Carine Roitfeld Has Her Eyes on the Future

If it weren’t for two important men in Carine Roitfeld’s life, the idea for CR Runway—her first-ever completely curated show after years of masterminding amfAR’s runway auction for charity—would never have been conceived. It was her son Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, the president and managing director of CR Fashion Book, who was struck with this “crazy idea.” It was first his dream and then it became hers.

And once CR Runway became Carine’s prize, she turned to the second man in her life for some guidance: Karl Lagerfeld, the late visionary and close personal friend whose advice and words of wisdom she still turns to for everything she does. The biggest lesson she learned: Do something that has never been done before. Be fearless.

The Roitfelds found a partner in LuisaViaRoma to make their very first runway so incredible, it will go down in history as an event to be remembered. Revolving around the luxury retailer’s 90th anniversary, the show will have 90 looks and play on the theme of the ‘90s, a decade that Roitfeld herself refers to as the golden age of fashion. There will be iconic supers and fresh-faced models, all sporting a curated mix of designer looks from the Fall/Winter 2019 collections—an unprecedented concept in the world of fashion.

Here, the iconic stylist shares why CR Runway is unlike any other, how she assembled her dream team, what she was like in the ‘90s, and why her relationship with Lagerfeld was so meaningful.

What makes CR Runway so special?
“If you think about it, it’s never happened. I’ve been working on amfAR’s Cannes charity gala for seven years. When it’s for charity, it’s ok for these brands to work together and join forces, because it’s for a good cause. This time will be different because there won’t be a charity. It will be shown as a full collection with big brands like Burberry, Dior, Givenchy, and Prada all on the same runway, along with new and exciting talent. There will be big screens and special edition catalogues on the chairs for people to take home. A lot of the brands have said yes to this because they understand how big this event is—and it’s something I learned from Karl, who was always doing something that had never been done before.”

You’ve assembled a dream team. Are they your family?
“We have Sam McKnight, the hairdresser; Tom Pecheaux, the makeup artist; Piergiorgio Del Moro, the casting director who worked with me for amfAR; and Michel Gaubert for music, who I’ve known for a long time. And since it’s a ‘90s tribute, there’s going to be a special performance with Lenny Kravitz, because he’s a celebrity in the ‘90s, and he loves fashion and people love Lenny Kravitz. We think big.”

Why the ‘90s?
“It’s LuisaViaRoma’s 90th anniversary, so the number came from that. And when you talk to fashion people, they always refer to the ‘90s as the golden years of fashion. Everyone is inspired by the ‘90s: the dress, the catwalk. There was Margiela, the beginning of Gucci, Gianni Versace. And the music, too—it was an explosion of new talent.”

What about yourself and your career in the ‘90s?
“I started with Tom Ford in the ‘90s. It was amazing. There were a lot of exciting things happening in the ‘90s. All the designers today, they always think about the ‘90s.”

Is there a moment from the ‘90s that you would want to relive?
“There was a lot of freedom to do everything. My best moments as an editor was in the ‘90s—when you see my book, the beautiful pictures are the ones I made during that time. I was fresh and fearless, and I had a sense of humor. There was a lot of humor then that is lost today. So many ideas came to me back then. I was spontaneous. I hope I’m still fresh, but I’m not as fresh, that’s for sure.”

What do you think of today’s obsession with the ‘90s?
“It’s not going to be a nostalgic show because I don’t think it’s good to stay in the past. You have to go forward. It can always be an inspiration, but this show is not going to be nostalgic at all. It’s about today, but it’s just inspired by the ‘90s.”

We’re a few weeks away from the debut of CR Runway—how do you feel?
“We started last planning last November and it seemed far away, and now it’s in two months. Everything’s in motion—we cannot stop the machine. I’m hoping it will be a magical moment for both us and for LuisaViaRoma, because we put everything in this to make it a fantastic moment.”