This document is an interview transcript between Hans Ulrich Obrist and Stefano Pilati discussing Pilati's vision for the Yves Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2011 collection, which he refers to as a "manifesto." Some key points discussed include: - Pilati's perspective on the manifesto format and how it has historically been a masculine form of expression. - How Pilati aimed to communicate femininity through this collection and reshape the traditionally masculine nature of the manifesto. - Pilati explores how fashion shows have changed over time and how he aims to simplify the presentation format. - Both discuss the role of memory and reinventing the past in a new creative context.

2. yves saint laurent
spring/summer 2011 edition viii
revelations or triggers for you? When we reinvent the future we somehow
rebuild the fragments of the past…
sp: In that sense I don’t really have any particular heroes – there are so many
from the past that linger – but I always think about the masters and I can
go from philosophers to artists, from writers to musicians. I fell in love with
the idea of manifestos and with the term itself, because the word ‘manifesto’
implied a sense of breaking through something while still being connected
to and aware of how things are today.
In terms of the format, I didn’t really relate to any historical manifestos
I’ve seen because my medium is fashion… There is fashion photography in
the manifesto so even the idea of showing the pictures larger than they ap-
pear in normal magazines was part of the act of manifesting.
huo: It has occurred to me that manifestos in the 20th century were very
masculine. The Romanian artist Arthur Segal said that he considered this
quality of manifestos to indeed be a feature of the 20th century—noisy and
muscular compared to what would follow. The 21st century manifesto would
have more accommodation, more dialogue, it would be more conversational.
sp: Yes. I’ve been influenced by the 1920s and 1930s, when women began
to come to the fore and be accepted as equal, especially in the arts and in
philosophy. I’m very conscious of how macho our world is. Conceiving a
collection is an abstract process and this abstraction becomes concrete when
I listen to and translate the total admiration I have for women. The term
‘manifesto’ is very fruitful and also very male, so to see it take a feminine shape,
to use it as a tool to communicate femininity, I believe that is very interesting.
huo: You have said that often fashion has to do with the invention of new
rules, and that sometimes means breaking other rules. The manifesto is also
about a moment of breaking or inventing new rules.
From a conversation between hans ulrich obrist, Co-Director, The Serpentine Gallery, London
and stefano pilati, Creative Director, Yves Saint Laurent

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20. yves saint laurent – manifesto viii – spring/summer 2011 yves saint laurent – manifesto viii – spring/summer 2011
interview – hans ulrich obrist / stefano pilati interview – hans ulrich obrist / stefano pilati
yves saint laurent – manifesto viii – spring/summer 2011
interview – hans ulrich obrist / stefano pilati influence I try always to avoid to be aggressive in what I do. But some- proclaiming what is wrong with the world, what could change the world.
times, even if I accept certain limits and a retro taste, I go for it anyway. I was wondering whether we could cover that idea of a manifesto: saying
hans ulrich obrist: The manifesto has been used as a document of intent not what you like but what you dislike. What are your manifestos against?
by the avant-garde in the 20th century. With the hundredth anniversary huo: How do you think fashion shows can be both a medium and a mani-
of Marinetti’s Futurist Manifesto and with so many other manifestos— festo – because each time it is a different show, a new theme. It’s fascinating sp: Against aggressivity, against exclusivity, against classification, against
Dada, for example, in the early 20th century, and in the 1960s we had how you use fashion as a medium and how much it has changed since the isolation, against introversion, against always looking at oneself. This is
the new avant-garde—all over the world we have manifestos again… It’s 1980s and 90s – fashion shows are exhibitions, they are inventions. How what it comes to in the end. Fashion can give rise to all of these things and
different now because perhaps it’s less about political alliances and more have you seen the shows change over time? How do you see them now? it shouldn’t, especially today.
about strategic or loose alliances. It seems that if we have manifestos now
they’ll be singular, individual manifestos. I’m curious about how you see sp: The fashion show generates the manifesto but the manifesto is not
the manifesto in the 21st century, and how you connect it to the historic necessarily an extension of it. In my first shows for YSL, I included produc-
and near avant-garde. tion elements that could emphasize and support the show conceptually.
These were mass productions at a great expense and when you see how
stefano pilati: Well of course I had those references in mind. At the same fashion shows were in the 1960s, 70s or 80s, they seem much more hon-
time there is a general lack of ideology and it’s very difficult for a fashion est somehow because it was about a designer working with models and
designer to be connected to a movement. I approached the last manifesto that was all. People were interested in that and exclusively in that. Last
in an objective rather than a subjective way since the heritage of the brand season was, in a way, an expression of this approach. I chose a location that
was extremely important in the evolution of the last three decades, from is very French, very simple, a series of salons with chairs, and I presented
the 1960s up until the 1990s. the clothes in the simplest way possible. We are in an era of spectacle
First of all you need to question whether it’s interesting or not to be and ostentation, so going back to something simple was, I felt, absolutely
political about fashion, or if instead you wish to reinforce a message to people refreshing. I think this is what is needed today and I think it will
that is simply about looking good and projecting a positive energy about continue until I work out how to conceive the old-fashioned show differently.
yourself. I was no longer interested in thinking of fashion in an elitist way. Being intellectual or conceptual about the show definitely doesn’t work
Everything I picked up from the manifestos of the past suggested that because it isn’t what people want. They don’t care about a concept
they were trying to create energy around an ideology that was considered, unless it is linked to other factors, like the power of the fashion house in
in its time, underground. So I thought for today I would offer another per- the media, the industry, the market. YSL is a big brand but we still operate
spective of a luxury brand to a broad demographic that doesn’t necessarily in quite a concentrated way.
relate to fashion in the way that a more privileged layer of people do.
I wanted to create a wider influence for the message that was being sent huo: When Marcel Duchamp created his great inventions he was very
from the catwalk, by taking imagery of a collection and giving it to people much inspired by Poincaré and science. Being in the middle of things,
on environmentally friendly paper in the street without targeting a specific exploring other spheres – going out of the art world into architecture,
demographic. fashion, music, science – suddenly great inspirations can happen, no? This
One of my visions for Saint Laurent is about giving back, so that even idea of going into other disciplines can be very productive.
if you can’t afford it, you can still pick up the essence of the message, the
elements of fashion that might be considered increasingly irrelevant but sp: Absolutely. It is, absolutely.
remain for me its main aspects: the silhouette, the way the clothes are cut,
the fabrics, a special pattern. It’s to say – ‘These are my thoughts and this huo: So I have collected manifestos and I write histories of manifestos
is my message—you can pick up something from this and do it yourself.’ and am working on a book where we gather manifestos from the 20th and
21st centuries. One can obviously have all sorts of manifestos but they hans ulrich obrist is a Co-Director of The Serpentine Gallery, London.
huo: It’s interesting to think about the different artistic manifestos from very often take the form of protest, of conversations, a form of discontent, stefano pilati is the Creative Director of Yves Saint Laurent.
the past, and your manifesto now. Are there any fashion manifestos in iv v
particular that inspired you? Do you have heroes from the past who were
i
yves saint laurent – manifesto viii – spring/summer 2011 yves saint laurent – manifesto viii – spring/summer 2011
interview – hans ulrich obrist / stefano pilati interview – hans ulrich obrist / stefano pilati
revelations or triggers for you? When we reinvent the future we somehow certain needs that sometimes go against your own needs and can affect
rebuild the fragments of the past… and damage what you’re doing because of the time they consume.
I’ve always tried to follow my instincts while still obeying the most
sp: In that sense I don’t really have any particular heroes – there are so important rules, working out, for example, how to execute a contemporary
many from the past that linger – but I always think about the masters and fashion show in a format that has stayed the same for more than 50,
I can go from philosophers to artists, from writers to musicians. I fell in perhaps even 70 years now. In the first two or three years of my work for YSL,
love with the idea of manifestos and with the term itself, because the word I tried to shift my approach to fashion, emphasizing femininity through the
‘manifesto’ implied a sense of breaking through something while still be- silhouette. Then I added force to the cut, the form, the volume, to the
ing connected to and aware of how things are today. performance of the clothes. Each look was a different silhouette, denounc-
In terms of the format, I didn’t really relate to any historical manifestos ing the rules of the game that serve to contain and restrain your ideas and
I’ve seen because my medium is fashion… There is fashion photography your skills… So I deliberately created something that seemed like a blank
in the manifesto so even the idea of showing the pictures larger than they canvas but that actually presented many different fragmented forms, and
appear in normal magazines was part of the act of manifesting. that was quite controversial.
Last season I tried a more relaxed approach in an attempt to detach
huo: It has occurred to me that manifestos in the 20th century were very myself from a subjective point of view; to be a little easier to read in
masculine. The Romanian artist Arthur Segal said that he considered this terms of references from the past and the heritage that I have upon my
quality of manifestos to indeed be a feature of the 20th century—noisy and shoulders. The truth is that no matter what we think, no matter what our
muscular compared to what would follow. The 21st century manifesto would instincts really are, we are caught by rules that are not necessarily our own.
have more accommodation, more dialogue, it would be more conversational Perhaps the only way to make a difference is to be very honest. Honesty is
something I think we are generally afraid of.
sp: Yes. I’ve been influenced by the 1920s and 1930s, when women began to
come to the fore and be accepted as equal, especially in the arts and in huo: We held a manifesto-themed event at the Serpentine Gallery a
philosophy. I’m very conscious of how macho our world is. Conceiving a col- couple of years ago for which we gathered people from the worlds of con-
lection is an abstract process and this abstraction becomes concrete when I temporary art and music. An artist there said that manifestos in the 21st
listen to and translate the total admiration I have for women. The term century are like Duchamp’s bicycle wheel: all of a sudden they have be-
‘manifesto’ is very fruitful and also very male, so to see it take a feminine shape, come something we can revisit. Avant-garde manifestos were very often a
to use it as a tool to communicate femininity, I believe that is very interesting. rupture with tradition and the past, and a looking ahead to the new. Now
we observe a great deal of revisiting and reappropriation of the past. Pierre
huo: You have said that often fashion has to do with the invention of new Huyghe has called it the big ‘Re’: re-visiting, re-working… There are two-
rules, and that sometimes means breaking other rules. The manifesto is dimensional ‘re’ and three-dimensional ‘re’. Perhaps we can extend this to
also about a moment of breaking or inventing new rules. fashion as well? I’m wondering how you worked with the archives in earlier
collections and manifestos? How do you make the new out of the old?
sp: As a fashion designer, you consider yourself more an opinion leader
than an artist and, for good or bad, the rules of the game are not necessarily sp: I am someone who is definitely ruled by memories. I find that memory
dictated by your own creativity, although obviously your creativity is central. imprisons you more than it sets you free. You can bang your head against
The experience is also very emotional because it acts on this level of the wall and try to break them, but memories don’t disappear. What I try
seduction and admiration and abstraction, and the unknown that is the to do is to reinvent. I never go to the archives to redo something. The past
feminine universe… Unfortunately the rules are dictated by a cause, by is part of me, and memories become part of my language and vocabulary,
the market, because increasingly now you don’t create just for the sake of the light that I catch in my eyes, my perception of the environment in
creating; you’re committed and commissioned and you must also fulfill which I live. You have to accept certain overall limits and as someone with
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22. Page 1: Excerpt from ‘A Conversation Between Hans Ulrich Obrist and Stefano Pilati’. January 2011.
Page 2-3: Spring/Summer 2011 women’s show. Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild, Paris. October 4, 2010.
Pagee 4-5: Spring/Summer 2011 women’s show. Backstage. October 4, 2010.
Page 6-7: Spring/Summer 2011 women’s show. Reviews. October 2010.
Page 8-9: Spring/Summer 2011 advertising campaign. Villa Bled Roknine, Marrakech. October 20-24, 2010.
Page 10-33: Spring/Summer 2011 advertising campaign. Portfolio.
Scene 1: Blouse with bow detail and chiffon back in papaya cotton and silk toile flammée.
Skirt in black cotton and wool twill. Earrings in old gold-tone metal with fingerprint motif.
Belt in black padded leather with gold-tone metal buckle. 105 mm wedge sandal in
black suede and gold lamé leather.
Scene 2: Cape in black silk crepe. Halter top jumpsuit in black silk crepe. Belt in black suede with
gold lamé leather piping. 105 mm multistrap wedge sandal in black suede and gold lamé leather.
Scene 3: Bustier dress in black cotton and silk toile flammée with multicolor ruffles. Large belt in black
suede with gold lamé leather piping. 105 mm wedge sandal in ocean blue multicolor python.
Scene 4: Blouse in green silk chiffon with black fingerprint motif. Ruffled skirt in green silk chiffon
with black fingerprint motif. Belt in blue suede with gold lame leather piping. 105 mm wedge
sandal in ocean blue multicolor python.
Scene 5: Tuxedo dress in black silk crepe. Chain in old-gold brass. Cuffs in gold-tone metal with
fingerprint motif. 105 mm multistrap wedge sandal in black suede and gold lamé leather.
Scene 6: Boatneck sweater in white cashmere and silk. Sunglasses in black acetate.
Top with bow detail in beige cotton and silk toile flammée with black fingerprint motif.
Sunglasses in white and black acetate.
Scene 7: Jacket in black cotton saharienne gabardine. Skirt in black cotton saharienne gabardine
with multicolor ruffles. Belt in black padded leather with gold-tone metal buckle.
Reversible shopping bag in gold lamé and beige leather. 105 mm wedge sandal in black
suede and gold lamé leather.
Scene 8: Halter dress in khaki cotton, wool and silk piqué. Bracelet in old gold-tone brass.
Scene 9: Totem dress in black cotton, wool and silk jacquard. Belt in black suede
with gold lamé leather piping.
Scene 10: Halter dress in papaya silk chiffon with black fingerprint motif. Bow blouse in papaya silk chiffon
with black fingerprint motif. Large clutch in brown denim and black tweed-embossed leather.
105 mm wedge sandal in orange multicolor python.
Scene 11: Double-breasted jacket in navy striped mohair wool. Pant in navy striped mohair wool.
Socks in black ribbed wool. Shoe in black leather with espadrille sole.
Scene 12: Halter top jumpsuit in black cotton and wool twill. Cuff in gold-tone metal with
fingerprint motif. Belt in black suede with gold lamé leather piping.
Page 34-35: Spring/Summer 2011 short film. Stills.
Page 36-37: A Conversation Between Hans Ulrich Obrist and Stefano Pilati. January 2011.
Page 38-39: Spring/Summer 2011 Manifesto. Design Process.
Ysl Creative Director: Stefano Pilati
Photographers : Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Models : Arizona Muse, Will Westall
Stylist : Joe McKenna
Hair Stylist : Christiaan Houtenbos
Make-Up Artist : Lisa Butler
Manicurist : Khadija
Choreographer : Stephen Galloway
Stylist Assistant : Tony Irvine
Ysl Image Director : Philippe Contini
Ysl Image Coordinator: Céline Brighel
Ysl Stylist: Carole Sévagamy
Ysl Graphic Designer: Mathilde Dupont
Tailor : Abdoulaye Dieng
Studio Manager : Marc Kroop
Photo Assistant : Kevin McCarthy
Lighting Technician : Jodokus Driessen
Digital Technician : Brian Anderson
Chief Electrician : Bruno di Pietro
Video Director of Photography: Léo Hinstin
Video Digital Technician: Pierrick Corneau
Production : JMG Production
Production Team: Jamila el Glaoui, Abdouh el Glaoui, Arnault Kononow,
Frédéric Tron, Dorothée Lindon
Art Direction and Design: Ezra Petronio / Petronio Associates
© 2011. Yves Saint Laurent, SAS au capital 123 810 775 €. 342 547 361 Paris RCS.
Dépôt légal en cours. Imprimé en France par nos soins. Ne pas jeter sur la voie publique. Printed in France by Yves Saint Laurent. Please dispose of properly.

23. spring/summer 2011 edition viii
ysl.com