Here at Modepass we are lucky to know you physically, we know your humour and your skills and we know that you have supported us since the beginning, despite a very busy schedule.
How would you describe yourself for the general public?
I am someone who sniffs things out and homes in on them, I'm curious and observant with a capacity to reinterpret what I see and share it.
With Modepass you participated straight away, from the beginning, with the conviction it was going to work.
Why?
Firstly, I love fashion, I love its energy; I enjoy its melting pot of talents, seasoned with a little ego. Secondly, the community spirit seems to me to be the strength of the Web today, it's great to meet up with peers and also to share with strangers.
You take part in numerous forums or give your time to the young web 2 community. Is it due to philanthropy or is it that this new world has become another way to discover fresh trends?
Philanthropy? No. It's natural, I have been on the internet since 2000 and in fact it would be difficult to call yourself a trend-seeker without plunging into the virtual world.
Facebook and the social network sites, are they indispensable?
Indispensable for some – those like me who enjoy making connections and creating bonds, both friendly and professional. These networks allow you to go beyond physical human limits and to address people we wouldn't normally dare approach. Networks create familiarity, closeness and warmth. When people say the web is dehumanising this is totally wrong, it's quite the contrary!
Is a trend specialist also a sociological visionary? Where are we heading?
I am firmly anchored in society, in my own age, an age that I like; one in which I feel good. So, de facto, I have a socio-sensitive vision, a sociological approach. Our age is not heading for disaster, as some claim, it is heading for change – both large and small, just like every other age, and it is up to us where we go, knowing that certain things elude us, which is for the good: too much forecasting kills vitality.
What do you think of Naomi Klein – the author of 'Shock Doctrine' – what she says about brands? Have brands become godlike, or is it the contrary « nobody could give a toss »?
I don't want to hear dogmatic speeches. Naomi Klein's analysis is warped by her anti-capitalist ideology; she has some good ideas but she quickly becomes a caricature of herself with her worn-out utopia. She and others like her don't make society progress, they denounce – which is not enough – especially as they have no solution, other than to destroy.
The 50th edition of Trendmark has just come out. Your latest article deals with beauty. So nothing has changed since ancient Greece?
Of course! We are the heirs of all the ages, we seek balance, the golden number, etc. Beauty has something fascinating because it can be disturbing, moving – It does us good.
Should we be moving closer to the beauty of our new 'beautiful' values – saving the planet, the eco-system, etc.? Incidentally, are you 'green'?
Yes, because to do 'beauty' is also to do 'lean'. Beauty is rarely convincing when there is excess, fat, extra weight. The simplicity of a stroke, the delicacy of a line is often enough to reveal beauty – subjective obviously – for we must not forget that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. No, I am not 'green', because I don't like ideologies; ecology should be a philosophy for life, it has become a political dogma which restricts our freedom, impedes progress.
Does designing still have a bright future?
As long as we decide that tomorrow is always better than yesterday, then yes, designing still has a bright future.
Do colours have a correlation with harmony?
Completely; colours clothe our environment, they can clash with our feelings, but they make their presence felt like musical notes, the rhymes of a poem and this must 'sing' harmoniously in front of our eyes.
Does fashion have a greater influence on our desires or our thinking?
It influences our sex appeal to others, it makes us beautiful, it translates what we want to be, to give, to show (or at least it should). On the other hand, it does not influence our thinking; fashion is an artifice, versatile and 'unnecessary', which is not the case with thinking.
If you weren't Dominique Cuvillier, who would you be?
An American actor – they are the most charismatic.
How or which way should the platform evolve? An e-business of Modepassian designers, would it work?
To continue to encourage connections and exchanges. And the idea of a designers' department store should be looked into.
