{"id":5745,"date":"2020-05-02T18:35:48","date_gmt":"2020-05-02T16:35:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wakapedia.it\/?p=5745"},"modified":"2025-06-09T11:43:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-09T09:43:47","slug":"jean-charles-de-castelbajac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wakapedia.it\/en\/jean-charles-de-castelbajac\/","title":{"rendered":"Jean-Charles de Castelbajac\uff08\u30b8\u30e3\u30f3\u30fb\u30b7\u30e3\u30eb\u30eb\u30fb\u30c9\u30fb\u30ab\u30b9\u30c6\u30eb\u30d0\u30b8\u30e3\u30c3\u30af\uff09"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Jean-Charles de Castelbajac is a prominent figure in both the fashion and art worlds. His unmistakable style is based on four pillars: art, poetry, creativity, and youth.<\/strong> He was proclaimed the \u201cKing of Kitsch\u201d<\/strong> at Paris<\/strong> Fashion Week in 2010<\/strong> for his Raika<\/strong> collection (today valued at more than \u20ac20<\/strong> million, ed.). He has dressed international stars (Madonna, Beyonc\u00e9, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga<\/strong>) and great artists (Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe,\u00a0<\/span>Keith Haring,\u00a0<\/em>Ettore Sottsass, Oliviero Toscani<\/strong>). Even Pope John Paul II<\/strong> wore his masterpieces (in 1997<\/strong>, Castelbajac<\/strong> created a collection of liturgical clothes for World Youth Day in Paris<\/strong>, ed.).<\/p>\n

Born in Casablanca<\/strong>, Morocco<\/strong>, in 1949<\/strong> to a well-to-do family (his title is \u201cMarchese de Castelbajac,\u201d ed.). Castelbajac<\/strong>\u2019s private life is not particularly well-known but we do know that 1967<\/strong> was a significant turning point. It was then that Castelbajac<\/strong> met the Dada artist and writer\u00a0Raul Hausmann<\/strong>\u00a0(1886<\/strong> \u2013 1971<\/strong>) and was introduced by him to the art world. The following year (1968<\/strong>, the legendary year of revolt, ed.), he created his first fashion collection that included a jacket made from his boarding school blanket that was a success.<\/p>\n

Castelbajac<\/strong>\u2019s fame grew from then on. In 1977<\/strong>, he opened his first boutique in Tokyo<\/strong>. His iconic collections of the 1980<\/strong>s \u2014 including painting-dresses\u00a0painted by celebrated artists like Robert Combas<\/strong>,\u00a0Loulou Picasso<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0graffiti-dresses\u00a0inspired by Basquiat<\/strong> \u2014 bridged contemporary art and fashion. Continued success in the 1990<\/strong>s and 2000<\/strong>s led Castelbajac<\/strong> to undertake amusing and original collaborations with numerous brands including Le Coq Sportif<\/strong>, Iceberg,\u00a0<\/strong>Vilebrequin<\/strong>, L\u2019Occitane<\/strong>, Rossignol<\/strong>, and Petit Bateau<\/strong>. Castelbajac<\/strong>\u2019s creations can be found in great museums like the Palais Galliera<\/strong>, City of Paris Fashion Museum<\/strong>, and the Victoria & Albert Museum<\/strong> in London<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In October of 2018<\/strong>, Castelbajac<\/strong> became artistic director of United Colors of Benetton<\/strong>, where he employs his signature Pop art<\/strong> approach to modernize the brand, forecast trends, and inject a sense of fun.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wakapedia’s Jean-Charles de Castelbajac<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What can we say? Castelbajac<\/strong> is our idol! His use of primary colours and exuberant style are valuable sources of inspiration, especially for our art director Giulia Bison<\/strong> (who, for the record, sent him her resume to apply for an internship back in 2010<\/strong>, ed.). In fact, everyone on our team has taken his playful and spontaneous approach to artistic production to heart. Basically, Castelbajac is our creative Buddha-Krishna whom we venerate along with the other great patron saints of Wakapedia. Castelbajac certainly performs miracles like a saint.<\/strong> In fact, he is an all-round artist, who works not only in the world of fashion but also in architecture and communication, so his miracles touch many different spheres.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We first met Castelbajac<\/strong> at the end of 2015<\/strong>, the year he waved his magic wand and splashed a large and colourful mural onto the facade of Paris<\/strong>\u2019 Orly airport. More recently, at Milan Fashion Week, he spoke to us enthusiastically about his role at the reins of Benetton. His latest FW2020 collection, entitled \u201cBlended Future,\u201d was presented in February with an unprecedented multi-faceted event that went well beyond fashion to include performances, skaters, and music. The designer\u2019s creativity flows from street style to social media; it reaches the customers via the store windows until it finally arrives at the product.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In conversation with the renowned designer, we discovered an uncensored, fascinating and noble man (in fact and also in spirit, ed.). It\u2019s impossible not to fall in love with him (which is also true of his handsome heirs Louis-Marie<\/strong> e Guillaume de Castelbajac<\/strong>, ed.).<\/p>\n

In contrast to other stars in the fashion constellation, Castelbajac was able to safeguard his inner child. We love how his spontaneous and intuitive approach encourages young creatives to believe in themselves and embrace experimentation.<\/strong> When Castelbajac<\/strong> added Sara Waka<\/strong> on Instagram, it was pure euphoria. Without further ado, we present our interview full of love and creativity!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Wakapedia:<\/strong> Hello Jean-Charles<\/strong> \u2014 or better yet Saint, o glorious Saint, Jean-Charles<\/strong> \u2014 we are so happy to meet you! Would you like to do the interview in Italian, French, English, or Japanese?<\/p>\n

JCC:<\/strong> Let\u2019s do a mix of cultures, which I know we all like!<\/p>\n

Wakapedia:<\/strong> Ok, excellent. First of all, congratulations on this your third collection for Benetton<\/strong>, we adore it! Why did you call it \u201cBlended\u201d<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

JCC:<\/strong> Because today, we are more than \u201cUnited,\u201d we are \u201cBlended.\u201d We are gradations of colours that blend together uniquely. For this reason, I want to make clothing for people who live in a world without borders, without walls.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wakapedia:<\/strong> How are you finding your role as artistic director of Benetton<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

JCC:<\/strong> I have always felt totally at ease at this\u00a0Maison\u00a0and\u00a0have found the right cruising speed. At the moment, I am focused on how the product reaches our clients, the people on the street. I want to explore all 360 degrees of contemporary life \u2014 from the performances during the runway shows and the design of the shop windows to our communication on social networks.<\/strong><\/p>\n