The12Project is a creative art-meets-fashion project that views fashion design under a new prism. “The idea is to show fashion differently, with a meaning, and use the collection of a fashion designer as a message,” explains Paris-based filmmaker and the creative director Hadi Moussally. The12Project introduces fashion designers’ work through online videos and editorials. Each month focuses on a particular theme around which everything develops, and that is presented with a specific symbolic message. At the end of a 12-months-cycle (marking 12 fashion films, 12 editorials, 12 fashion designers, 12 models, 12 themes), the 12 videos will merge to produce a new 12-minute movie. Since its launch, the project has received many awards and nominations, has been presented in exhibitions, and has been officially selected throughout festivals around the world. We caught up with Moussally to discuss all about its project and the place of fashion film within the industry.
Could you please discuss your relationship with fashion? How did you find yourself interested in the industry, and what was the turning point when you started realizing fashion garments could convey a message?
I studied filmmaking, and I have received two Master’s degrees, one in feature films and one in documentary. So, I wasn’t really in the fashion industry, even though I have always been interested in it. Until one day, a friend of mine asked me to do a backstage video. The client and I were pleasantly surprised: with my associate, Olivier Pagny, we did something different in backstage videos trying to mix aesthetics and storytelling. And since, we built our production company and work on films and photography in different fields: music, documentaries, corporate and especially fashion. On the other way, I think film school taught me to always give meaning to the image I produce. For me, even though fashion is a big industry, I think of it as a form of art. That’s why I try to give a meaning to my films and photos.
The12Project films have been selected in many fashion film festivals. What do you think made them a success?
Honestly, I still don’t realize the success of the project. It’s something different, and especially in fashion, it scares people to see something new. So, I didn’t expect anything from the festivals. With the team, we wanted to do something different hoping it will be noticed, and after one prize, four nominations and ten selections in festivals, and 3 exhibitions worldwide, we can say that what we did wasn’t so bad after all.
What are you looking for in a character when casting for a film?
I always look for a different face, for an “atypical” beauty, a form of beauty different from all the standards built in our society. So, I don’t always use a model, because for me, fashion is for everyone.
How is The12Project a “network” and “alternative?”
The12Project includes 12 months, 12 fashion films, 12 editorials, 12 fashion designers, 12 models and 12 themes. Each month, we produce an art-house film that lasts for around one minute and is unique to all the other films in the project but with strong, important messages that are coherent throughout. It is “alternative” because we stand up apart from mainstream commercial fashion, and a “network” because it gives people the chance to react on films and photos, and discuss them. It’s something open to everyone from every field. Our advocates today, however, have reached surprising numbers, and we know with their support, we can really make an impact. Each month is a new challenge: to create, to produce, to shoot, and especially to seize the ultimate beauty. For me, the biggest surprise is that The12Project is getting bigger and bigger based on the number of views, fans and followers, and affecting all kinds of audience.
Besides fashion, you also collaborate with furniture designers and illustrators. How do you reach out to them? What do you look for in your collaborations?
As you said, it’s not only about fashion; The12Project’s aim is to reunite all kinds of arts, designers and creatives. Each one had a reason; for example, in the first film “BORN”, the chair (Amoebe High back from Vitra) is an actor in the movie. Inside the womb, the chair has a fetal design where the model can feel like an embryo.
Would you attempt full-length films? Do you believe that, besides documentaries, they could fit to designers and the industry?
Full-length films are a little bit complicated, since they are experimental, but I think everything is possible, and I hope one day I can do it. I’m writing a short movie (around 20 minutes long), which can be considered a fashion film since clothes are very important.
I think your team covers pretty much every aspect of the production part but how about the practical part and challenges of production – e.g. budget?
Having always held an avid interest for fashion, I had an idea involving my friends whose occupations span from hairstyling, make-up and fashion styling to graphic design, sound engineering and even poetry! We all came together to create a project where we could all do what we loved, and that was how the The12Project was born. It has had many ups and downs, and it’s a project that is made to share our point of view and show fashion differently and with a meaning. One of the larger obstacles we have faced, being a young project, is being taken seriously in our attempt to show a different side to fashion.
Do you keep the same creative team throughout different projects? How do you keep them inspired and competent to deal with the demands of every project?
We started with a little team of friends and gradually got bigger and bigger with talented friends coming from fields of all kinds. Today we count 10 members on the team: Olivier Pagny (Photographer, DOP & Post-Production) Max Romain (Original Music) Marie Scirocco (Stylist) Wallace Woo (Make Up Artist) Alexandre Jeanson (Hair Stylist) RJ Arkhipov (Communication Director) Fabien Ghernati (Graphic Designer) Jean Assem Privé (Commercial Designer) Manuel Billi (Financial & Business) and me Hadi Moussally (Director & Photographer). I write the scenario, then everyone in the team can discuss it, and see how can we make it better. For me, it’s all about teamwork – without each member of the team, the result would be completely different.
How do you feel about the status of fashion film within the industry? Is it considered to be a genre of its own yet? Do you think it will in the future?
Fashion in films is something that existed for a long time, but fashion films, where fashion is the center of attention of the movie, is something relatively new – because it’s subtly different from a brand advertising. Fashion is like an actor added to the model; it plays a very important role in the movie, and tells a story. People are getting fed up from all the advertising, and want something new. I think it’s the future of fashion.
What are your future goals for the 12 project?
After a year and a half, we finished the first season, and we’re presenting it in all the festivals and exhibitions worldwide. And now we are working on the second. We don’t have a date yet; we prefer to take our time to do the other season.
www.the12project.com
Images © The12Project
