Introduction
Jacques de Bascher was a French cultural figure and filmmaker who directed Histoire d’Eau for Fendi in 1977. Commissioned to present Karl Lagerfeld’s first women’s ready-to-wear collection for the house, the 18-minute film followed model Susy Dyson through Rome’s fountains and became an early example of a branded fashion film.
De Bascher’s role at Fendi was brief but historically specific. He translated the collection into a cinematic narrative instead of documenting a conventional runway, helping the house launch ready-to-wear through place, character and moving image.
Design ethos
Histoire d’Eau treated fashion film as a self-contained atmosphere. Rome’s deserted streets and fountains became active parts of the collection’s image, while Susy Dyson’s wandering performance gave the clothes a light, episodic rhythm.
The project’s importance lies in presentation design: product, city and character were edited into one narrative at a point when seasonal fashion was still communicated chiefly through runway and print.
Disclaimer
Career history
1977
Fendi commissioned Jacques de Bascher to direct Histoire d’Eau, the film used to introduce the house’s first women’s ready-to-wear line. The project made moving image part of Fendi’s structural expansion beyond fur and leather.
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