And…roll credits! Earlier tonight, Pierpaolo Piccioli presented his second women’s ready-to-wear collection for Balenciaga. Titled ClairObscur, it was dedicated to illuminating forms of character through the exploration of shadows, in part inspired by the dramatic tenebrism of Caravaggio. To import some contemporary dramatics into his “fresco of humanity,” Piccioli framed his show in partnership with Sam Levinson, the creator of the TV series Euphoria.
The two friends have been working on this Balenciaga project for several months. Simultaneously, Levinson has been gearing up for the release of the third season of his magnum opus, which returns to HBO on April 12 and is set five years after the last season ended. We’ve already seen a trailer for the series, which sees the characters played by stars including Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi, Hunter Schafer, and Colman Domingo return to Levinson’s world and a “cascade of trouble.”
Shortly before the show, Piccioli and Levinson jumped on a call to cast some light on how the filmmaker came to direct the environment for the fashion-maker’s own new-season story. They also discuss how that story involved “merging” the sensibilities by introducing some sounds and imagery drawn from Euphoria into the world of Balenciaga. The script below, lightly edited, tells that tale.
Every story starts somewhere. Where did yours begin?
Sam Levinson: Pierpaolo has been part of my life since before we even met. My wife, when we got married, wore a dress designed by him, so he was there in the most memorable moment of my life. Then we met officially during season two of Euphoria when he came to visit us on set. We just hit it off immediately. Pierpaolo is this kind of easy, warm, curious person. We started talking about cinema, photography, art, life, and human beings…all the good stuff.
Pierpaolo Piccioli: It was that very natural connection, I have to say. I was kind of obsessed with Euphoria and with everything Sam had done and was doing. And actually, this [collaboration] was not planned. It was just what happened and naturally came.
And what story are you telling through the collaboration?
Piccioli: With this collection, I wanted to take a picture of this generation. And I feel that what Sam does with all his shows, Euphoria in particular, is that he has a very singular angle about finding the light in darkness, with a particular perspective that is human and very emotional. And that is not judging or criticising or celebrating; it is about the humanity of the characters and their parts. And that is the perspective I want to take my own picture from. It’s like a fresco of humanity. What I want to do with fashion is what Sam does with cinema; it’s a human take on this moment that I think is important. We have been talking about finding the light in darkness, trying to be resilient and to persevere and to take new opportunities.
Levinson: I think that’s how we communicate, if we can speak to the light and the hope and the aspiration and the joys within all of us, and people are able to listen: They’re able to open up and receive. And I think that is what connects us. The thing I really admire so much about Pierpaolo is his ability to take an idea like that and distill it into something practical. It goes from the emotional to the practical, the personal to the universal. That process has been amazing to watch.
Piccioli: So we have been talking about the general atmosphere and the way in which we could take this big picture of the generation.
Levinson: And Pierpaolo was one of the first people who I shared the new episodes [of Euphoria] with. Because I wanted to hear his thoughts, and I wanted to start to exchange ideas about music and imagery and colour and character. And so I sent it to him very early on.
No spoilers please!
Piccioli: Sam’s perspective is that you never have entire darkness or entire light; you always have these shades between which you can find a human connection. You are connected through emotion. So something that is very personal in the characters and their parts can become very universal because the connection is the emotions [they create], not the stories themselves. We have been talking about that moment when the sun goes down and you are between the light and the dark. When the day is ending and the night is becoming. And that while the sun is always the same, the moon always changes, so there is something interesting: opportunities.
How did working together look pragmatically; what was the scope and process?
Levinson: There is the design of the show itself in the imagery that plays out before and after. We’ve got a couple of music cues that are original from the show that Hans Zimmer has done and Labrinth and Rosalía. Pierpaolo, I think, has been taking all these ideas and running with them, and I’ve been doing the same in terms of going out and shooting stuff. And then mapping it so that we experience all of it together and see this merging.
Piccioli: At the beginning, you see some frames from Euphoria in a kind of installation that is very emotional and cinematic. And then at the end, Sam is shooting these faces of the show. So in a way the frames from Euphoria will collide with the people walking in the show, so there will be this merging of the two perspectives.
Pierpaolo, how did you put these ideas and themes into the collection itself, and when did you start formulating it?
Piccioli: Right after the October show. I did a sort of new frame for a Balenciaga woman in October, because I felt we needed to redefine the Balenciaga woman. Then right after the show, I felt that I had to redefine the world around Balenciaga. To create a sort of community, a point of view, a more human perspective. And immediately I thought of Sam.
So even for that first show you were acting like a showrunner, storyboarding your main character.
Piccioli: I feel the urgency of depicting not only a portrait of the woman, but also a perspective on Balenciaga and the environment of this moment. I always keep in mind that my job is delivering a vision of beauty connected to the moment we are in. So for me it was really urgent to give a point of view about this moment.
Sam, Pierpaolo uses character to shape his fashion. Do you use fashion to shape your characters?
Levinson: When I’m building a character, I always imagine what they wear, how they move, how they sound. Fashion tells a lot about an individual, and it’s also a way to tap into the internal wants and wishes of a character. So it’s embedded in everything I write. Then it becomes about how the fashion looks within the world: that juxtaposition. If someone is dressed up in a space that is dressed down, for instance, there’s humour to it. Watching Pierpaolo work, what I’m so struck by is the elegance of his mind and how he is able to distill these ideas. To look at a world of clothing and materials and say this is about the tension of light and dark and its reflection within the individual. That way of being able to look at it is inspiring. I look at it almost individualistically—I am in the weeds [of a character]—while he has this more objective perspective on it that is reflective of emotion.
Piccioli: It’s about language and techniques. It’s always important to have a narrative, a point of view, and a perspective. Then you go deeper into your own job and you find a way. Of course, the more talented you are, the better it is: You have to hide your technique to get to that simplicity, to that magic. Sam has that. I’ve been on set and seen them working 12 hours a day. It’s a huge technique. It’s also about having the talent and the authority. The execution has to be as good as the idea.
Sam, do you see the potential for building more stories that are set in the world of fashion?
Levinson: I think if we can bridge these worlds more, and if we can create more of a story and a universe out of the respective work that we do, then the ability to reach more people becomes infinitely more possible. What has been beautiful about this experience for me is that I’m in the service of Pierpaolo’s vision. That’s been really exciting. It’s been really freeing, and it also brings me an immense amount of joy. I have such a deep admiration for Pierpaolo’s work, and working together has given me something that is so emotional and thrilling.
Piccioli: Same here! I hope we can deliver this fresco of humanity for this moment.
This story was originally published on Vogue.com.
