Initiated since 2002 in France, « Nuit blanche à Paris » (sleepless night in Paris) invite the public to experiment another cultural and artistic approach by opening the gates of places that are generally closed to the public. The 2019 edition plunged IFA Paris into the darkness to bring to light the strong values of fashion: creativity, originality, inclusiveness and diversity.
IFA Paris welcomed visitors to its’ campus, eager to discover it, with the collaboration of the 19th district neighborhood association “Les Couleurs du Pont de Flandre” (The Colours of the Flandre Bridge). The objective of the collective of residents is to revive the neighborhood connecting its inhabitants, the different cultures and generations. What a better symbol than the bridge, real and metaphorical gateway between differences, diversity and multiculturalism?
Nuit Blanche
By crossing the Crimée Bridge, visitors could attend two nocturnal fashion shows on the banks of the Canal de l’Ourcq. 60 different looks were showcased, men and women, amateur models and professionals, all representative of the 19th district inhabitants diversity, mixing different colours, ages, genders, disabled and abled.
IFA Paris showcased some of the creations made by the Bachelor Fashion Design & Technology students and of the Master of Arts Contemporary Fashion Design students around the topic of Upcycling ; the opportunity for the audience to discover new alternatives to the classic garment construction.
Nuit Blanche
The “Red Carpet” concept aspires, for the third year in a row, to make fashion available for all, to make it the common denominator to all the differences and fight against the elitist prejudices of the industry.
The theme of this year was a tribute to Rosa Parks, Afro-American Seamstress, and emblematic figure of the fight against segregation and discriminations. Many talents participated in this initiative: choreographers and dancers, musicians and performers and designers.
Another high point of the event was the presentation of the astronaut suit by the foundation “Space for Art”. They work with children from all over the world around the topic of spatial exploration and art. The objective is to convey a message of hope, space being the only neutral territory, without border, nor nationality. Refugee children’s drawings were used for the realization of the spatial suit “Exploration”, a prototype created with the partnership of IFA Paris.
The 2019 “Nuit Blanche” was articulated around a collective work whose common thread was sustainability, diversity and creativity. The performances totally captivated the audience; stars were not only shining in the sky but also in the eyes of the spectators who gazed with wonder.