JOHN SAINT MICHEL___ ARTIST & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
There are the great fashion designers, such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen who had formal training with the prestigious Central St. Martins College of Art and Design in London. Others, such as John Saint Michel, now based in Paris, has found a place for his ‘voice’ in more indirect ways.
An artist and a creative director, Saint Michel’s position in the fashion arena is not so easy to define — as his recent exhibition at the Discordia Gallery in Melbourne’s Nicholas Building showed. His creations, presented as sculpture, took the form of an American flag draped on a mannequin as well as recycled Swiss military blankets that demonstrated a sharp eye.
For Saint Michel who has produced and directed short silent films, including c’était une vie de Chien (French for It was a Dog’s Life), staged and curated fashion shows, as well as archiving the work of the legendary fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga, this remarkable young man is brimming with ideas going forward. However, unlike Galliano and McQueen, Saint Michel has only been loosely connected with the RMIT School of Fashion (now part of the School of Architecture) for a brief period. At school he was sent to the career’s councillor for not taking his science and mathematics seriously.
“I used to draw fashion illustrations across the pages of these books and the teachers could see my interest was in fashion,” says Saint Michel, who briefly enrolled in a pilot program in fashion held at RMIT before following his heart to the fashion cities of the world — Paris, London and Milan. The 1990s was also a time when the Antwerp Six, including Martin Margiela, showed a different type of fashion: simpler and considerably more understated after the glitz of the 1980s.
As well as discovering more alternative fashion designers in Europe, Saint Michel was fortunate to meet Kim Jones in 2007, now at the helm of Dior. The duo later collaborated on presenting Jones’ sportswear collection, Umbro, on the rooftop of Curtain House in Swanston Street, Melbourne. Both not only shared a love of fashion and history, but also a deep admiration for one of Australia’s greatest fashion legends, Leigh Bowery.
Another highlight for Saint Michel was meeting the late Josephus Thimister, creative director for Balenciaga from 1991 until 1996, resurrecting the label (Balenciaga closed his salon in 1968 coinciding with the May revolution in France that saw the move to ready-to-wear). “We became very close friends. I would visit his apartment at least once a week and we would go through Balenciaga’s archives. I learnt so much about Balenciaga through his eyes, the stories and history that connects to each design,” says Saint Michel, whose own work has a sense of Balenciaga’s minimal approach to fashion. In the exhibition at the Discordia Gallery, the vibrant red dress/sculpture barely touches the body, with one piece of ribbon meticulously placed and fastened in a singular knot. “I admired Josephus not only for his artistry but also his ability to predict what was around the corner, not just in a fashion sense, but also often in the political environment,” he says.
Saint Michel is heading back to Paris shortly. One of the leading fashion houses is keen to employ him in a creative role — though details are confidential. All one can say is … Watch This Space!
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Words by Stephen Crafti.