012) (2011), shows the men of fashion in a state of disarray with a disgraced John Galliano sacked from the house of Dior following accusations of anti-Semitism and racial abuse, and a noted absence by designer Christophe Decarnin at Balmain’s Paris show.

With the majority of womenswear largely designed by men, Dressed Up for Winter 2011–2012 features appearances by Karl Lagerfeld, Paul Smith, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Marc Jacobs – and also highlights a new generation of talent including Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy, Christophe Lemaire for Hermès, Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, and Nicola Formichetti at Thierry Mugler.

“ACMI is thrilled to be partnering again this year with Melbourne Spring Fashion Week,” says ACMI Film Programmer James Nolen. “This season is a unique opportunity to highlight three fashion rule breakers in our latest collection of Fashion on Film.

Often overlooked, these men have re-written the fashion books and all make fascinating subjects.”

As part of Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, Men of Fashion screens exclusively at ACMI in Melbourne from Monday 5 to Sunday 11 September.

For program information and session time visit acmi.net.au