LM: What do you think of New York today? Is it still a source of inspiration for you?
JCDC: It's been almost three years since I last came, right before the onset of the COVID outbreak. During my last visit, I found that there remained an interesting artistic energy there. I have to admit it is difficult, however, for someone who lived through the end of the ‘70s and the ‘80s — with the emergence of contemporary art; the heroic era of fashion, with the era of Charles James, Stephen Sprouse, Betsey Bunky Nini (...). So perhaps New York is the only city in the world where I have a form of melancholy about the past. Anywhere else in the world I look towards the future, but for New York, I'm a rétro-futuriste.
You should know though that I wasn't really part of the Studio 54 crowd, I was more CBGB, you know? So I went to places that were a bit hardcore and rock ‘n’ roll, and I was very into music. So I would go see bands like Suicide or Television or the New York Dolls. I actually stayed very close with David Johansen, whom I met in '73, and I still consider him one of the last heroes of New York.
LM: Which city do you consider to be most creative and interesting at the moment?
JCDC: In the '70s, I would have said it's London. In the 80's, as I already said, it was New York. In the 90's, I would say Milan, and so forth. I think that today, there is a kind of fragmentation and fractal dimension of emergences. What really interests me though is where the transgressive and underground energies are. There's a city that I always feel is at the heart of this, that has always remained an extremely alternative city — it is Berlin. I also feel the same about some cities in the United States, like Portland, where you can witness a fusion between art and music, textile creation. But the ultimate, grande vibration is in Paris.
LM: How do you define this vibration?
JCDC: Today Paris is once again the center of the world, of contemporary art, of fashion, of course, with all the new emergences. It is the place of convergence between fashion, art and music. It is the place of great foundations, monuments and the monumental. But it is also the place of the little seed of creation, that grows. Everything is art in Paris... We can't get enough sleep, because there are inaugurations and gallery openings at all times. But Paris is not really a party, as Henry Miller said, it's an uber party. And so in the evening when I look at all my invitation cards, it is, "Do I put myself on the margins of the world, or do I skip sleep?" Paris is an eternal sleepless night.
LM: What do you think of the somewhat radical cultural transition that is happening in recent years, and in particular with artificial intelligence?
JCDC: It feels a little like this digital world has invaded us. It's as if no one could lie anymore, that lying was impossible, because the world is becoming like an ocean of transparency. It is true that it transformed society into total visibility. And artificial intelligence is the opposite. That is to say that we are experiencing something that will be born from the machine and it's like when you train a fighting dog, and at a certain moment you no longer control it. There is really this great danger, because it is an immense territory of expression. It's like playing with weapons that we have very little control over, you see… But there is something that troubles me, whether it's with ChatGPT or whether it's with artificial intelligence — it is that our only armor, our only protection, is style. All these machines, all these technologies, have absolutely no style, and this will be the only way for us to discern the true from the false. It is interesting to see that something that is linked to an unconscious sophistication becomes like something that rallies us to survival, because it's only the beginning, it is the first door to totalitarianism and control. We are already in a world where we have completely integrated CCTV, which has become an integral part of us today. We're in a lot of surveillance, you see, we're like that. So gradually, all our bits of freedom and autonomy begin to be in danger. But of course in the early days, the tools of danger are always exciting.
LM: What future do you think is reserved for creators who prefer not to completely invest themselves in this digital world?
JCDC: I think it is what's in you that matters to me. I started this job by telling my mother "let's start from the end", and when she asked me what that meant I said,
"it's textile waste", so I made blankets with those and other floor rags. I made all this and she made me magnificent jackets, now 50 years ago and we presented that in Paris. All the American buyers said, "Wow, this is insane!" All my neighbors, they presented floral dresses and ruffles and I would do mop kimonos.
Today you are in the same moment, in fact. Of course you have digital and it's attractive, but I would say, what is more attractive? It’s about mixing digital. At craft, it’s about making these two things become like a collage. An accident like the wounds and joys of your childhood. What is fundamental? We are going to return to style in everyone's home, it is identity. For a painter, for a singer, for a fashion designer; it is identity, because we are in a century which claims belonging to a group which does not exist. These are groups of influence or these are groups that we believe we belong to, but it is identity, and that is very important. I remember when I was a teenager I liked English bands because it wasn't just their songs; there was their attitude, they were on stage, you see they were like that.
There was a strong empowerment, there was a kind of arrogance, even if it was their first record, you know? And there was an attitude. I believe that this story of style, attitude, personality, [and] identity is very important. Me, you see, in 50 years of work. My work is identifiable; I built myself a crystallization of discipline. I operate in a very specific territory and I set myself chromatic and style constraints, and I love renewing myself at the heart of these constraints. It's like an exercise now. For example, I have just discovered something extraordinary, which is that I cut with my right hand and for 72 years, I have drawn with my left hand. So I stopped drawing, it was too comfortable. I drew so well [laughs]... It didn't suit me anymore. The ice underfoot was too thick. So now I'm exploring a territory where I'll make my collages, you know? Well, I did it with the other hand that I never used, and I find this imperfection, this pleasure of creating because I am in danger. Comfort, comfort, is the artist's worst enemy.
LM: Which artist or collaborator most pushed you to open up or explore technology and new media?
JCDC: I would tell you, I didn't really need to be pushed. I have always liked the music of tomorrow. Sound has always helped me move forward. And then I had 2 sons, they're 42 and 38 today. I didn't like hip hop, and they were fans so I heard hip hop. I liked punk rock, I liked electro like Kraftwerk for example, but I heard hip hop thanks to them. Then they started using MySpace. So I opened my first myspace account. I really liked it because we could follow the music of Damon Albarn, or Liam Gallagher.
I always embraced this gesture towards technology, it was not a question for me. As soon as the world became digital, I just dove into it, naturally. A lot of peers from my generation said that it was rubbish and that it went against the values of our alternative, underground and counterculture world; and that it was kind of betrayal!
I remember all my life. I told my friend Malcom McLaren, “I want to become a pop virus.” And I became one in pop culture. I'm not completely viral on Instagram, but the platform allows me to interact with a new generation. I think that this 21st century, like the ‘70s, [are] my two favorite eras. I am living my best time today and I feel it is an amazing and exciting time because I have the experience. I feel I have participated to invent this time. I'm very creative and it's a wonderful time to be so. To collaborate with young artists... To just do things. Because the world needs creativity for good fortune... Because ça va pas! The world is going nuts.
LM: Three things you would take with you to a desert island today?
JCDC: As a Sagittarius, I would bring a bow with arrows; inspired by my admiration of the Japanese art of Kyudo. A synthesizer or a guitar to learn to play with, and obviously my family. This idea of Treasure Island has always fascinated me. Like that of Robinson Crusoe... I have always loved this metaphor, it is really something I fantasize about.
LM: What is your definition of success?
JCDC: For me, the definition of success is measured over time. That is to say that you can be, as Andy said, a star for 15 minutes. We all have that possibility. But I think the thing that actually speaks to me about success is when you realize through longevity, your integrity or determination made their mark. In a society that doesn't expect you to, and in which no one expects you to, the wonderful thing is when you move forward in life and look at your past path. It's like when you lived in Paris and after 50 years, you pass through the streets you've already passed through. When you walk down these streets of your life, or the streets of your creativity, and you are proud of what you have achieved. That everything fits together, and becomes the thread, and tells a story. It's not always the easiest path because in fact, people always expect you to be there, omnipresent at every moment and life is like that.
I had [a] calls to arms, I was celebrated at 18 by Saks Fifth Avenue with 18 windows; and then at one point I became a beautiful loser, and then I rebuilt, and that's life. I also think that success is when you achieve peace. Because for a very long time I believed that creating was torment. I thought that to be an artist one of the fundamental sources of inspiration was torment, tumult.
And in fact as you move forward in life, you realize that this thing happens and it's interesting when you have been an avant-garde or a visionary like me to participate in the advent of your idea. You know, it's like yeast in cakes. It is growing, but you're there to put the cherries on top.
What I really like today is that communication tools are an integral part of the act of creation. When I was creating in the ‘70s, and in particular for Benetton, it was to get on a podium and be a rockstar. Nowadays when I create, I already think about what image is going to be on Instagram; how I am going to communicate it; how I am going to speak; how the company is responsible. And in the new generation of entrepreneurs, what I find great is that you are everything. You are the creators, the communicators, the business leaders. That’s something that's wonderful. It's quite fascinating.
Lilian Montes is a french-born Creative Director based in Los Angeles, California. Originally from a quiet suburban town north of Lyon, France — where he graduated Visual Arts at the prestigious La Martiniere School — Lil took the first available flight overseas to go intern at Dazed in London.
A passion for fashion visuals, graphic arts and image creation led him to move to New York CityAs a symbolic first step into the industry, Lil took on an Art Director job at agency Baron & Baron to then move on to direct campaign content for digital retail, during the inception of the high-end online shopping boom.
Currently, Lil consults for various clients in the luxury market spheres as well as beauty and hospitality, but always makes a point to take a step back and remember to see the world through the curious, amazed eye that led him to push the doors of this highly competitive industry.
Lil’s found memory of JCDC correlates with his discovery of the revisited, bold streetwear trend of the early 2000s when Yelle was playing on everyone’s iPod nanos, in France.The playful nature of the prints and patterns became a wonderful self expressive, irreverent medium in his personal style.
As a fun story time; Lil was once sent to a model casting to walk for Castelbajac in Paris, at which time he realized his calling was for the other side of fashion image- making.
Photo by Annette Apel
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