L i t t L e R e d R i d i n g H o o d

LittLe R e d R i d i n g h o o d

C o nve R sat i o n with MaR C JaC o b s

aRt d i R eCt i o n by town h o us e : anto n apaR i n & n i C k vo g e Ls o n

LittLe Red Riding Hood

For the first time, I am mixing different media such as drawings, fashion styling, photography,

Polaroids and collages, traveling in time through my archives to create the blueprint that best outlines

my personality as an artist with a fashion background, which has always been present throughout

the years…

Rummaging through my family album I discovered hidden photographs of my grandmother,

whose fashion influenced me the most while I was growing up. Her name was Mathilde, which is also

my middle name. I have always felt her presence in me since her death and I was proud that people

always said that I am just like her. My attraction to fashion and jewelry (when stealing my mom’s

dresses and high heels) made me a natural model, but the myths and legends that rocked my youth

made me a winner for the best costume contest dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood.

When I landed in New York, unsure of being ‘just an artist’ fresh out of Beaux Arts school, I was picked

by a talent scout from the famous Fiorucci house for my ability to design industrial objects into

wearable sculpture and jewelry. Textures, fabrics, and scents were no strangers to the little girl who

grew up in Africa, eager to go to the market and admire the craftsmanship of the locals, if it was

beading, tapestry, or goldsmithing.

When New York became my new playground, my subconscious blueprint exploded through the

ensuing decades of Art, Music and Fashion. The pages presented here will expose with humor the

fragility of an innocent little girl growing up fast in the world of the big bad wolves…

— Maripol, New York City, 2010

MAgiCAL

MoRoCCo

Once upon a time

In a land of Nomads, No man’s land for strangers

Looked upon as campers

There came a little girl

Eager to settle

Jolted through the desert to reach the next town

Eager to see the world

As her dad in a helicopter would hear the word

A girl! A joy after three boys

I grew up surrounded by love, nature and fun times with my three big brothers,

And being propelled like a plane

I became the tomboy, learning self defense and living in the trees

Raising silk worms, turtles, rabbits and chameleons

Once a week visiting the Souks in the most Ancient City

Inhaling the smells and watching the colors explode in the tanner market

Or the magic hands of gold and copper smiths

Tic-tac-toc

Imprint

In my memories

Mediterranea: an ancient bed for civilization of sailors and merchants, the Phoenicians;

my proud ancestors to whom I owe my creativity, my kingdom and freedom.

But one day suddenly I departed to my country of origin, to France, sadly leaving behind grandparents

and uncles who could not dare leave their dead behind.

Back in Morocco, years later, I would travel to Tangiers, hanging out with Paul Bowles and other

American poets; was this a premonition of my ‘American calling’?

How could I have escaped from a family tradition of grand voyageurs?

Little did I know that only a decade later I would land in New York, embarking in new chapters

of my life...

Mom and dad got married upon

return of my dad from World War II.

My mother Aline is part Maltese

on her dad’s side. They both had

six siblings. We grew up in North

Africa with nature and warmth from

both weather and love.

My uncle Alfred had an adoration

for his mom, I suspect he took her

picture on the sofa! He was a doctor,

writer, painter and spoke several

languages. The woman wearing

the burka passing by the arch

becomes a silhouette, there is a lot

of controversy around this ‘total look,’

but I think it’s elegant.

ENCHANTED

GARDEN

I left France and my family behind to conquer America, when I met this charming photographer, Edo.

I was still attending the Beaux Arts school, and thought that, even though I had learned English in

high school, I was unable to understand American English once I arrived in the States.

Reading newspapers and watching TV helped me overcome the language barriers. What an absolute

treat to have so many TV shows on brand new cable TV, such as American Bandstand, and Midnight

Blue America, a sex show, which were the inspiration for many drawings and pictures in this book.

We lived in an apartment uptown where I drew, I posed for Edo, I sewed and I snapped Polaroids.

We escaped the cold winter by going to the Islands, the whole time making accessories out of any

material I could get my hands on.

We drove a Harley-Davidson and our neighbors called us the ‘Punks of Downtown,’ so eventually

we moved to a loft downtown in NoHo. More space, more inspiration, more live music at CBGB.

Enchanted Garden was a club in Queens, opened by Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell before Studio 54

had opened.

We used to get there by a chartered bus.

The parties were Disco.

Antonio Lopez was King and the girls were high energy.

Grace Jones performed live.

When Studio 54 opened in 1977 there was a room where Oliviero Toscani would shoot portraits

of people coming in for Italian Vogue. Daniela Morera pulled me up in front of his camera.

I had made my black satin skirt especially for that night.

At Studio 54 a giant moon came down from the ceiling and shook white flakes down onto the

dance floor. The new drug of choice was cocaine, and this changed the music, the beat, the disco,

non-stop dancing.

Fiorucci’s store on 59th Street was the ultimate stop to get your vinyl jeans and glitter tops, before

going to Studio. Elio Fiorucci understood the term ‘branding’ early on and created designer jeans.

Fiorucci and his cappuccino bar were magnets for celebrities, with Leonardo Pastore bringing them in,

and his brother, Tito Pastore, as the chief designer from Milan, bringing us the fashion.

Someone asked me then, when I was in my jewelry store inside Fiorucci, how long does it take you

to dress like that in the morning. For which I answered,

“As long as it takes YOU to get dressed in the morning”.

Okay, I am a stylist, if you insist.

I did not hire one, I am one.

Back then there was a very fine line between day and night, we would have week-long all-night

parties at the store, while the artist Colette would be sleeping in her silk installation in our windows.

Truman Capote came with Andy Warhol to sign Interview magazine.

Joey Arias was running the store and was also in the band with Klaus Nomi, or Fabulon. Keith Haring

and Kenny Scharf had their most early shows there.

One night at Enchanted Garden, Mirabella, an Italian girl working for Fiorucci, spotted me wearing

the anodized fish earrings I had made, and she immediately ordered 300 pieces for the store.

Eventually, I designed the first jewelry line for them. This started my now 30-year relationship with

the Italians. I quickly learned to speak the language, which is not a very difficult achievement,

when what you really wish is to eavesdrop on your boyfriend’s conversations.

During the same era, there was a club uptown called Hurrah, opened by Harold Streitman and Arthur

Weinstein, located one flight up near Lincoln Center, where we danced all night long. Smaller clubs

made it easy to meet and talk to people.

We met Ricky Clifton—he was dating Elsa Peretti—and became one of our first friends, as well as the

famous transvestite Potassa de la Fayette, whom Edo had photographed the previous year.

New York was a small community.

Then we met Glenn O’Brien. He was a brilliant writer and the editor of Interview magazine, but he

wanted to start a new magazine called X. Edo and Glenn became inseparable. Glenn’s music column

Beat’ was the most avant-garde. It was illustrated with Edo’s pictures that I styled. It was pure bliss

to encounter legends such as Nile Rodgers from Chic, Deborah Harry, Chris Stein, Robert Fripp, etc.

Antonio Lopez also linked us together: Grace Jones, Disco Diva, Jean-Paul Goude. Master of early

Photoshop, who, by cutting negatives and air brushing his pictures, could turn you into the most

incredible acrobat.

The 42nd Street Fresco by Jean-Paul Goude took one month to complete, done by shooting

small groups. You can spot writer Victor Bockris, punk singer Edwige, publisher Xavier Moreau,

artist Ronnie Cutrone, Grace Jones, myself, and many others.

Styling was a vehicle for me to explore 42nd Street, like shoe shops catering to drag queens and

prostitutes. Now 42nd Street is a giant stall mall…

it was october 1976.

on our second day in

new york, maripol and

i went up the empire

state building. the city

opened up in front of

our eyes. we immediately

realized it was the

perfect backdrop for

our projects. it was

the beginning of a

wonderful creative

adventure together,

witnessed by many of the

pictures in this book.

— edo

Our first studio apartment on 84th

Street, between Colombus and

Central Park. On Christmas 1977

Edo gave me my first

SX-70 Polaroid. I drew, I sewed, I

scratched, painted Polaroids if I

didn’t like them.

angels in my life

angels in my work

angels in my dreams

children angels

better to angels

angelinos all over

my right angel

your left angel

angel by the gross

multiple angels

angels of mercy

delight of the night

of the sight,

images of the past

and transfered tomorrow

in a cd-rom

roaming the streets

of the ghosts of the town

we miss you all

— maripol

From left to right. Fashion show at

Elio Fiorucci 78. Studio 54 opening.

Joey Arias’ Band, Strange Party.

Colette. Ann Magnuson. Carmen

D’Alessio. My Concession Store.

Andy Warhol and Elio Fiorucci

at Fiorucci L.A. store opening.

Inflatable cake for the 15 years

anniversary party of Elio’s label at

Studio 54. Eliette Amar. Roberto

Latuna & Colette.

mgp

IMAGE TO COME

IMAGE TO COME

SCREAMERS

Tommy Gear, ARP synthesizer, vocals and music composition; Tomata du Plenty, vocals; K.K. Barrett,

drums; Paul Roessler, Fender Rhodes piano treated with distortion effects; Trudie Barrett, fan club.

I met The Screamers in 1978 when they performed the night of Fiorruci’s grand opening in an

ancient theatre located in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. After just a few songs the ceiling started to

crack and they were asked to stop playing. I was with Edo and we stayed at the Chateau Marmont. It

was there that I threw a late-night pool party, because of which we were promptly asked to leave the

next day. The cops had shut down one of the best Hollywood pre-punk parties, where naked bodies

were swimming in the pool.

After that impromptu, I invited The Screamers to come to New York City, where they were able to

play at Hurrah and CBGB. Jim Fouratt, founder of the Gay and Liberation Front in New York, was

booking bands like Klaus Nomi, Lounge Lizards and Gray. We then threw an unplanned concert

for The Screamers at Olivier Mosset’s loft. We were overwhelmed when we saw the rushing water

flooding down the stairs, caused by some punks that had tampered with the water valves. Needless

to say, it was a very memorable night.

As The Screamers were leaving to go back to Los Angeles, I jumped into their van on the spur of

the moment to join them as they crossed America. It was an unforgettable road trip that gave me a

sense of the immensity of the States. We drove nonstop, taking turns at the wheel. Leaving Sunday,

arriving Wednesday in Hollywood. I stayed with The Screamers at Tommy and Tomata’s place, known

as the Wilton Hilton - a creepy old mansion where cult members had previously sacrificed cats back

in the 1960’s. Scary noises, electrical shocks and sometimes random objects settled on my legs,

would wake me up in the middle of the night. I could sense that the occult was part of Tomata’s life

ever since he had snuck us in the back entrance of Universal Studios at night, to see the abandoned

grave of Rudolph Valentino, invaded by hundreds of wild cats.

X: Exene Cervenka, lead singer; John Doe and Billy Zoom, bass guitarists. The first time I flew to Los

Angeles was with my good friend, Muriel Cervenka. Her sister, Exene, and the whole band X came

to pick us up at the airport in their van. I was about to discover the most powerful rock band out of

the LA scene. Poetess and rocker with a soul, is how I would describe Exene. Muriel starred in her

husband Gordon Stevenson’s film, Ecstatic Stigmatic, The night of the film opening, in Los Angeles,

Muriel was killed by a hit and run incident. Muriel’s freak accident was a huge loss for Exene, but she

courageously didn’t let herself slow down… Hollywood Babylon.

back in the bad old punk rock daze

of the pre-mtv era, maripol and i befriended

each other amidst the midnight glitteratti

and scattered trash of new yorkʼs

then-desolate downtown streets,

where club kids and culture vultures could

be found mingling alongside drug kingpins

and artistic visionaries—

a vertiginous mashup unleashing powerful

creative energies that would propel

some of us and, sadly, destroy countless

others. living by our wits, on the

edge and beyond the pale, required a savvy

sensibility with a certain sense of style.

with cosmopolitan éclat, maripol indelibly

introduced a spicy soupçon of french

verve to the scene. venturing forth from

her loft at broadway and bleecker,

armed with her ever-present polaroid

sx-70 camera, maripol became an instant

ethnographer of the divine and the

demented, documenting her friends

(famous and infamous) for fun and fashion—

fleeting moments of the late twentieth

century, frozen by a unique photochemistry,

now images of lost time sitting

in the palm of your hand.

— tommy gear

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UNDER

GROUND

Roaming the Streets

Of Downtown Manhattan,

With a can of spray paint was Jean-Michel Basquiat’s favorite pastime; writing and drawing on

the walls of Manhattan was his means of expression, of his state of mind. Their political or popular

consonance carried more weight than anything else we could see around.

On the other hand, the media for Keith Haring was white chalk on black subway panels, waiting to be

covered by ads.

1979 in New York, where this wildlife underground, young and carefree was going to become the

new protagonist of an artistic movement that was going to explode.

The Mudd Club was our living room, the night our bed, the day our heaviness!

Children of a New Beat Generation.

Hitting the walls with their marks.

Cavemen had done it millions of years ago.

The Graffiti Writers left their mark and covered trains. One winter, the Fabulous Five (Fab Five Freddy

and Lee Quinones) entirely covered two train cars on the #5 line.

‘MERRY CHRISTMAS NEW YORK CITY’.

Music, Fashion, Poetry, Art.

The leisure of being free-spirited artists, low rent. There was no concept of ‘nouvelle cuisine’ and

‘gym deluxe’. We ate at Steve’s Corner Diner after leaving the Mudd Club. We swam on hot summer

nights in public pools; Carmine Pool, Tompkins Square Park, etc. This was the closest we came

to sophistication.

The ultimate goal at the time was to have your band play at CBGB or Mudd Club, to be part of the

PS1 show, developed by Diego Cortez in Queens, or hang out at the art beach front at the bottom

of WTC, where Battery Park is now, to show your painted clothes on paper (by Mary Lemley) at the

Squat Theatre on 23rd Street.

To have your Halloween costume ready for your live appearance on Glenn O’Brien’s TV Party,

“That is a cocktail party, but which could be a political party”.

Jean-Michel was charismatic.

In the summer of 1978 Edo and I went back to Europe, there we got the idea for a film about a young

protagonist rummaging through Manhattan. I wrote the first synopsis. Being a foreigner propelled in

this downtown New Wave made it so important for us to document it, I suppose. I presented the idea

to Elio Fiorucci, thinking this New Wave would not last forever. Elio found the funds, Glenn wrote the

script, co-produced, Edo directed and I was the art director. We realized, when Jean-Michel Basquiat

came diligently to our screening tests, that he would be much more interesting as the main character

in New York Beat, than our original choice of protagonist Danny Rosen.

“A star was born”.

The winter of 1980-1981 was the harshest in years, in every sense. We filmed New York Beat in two

months without realizing that it would never see the light in the same era. It was completed in 2000

under a new title, Downtown 81, and became a cult film for new generations to witness the 80’s.

In 2000, Downtown 81 was selected in the Directors’ Fortnight category at Cannes Film Festival,

chosen among 300 films along with Shadow of the Vampire, starring John Malkovich and Willem

Dafoe, and Girlfight, starring Michelle Rodriguez. I always wonder if that was a good year or a bad

year for the Directors’ Fortnight selection. When they called us to announce our nomination,

they asked us: “Is the actor the real Jean-Michel Basquiat?”.

In Cannes, I was an emotional wreck after years of work; restoring, editing, enhancing the sound,

color correcting the film to the original 16mm warmth of 70’s Kodak stock. All the while I was watching

someone I missed so much, but I was happy to have fulfilled a promise to Jean-Michel, made before

his death in August 1988, to complete this film, showing the strength and beauty of one of the most

important contemporary artists of his generation.

New York 30 years later has lost this frankness. Fanatic mayors and a city oriented on financial gain

alone will always try to kill this artistic spontaneity that is the spirit of New York, while we, at each

street corner, we see the laughing and furtive silhouette of a young painter who will stand out in our

lives forever…

maripol defined

the art rock scene and shaped it

into what is now

a world-wide phenomenon

— steven mass

THE

POPPYS

POP POP music, the Pope, the puppies, the poppies.

One year, when I was in Art school, I studied Popism, and would go see anything concerning Andy

Warhol, I saw his movies with Joe D’Alessandro and naively didn’t realize that the actresses were

men in drag.

In this period, Martin Scorsese’s first film, Mean Streets, was in the theater down the street from me.

I recall the night shot of Little Italy. I was fascinated by American culture, reinforced by my brothers’

taste in music from Dylan to the Blues Men.

I needed to pay for my studies, so, putting to use my knowledge of pattern making, on weekends I

would head to the flea market to sell my clothing designs made with antique white linen and 70’s fabrics

that I colored with natural dyes. They were so popular that I had to go to Paris to get more 50’s dresses

imported from the US, usually driving with my friend Friquet Morellet, whose brother Florent also eventually

settled in New York. Florent became an active member of the community and opened the best 24-hour

French comfort food dinner, set in the meat market. This is where we frequently ended up after

Jackie 60’s nights.

I met Edwige in Paris when she was only 17, an imposing beauty, shy and mysterious. She went on to

become a top model, signed on by City Models’ founder Frederika Levy. She became the darling of

Thierry Mugler and Jean-Paul Gaultier and posed with Andy Warhol for the cover of Façade magazine.

Punk was becoming fashionable and Edwige became an expert at piercing herself with safety pins.

After that came the tattoo craze, seen here in action by tattoo artist Ruth Marten. Edwige was the lead

singer in the band Mathématiques Modernes, the band she had with Claude Arto, singing with the

boyish voice that was characteristic of the new sound of Electronic Pop. The group was produced by

Jean Caracos who created the Celluloid label. During the same period, Bernard Zekri and Jean-François

Bizot founded Actual magazine and Radio Nova that rocked us with Alternative Punk Rock and World

Music that came from all corners of the globe.

Edwige eventually came to visit us in New York and started to sing lounge accompanied by Robert

Aaron. She became as magnetized as we were. There are very few places like New York where the

energy engulfs you. Here you’re left stuck in the middle of the island of Manhattan, and you can

never leave… The city that never sleeps…

MARIPOLITAN

Maripolitan was my jewelry company for years (which I operated out of the Loft in NoHo)

until, thanks to a not so great landlord and lack of an elevator that made my business hard to operate,

I moved the business to a gallery store at the corner of Bleecker and Lafayette in the Louis Sullivan

building. I opened in October of 1984 to a crowd of downtowners. Ann Magnuson performed

breaking plates…

Soon I was able to see crack dealers from my office window and realized NoHo was not very safe,

then the mafia followed, demanding to see my books... The trash collectors refused to pick up

cardboard boxes. So many things to be confronted with, I realized early on that if you are a woman

alone you have to fight twice as hard. My next-door neighbor flooded the building (he wanted to

expand) so all my rubber production was floating in oil (the building was a former gas station).

Insurance companies blamed the City and vice versa. My luck was running out and I decided to end

the gruesome task of trying to run the business with no bank loans and declared bankruptcy in 1986.

Andy Warhol, my biggest supporter, came to the closing and bought a bunch of jewelry items for his

nieces. AIDS was ravaging the City and so many friends died. Reagan had succeeded in closing

numerous small businesses by sending crooked IRS agents to perform unexpected audits. Once when

I was traveling to the Orient my account was seized and that stressed me out so much that I started

smoking a pack a day, even though I had quit years ago.

During the same period I had interviews with MTV and with Madonna for French TV, the first MTV

Award Memorable Performance… Album covers…

Madonna was the closest I ever had to a sister, and to have had the pleasure of working with her was

the juice of my life. I nurture these memories deep within me of watching a young girl become the most

phenomenal artist of her generation.

I was very productive and the fashion press loved my designs. Downtown was a magnetic field for

artists all living within just a mile’s radius: Jean-Michel Basquiat, Francesco Clemente, Robert

Rauschenberg, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, etc… Before cell phones existed, we could just drop in

on each other.

The club scene changed, the music changed, and clubs like Roxy or Paradise Garage were pumping the

music. Later in 1985, Area was the place to go. Eric Goode had monthly themes and it was so much fun.

Edo had fallen into drugs and we had separated in 1982. It was so painful to see my life partner

wasting such talent that I just worked and worke d as a stylist and image consultant for many other

great photographers such as Georges DuBose, Giampietro Favero, Jean-Paul Goude, Torkil Gudnason,

Curtis Knapp, Kiri Teshigahara, Wayne Maser and Steven Meisel, whom I collaborated with on the

iconic Madonna Like a Virgin album, styling and sewing away… The rest is history…

poor maripol always had to repeat herself

to me as i could never understand her

very heavy, but beautiful french accent.

however it seemed that nothing could stop

her from achieving her goals in the tangles

of the fashion and art world of nyc. little

red riding hood has indeed bitten that

big bad old wolf in the ass.

— deborah harry

From left to right. In the Loft: CC,

Madonna, Keith Haring, Martin.

Self portrait. Madonna, Futura and

I (photo by Keith Haring). Queens.

Martin and Madonna. David, Erika,

Madonna and Bagz. Madonna first

album cover. Tom Cruise and I.

In Queens. Trying oufits for Keith

Haring’s anniversary party at Paradise

Garage (Madonna performed Like a

Virgin live). Madonna at Danceteria

and Sag Harbor club.

THE REDSQUARES WILL

BE DIE CUT

SCANSIONE(TUB0)

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

OTTAVO MARIPOLITAN

RENAISSANCE

Renaissance

(French for ‘rebirth’; Italian, Rinascimento, from ri- ‘again’ and nascere ‘be born’)

I cannot explain life’s miracles, and I cannot try to ignore them.

I recall the hot nights in places filled with authenticity. When styled Les inrockuptibles rocked in style.

Through legends of Aesthetes, they came and conquered a moment, which they will never forget.

New pioneers of decades so risky, explosion of music so intense, fashionable divas, soft cushions

sofas, posing and mocking, loving and creating.

Genre gathering crowds, they were the darling of our world, fused with passion.

If we did not cross the Atlantic what would have happen to us, like an archeologist on the ground

of a new discovery exploring a civilization, I searched for answers many times, my existentialist

questions always hitting the same wall, and when I expected the least, I had a child, one soul gone,

one soul come. I let the blue light come in the hills of Hollywood, I let angels guide me and I used

their wings in all my work, I too experience Sickness and pain, loss and misfortune, but I gain weight

and my balance settled, I am thankful to be alive, thankful to have met such Artist as Mylene who

always understood without words my loss of identity.

We cannot let the world go down in the Abyss of our Oceans, to be responsible for nature and our

children is the biggest challenge we are facing, are you ready to open your eyes and look around,

if so you can see beauty in every corner of our universe!

Let’s ride the Renaissance wave! Love to all…

Maripol: It’s been a long time since we’ve spoken in person. I saw you at your party at the Boom

Boom Room. Marc, I really thank you for doing this, it means a lot to me.

Marc Jacobs: Sure, I am happy to do it. I actually don’t remember the first time we met, I knew about

you from a very early age. First time I ever set foot into Fiorucci I was 15 and I was, like, completely

crazy. I was hanging out there quite a bit. And you know I grew up most of my life in New York so I

was very conscious of the scene and I knew who you were before you knew who I was, I was just a kid.

Maripol: Do you know that Joey Arias showed his documentary yesterday, opening at the Tribeca

Film Festival? It was amazing: Arias With a Twist. I don’t know if you saw his play last year?

Marc Jacobs: No, I didn’t see it.

Maripol: It’s amazing. At the end, I was crying, seeing all these people in it. There was rare footage

of Andy at Fiorucci, it’s a very well done documentary. I wish him the best, honestly, he was really

creative and crazy and stuff, and I was the art director. When you think about people like Keith

Haring or Jean-Michel Basquiat, who used to have shows there, before the big commercial galleries

concept, it was astonishing.

Marc Jacobs: Yes, I remember. I was 15, in the city for the summer and I was going to Fiorucci every

day and I met Marc “Cha Cha” Fernandez.

Maripol: Yes, I still see him. He came to the launching of the line Marc by Marc at the store on

Bleecker Street.

Marc Jacobs: So I was always going to Fiorucci, I loved that place, it was such a New York scene.

I mean there wasn’t a New York scene, but it was such a big deal in the city, and there were so many

people I met there. And, like you said, before there was this gallery scene, Fiorucci was this kind of life…

Maripol: I know what you mean, when everything comes in a package, right. But did you really know

early on that you were attracted by fashion? Did you go to Parsons, by the way?

CONVERSATION WITH MARC JACOBS

Marc Jacobs: I went to the High School of Design first. I was into fashion from an early age, but

again, like I said, I was very aware of what was going on. Do you remember the Sweet Beat

Production, that magazine concession within Fiorucci? I was always going there to buy magazines

like Interview, but then I was very conscious of the scene and even when I was like 13, or 14, I was

reading about all these people, so I really got it from going to Fiorucci. I didn’t even realize you were

the art director at the time, obviously. I knew more about you when you started doing your jewelry

and of course through your association with Madonna. That’s when I became super aware of you and

what you were up to.

Maripol: By the way, Robert Duffy twittered about the launch of the line recently—I completely

forgot—that I might have given you jewelry for the first show you ever had?

Marc Jacobs: No, no, he thought so too, but he was confused. The first connection I had was

Debbie Rockabilly or Debi Mazar, she had done the makeup for the show and that was in a

restaurant but you didn’t do the jewelry.

Maripol: We tried, I remember the beginning of your collaboration with Louis Vuitton you asked me

to do some rubber thing, you remember? It’s funny, everything comes around. Do you know that

after we met, I was close friend with one of your boyfriends who unfortunately passed away, which

also reflects in the documentary, the sadness of our New York, because people left really fast and

we have been going through a lot of rough times. We lost so many talents and loved ones. And

you know what really bugs me now? It’s almost as if we became numb to it because it becomes a

casualty, but back then it took people two weeks and in two weeks they were gone.

Marc Jacobs: I know. It’s crazy, I met so many younger people and because they have no exposure

or they didn’t know this era, and sometimes I see in them this kind of reaction to illness or death

or whatever and I think it’s so strange. And I realized that part of it is that you become a little

desensitised because we were all affected so much and it was so extreme and so constant that

there was this weird sensitivity.

Maripol: I agree. It’s almost as when you watch CNN and you see the war in Iraq every day and you

become numb to it. I think it’s like a defence mechanism so we don’t go through so much suffering,

don’t you think?

Marc Jacobs: Well, yes, I think you’re right, but it also has to do with the era that we grew up in and

the amount of time that we’ve lived. So again, younger generations are living in a different era, and

there is also a little bit of a social disconnection. We didn’t grow up socializing through the internet

or any virtuality. There was much more real interaction back then. Even at Fiorucci, people would go

there and hang out and meet people and then you’d go to people opening and things like that.

There was much more of an exchange of ideas and more communication and I think young people, in

a way, have become desensitized because they don’t have to face people face to face, they do it by

internet, which is really strange.

Maripol: It is, it’s very weird to see people walking in a street or people working and texting and I

say to them: how can you instant message and work at the same time? And since you mentioned

it, let’s talk about to the club scene. What is the first concert or the first club you went to? What is

your first memory of New York clubs?

Marc Jacobs: The first club I went to was Hurrah. I used to go there quite a bit. I was working at the

W Wilhelmina Agency in New York, so I used to be put on the list, but at the same time I was also

going to Studio 54 and the Mudd Club. So you know it was quite exciting. I started going out when

I was 15.

Maripol: So we did the same circuit. You know, I lived ten blocks away from Hurrah, which was still

a bit disco and at the same time there was Xenon and Studio 54. And after Arthur Weinstein walked

away… What happened is that at some point I started to meet the bands and people like John Lurie,

who formed The Lounge Lizards and had their first concert there. And people from Los Angeles that

I had met, the Screamers and that’s part of the chapter in the book, like X Band, Exene Cervenka,

who just came in the store in Los Angeles and Jennifer was so thrilled to meet her. We kind of started

to realize that disco was fading, I am not saying it was ending, they always had the rock club like

Maxs and CBGB, but there was the punk-rock explosion and there was that new wave merging from

London and all of the sudden we needed more venues.

Marc Jacobs: And I don’t know if there is something that happened that came close to that. But even

at the time it felt like something new was happening, there was really an exchange of ideas between

people and different creative professions and you know, somehow it was rough and raw. So it wasn’t

so organized or planned or manipulated or calculated, it was really beautiful because it was a

spontaneous and raw kind of energy. That was so great.

Maripol: Which I think is what we miss. The young generation, they want to know about what we lived

and they are always asking me what it was like. But, I am saying, in a way there is a new art scene,

and a music scene but it seems like there is a huge shopping mall and everything becomes more

commercialized, I completely agree. What about Jackie 60? We hung out there a lot in the late 80’s.

Marc Jacobs: Again, Johnny and Chichi belong to New York, and they were so much a part of the

city, and they had that experience, so the thing is that they were able to create something with

authenticity and integrity. It’s so impossible to recreate or create energy, you know. It’s only genuine

when there is some integrity and authenticity, and again there is experience, so I think that Jackie 60

was the place that could happen, because of Johnny and Chichi.

Maripol: Exactly. And you could have poetry reading at the same time as there were kids from Coney

Island and the best drag queen shows, it was definitely great.

Maripol: So, lets talk about Paris and New York. What do you see in terms of difference in style?

Marc Jacobs: Well I always loved Paris, it’s a great place but it’s so different from New York, and I

feel really lucky that I got to go back and forth between the two places. But New York energy is so

unique, and Paris to me is just a really beautiful and cool place to chill. And I am not involved in the

gallery scene there, and most of my friends there are Americans, or just travelling through. They are

very few people that I am close to who live there, people just come over for dinner, but New York is

always the place where I find it more inspiring.

Maripol: So what you are saying is that New York still has the edge of the street style, right?

Marc Jacobs: Yes, because there is youth culture in New York that I don’t find in Paris.

Maripol: Yes, or it’s all the way in Bastille or Oberkampf…

Marc Jacobs: I mean, I am not saying that there isn’t or that there hasn’t been a rock scene in France,

but you know the music scene has always been in London or New York. Even the hip hop or the rap

community in Paris always seems kind of funny compared to the American scene. Paris is a museum

city, it’s beautiful but it’s quite provincial. That’s what makes London and New York so unique.

Maripol: Right. It’s interesting because now I am at a point in my life where when I go to France

I like it. It is more relaxing there, like you said, I also have my family; we hang out outside of Paris.

It’s more restful after that New York energy. But then, I do not feel French as much. And then when

I come back to New York, somehow, maybe because I am older, and my son is 20 and I have an

“American-French” boy, he grew up in New York, but he is completely bilingual. But what’s really

weird is that I do not feel American either, even though I am American now. So I think that, I am not

saying that we are very similar, but I think that we both have a heart in the middle of the ocean, not

knowing where our foot is going to be.

Marc Jacobs: But that’s totally cool. That’s one of the things I am most grateful for, that I really get

to enjoy both. Like when I am feeling too energetic or stressed then I get a break in Paris, and when

I get too bored in Paris then I get to come to New York. It works out really well and I think it’s really

wonderful to be able to enjoy both things. No?

Maripol: By the way, I saw the documentary that Loïc Prigent did, it made me feel like, I am not

saying sad, I am not saying I felt sorry for you, on the contrary, but it showed how hard your job

is, how difficult it is, and the pressures that you have. And to be able to pull it off is just amazing.

You have two companies, even three or maybe four, as a matter of fact, I don’t even know, but it’s

amazing to be able to juggle and balance yourself and be strong about it, you know. And I know that

you have been going through a lot of changes in your life and I can only tip my hat to you, because

staying strong is what makes people go around. You know what I mean! The strength!

Marc Jacobs: Yes, I mean I am lucky I work with so many great people and that we have been able

to collaborate with so many great people such as yourself. My ego allows me to do things with other

people, I had this great thing with Vuitton and Sprouse, and of course with Marc Jacobs we did the

thing with you and others, and it’s great, but I think the work is always difficult but because you are

passionate about it. Then you kind of do it, and again because we’re open to allowing other people

in it, it kind of makes it new all the time. Which is really a great thing.

Maripol: I think so too. And also what I like about you is that you really had the best sense of

bringing art into fashion. And having collaborating with Murakami and other Japanese designers or

American and European, you know where your ground is and where you are and if I do understand

you, you really don’t think there is a separation between music, movies, art and fashion…

Marc Jacobs: Yes. Again I think we are part of a generation that didn’t have to put ourselves in a

box and say this is what I do and I only do this and I think that’s something to be really grateful for.

We grew up in a world where it was ok to exchange ideas with other people and again it wasn’t

so rigid, and it’s like you said about the new wave and punk movement, it was much more raw and

tougher and it was about a bunch of people who had something to say. It wasn’t so boxed in and so

pre-fabricated. It was something very organic and cool and very hard you know, which is great.

Maripol: I agree. There is a kind of voyeurism in us and some kind of visionary. And we could say

that about a lot of other artists too, but the fact that I came here in 1976, and the fact that I met

people like Jean-Michel Basquiat, who was only 18, or René Ricard, then I think that if I had been an

American… When you are a photographer… It felt like I was a peeping Tom, it was really amazing for

me to come and to see all these crazy fun artists like James White and I think that when I went to the

Mudd Club or CBGB and saw the B-52’s the first time they played. And Blondie, The Talking Heads,

even James Brown at Irving Plaza. I grew up with all the American music, but to be able to

see it live, it became necessary to capture it. It was a stroke of genius to have done a film about it

too, to witness and to show the kids now, because what matters is that the new generation, and like

you said it’s a little bit scary they got so much instant information, they get to educate themselves,

basically, don’t you think?

Marc Jacobs: Yes, of course, but you know, everybody has their path and, again, there is again

a thing we share in common it feels very… I mean I spoke with Kim Hastreiter and other people

about those times and stuff like that, and obviously there are still a bunch of us who have that

experience and those references, but you know there are new things today, life goes on and it goes

on differently. But we should be really grateful that we got to experience what we did, and again that

we all kind of get to use it, and also that there is attention for it. Look at the success of what you did

with us you know, there is a whole other generation, they’re just discovering for the first time, but

they know something about it but they don’t really know about it.

Maripol: Exactly. And it’s not like we spent millions to publicize the line. It just flows naturally,

it became instantly successful. Also you know I fell in love with all your people to tell you the truth.

I am freelance but I feel like you have an incredible big family, that’s what I like about it. And you’re

very human and I have grown to know Joey, who is a friend of my son, and Weylon, who I knew

before I started to do this with you, and then Jennifer that I knew when she used to work at APC,

and Reed and Meghan and Jon Lynn and it’s really great to be part of this and I really thank you for

this opportunity by the way because it was my first comeback after 25 years in design.

Marc Jacobs: Well I was thrilled and so happy when Reed and I first talked about it, I was like, this is

so cool I am so excited, it’s one of those really nice rewards for having those experiences and having

the ability to use them, to draw on them and to share them again and again and again with a group of

people who never knew them.

− New York City, May 2010

Opening photome in Little Red costume by mom, photo by dad

Spread 1Marijuana leaves entwine with vines

Spread 2First Communion with my dove

Spread 3The Koutoubia minaret, drawing and Polaroid by Maripol

Spread 4My grandmother Mathilde Abi Azar on her wedding day (studio photographer); a cage which is a globe, gold drawing by Maripol

Spread 5See captions on the pages

Spread 6Maripol at six months (studio photographer); Maripol at 20, La Rocca, Italy, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 7Mathilde, 1920 circa (unknown photographer)

Spread 8Lines drawings, line cuts by Maripol, 1975,woman in white; my uncle Alfred in his youth

Spread 9Egyptian hieroglyphs by Maripol, Royan’s beach, at Beaux Arts school; confirmation, Baalbek, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon; Fellouk on the Nile; dancing at Beaux Arts; our sculpture class; Virginie and I in La Baule; dad always had a camera at the beach; my cousin Bernadette and I smoking the chicha; temple in Aswan, Egypt

Spread 1Plane and New York City Empire State Building, Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 2Edo and I on the plane

Spread 4Edo and I on top of the Empire State Building, 1976, all Polaroids of architecture by Maripol

Spread 5Boombox, scratched Polaroid by Maripol; Edo and Maripol, photo by David Armstrong; picture of the studio by Edo; Wendy, drawing by Maripol; Maripol and Wendy, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 6Scooter dress, sketch by Maripol; blue raincoat on the roof of 84th Street, picture by Edo Bertoglio; plastic transformation of Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 7Edo and I; poem and drawing of Edo by Maripol

Spread 8Maripol, studio photo by Edo Bertoglio, 1977; Bénédicte and Maripol; Maripol on a car, photo by Edo Bertoglio; drawing on tracing paper by Maripol; Grace Jones, Polaroid by Maripol; Larissa, Steve Rubell and Maripol; Patricia, Lorenza, Maripol, Mattia Bonetti, Marie Beltrami

Spread 9Collage of Manhattan postcards and poem by Maripol

Spread 10Maripol smoking, photo by Edo Bertoglio; early 1977 jewelry

Spread 11On the motorbike; Maripol in contact sheet by Edo Bertoglio; Edo and Maripol, photo by Lucas Bonetti; Edo on the motorbike, photo by Maripol; Maripol leaning on the motorbike, photo by Edo Bertoglio; Olivier Mosset and Maripol on Bikers, filming photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 12Sex, montage drawing by Maripol with contact sheet of Laura and photo by Edo Bertoglio; Maripol and Ram, 1978 New Year’s Eve, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 13Maripol modeling her skirt, photo by Edo Bertoglio; pleated skirt with raphia, sketch by Maripol

Spread 14Donna Jordan and Pat Cleveland modeling skirts in Fiorucci shop windows, Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 15Models wearing curtain dresses during Fiorucci’s 15 years anniversary party at Studio 54 (performance by Joey Arias’s band, Strange Party, and Madonna)

Spread 16See captions on the pages

Spread 17Maripol with Atom the cat showing curtain dresses in the downtown Loft

Spread 18Kirsten modeling sci-fi designs by Maripol, photo by Edo Bertoglio; drawings by Maripol (except for top right sketch by Juan)

Spread 19Grace Jones wearing Maripol’s slinky bracelets, photo by Anton Perich

Spread 20Slinky Bracelet modeled by Grace Jones, Polaroids by Maripol (mesh dress by Stephen Burrows)

Spread 21Sketch by Maripol; model on green cube, photo by Jean-Paul Goude

Spread 22Orangina commercial directed by Jean-Paul Goude, styling by Maripol; drawings by Jean-Paul Goude, Polaroids by Maripol, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 2342nd Street, photo by Jean-Paul Goude, sketch notes and styling by Maripol

Spread 1The graffiti wall I did in my class with plaster and carpet. I invited my classmates to spray on it, 1975

Spread 2Truck on the docks of Nantes, charcoal drawing by Maripol Spread 3The Screamers: Tomata du Plenty, Paul Roessler, Tommy Gear, photo by Moshe Brakha

Spread 4On the road, Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 5Grand Canyon, North Rim view, photo by Maripol

Spread 6Hollywood, drawing by Tomata du Plenty; Laurie, Brendan Mullen, Trudie, KK, Tomata, Sheela Edwards, Chloe, Gigi Cutrone, Maripol, Polaroids by Maripol, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 7-8Maripol in Hollywood, 1978, photo by Edo Bertoglio; Chinese dress, drawing and tracing paper by Maripol

Spread 9X, drawing by Maripol

Spread 10Victor Bokris, Gigi Cutrone, Polaroids with marker by Maripol; self-portrait, cut out Polaroid by Maripol

Spread 11Jane Wieldin, Go-Go’s, Exene and Muriel Cervenka, John Doe, letter by Exene Cervenka, all Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 12Photo by Edo Bertoglio handpainted by Maripol

BookletArtwork by Maripol

Spread 13Pink drawings by Maripol

Spread 14Drawing by Maripol; Penelope and Muriel Cervenka, Polaroid by Maripol

Spread 1On the set of Downtown 81, writing by Jean-Michel Basquiat, photo by Edo Bertoglio, courtesy New York Beat Films/The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Spread 2Jean-Michel Basquiat and Madonna in Limo, photo by Patisse

Spread 3Self-portrait with ski mask, Polaroid with marker by Maripol

Spread 4Sex Pistols graffiti; Keiko and Klaus Nomi, Polaroid by Maripol; Head, Polaroid, courtesy by The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat; Martin Rev and Alan Vega, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 5Polaroids by Maripol shot during the filming of Downtown 81

Spread 6Rae Spencer-Cullen and unknown punkette, Polaroid by Maripol; texts and drawings by Maripol

Spread 7Lugano, 1977, photo by Edo Bertoglio; sketches by Maripol; top: Sheila E, middle: Whip Belt in rubber by Maripol, bottom: Anya Philips, Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 8Maripol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 9Suzanne Mallouk, photo by Edo Bertoglio, costume by Maripol; 6 am, portraits of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 10On the set of Downtown 81, photo by Edo Bertoglio, courtesy by New York Beat Films

Spread 11Baseball and Head, drawings by Jean-Michel Basquiat; photos from the set of Downtown 81: Debi Mazar, Alof, James White, Ann Carlisle, Lee and Five Fab Freddy, photo by Edo Bertoglio, courtesy by The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat

Spread 12Deborah Harry, Maripol and Teri Toye on the set of Glenn O’Brien’s TV Party, photo by Bobby Grossman

Spread 13Walter Steding playing music on the opening party of Maripol’s Loft in 1979, photo by George DuBose; Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 1Jay Johnson, Edwige Belmore, Maripol, Delia Doherty, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 2Drawing on refrigerator in the Loft by Kenny Scharf

Spread 3Skull, drawing by Edwige; Andy Warhol with SX-70 Polaroid, photo by Anton Perich

Spread 4Edwige and Maripol, photo by Edo Bertoglio; tattoo artist Ruth Marten and Edwige, Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 5Andy Warhol signing Edwige’s book, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 6Top Polaroid, Martin, Andy and Keith at Mr Chow, 1985; Edwige and Andy; Edwige with body paint by Ruth Marten; Maripol in wig at Keith Haring’s exhibition; fundraising invitation for Martin Burgoyne, artwork by Keith Haring; Debi Mazar, Keith Haring, Jacqueline Schnabel, Tereza Scharf, Polaroid by Maripol

Spread 7Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, photo by Ricky Powell

Spread 8Dress, artwork with newspaper and paint by Maripol; letter by Andy Warhol addressed to the Immigration Office

Spread 9Edwige and Ronnie Cutrone, Polaroid by Maripol; drawing by Keith Haring, courtesy by The Keith Haring Foundation/Bruno Schmidt

Spread 10Andy Warhol and Maripol; Madonna look-alikes contest at Macys, 1985, photo by Roxanne Lowit; Andy Warhol with contest winner Jean Ann DiFranco, photo by Roxanne Lowit

Spread 11Lips Compile from Girls; Wendy Whitelaw, Edwige, Fabienne and Cookie Mueller; Martin Burgoyne and Andy Warhol, Polaroid by Maripol; Jean-Michel Basquiat and Deborah Harry; Martin’s b-day party invitation, artwork by Keith Haring; Francesco Clemente and Tseng Kwong Chi, photo by Maripol; Lenny McGurr (Futura 2000), Maripol and Keith Haring in the Loft

Spread 1Atomium logo created by Laurie Rosenwald in 1984

Spread 2Maripol, artwork by Henry Banger Benvenuti

Spread 3Maripol by her store, photo by Roxanne Lowit; Maripolitan, drawings by Maripol

Spread 4Inside the store, artist Jeff Vaughan and his lights sculpture; Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 5Jewelry case in the store with rubber and peace signs, 1984 Spread 6Mini-dresses, sketches and Polaroids by Maripol; photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 7Molecule, notes; atomic earings, sketch and Polaroid by Maripol

Spread 8Maripol and Anna Shroeder at the Jefferson: Arthur Weinstein’s club designed by Colleen Weinstein, sculpture by Jo Shane, photo by Kiri Teshigahara

Spread 9Maripol’s jewelry, photo by Torkil Gudnason

Spread 10On the rocks of Isola del Giglio, Italy; underwater photos by Edo Bertoglio; Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 11Jewelry, Polaroids by Maripol; Maripol in the pool, hand painted photo by Pier Poretti

Spread 12Mahen and Maripol modeling for SoHo News, photos by Georges DuBose

Spread 13Plastic Fantasies, Maripol modeling for Don Rodan; collaboration bracelet, design by Maripol, hand paint by Jean-Michel Basquiat, photo Torkil Gudnason

Spread 14Patricia, photo by Giampietro Favero, styling by Maripol; drawing by Maripol; Maripol yellow, artwork by Hubert Art.; Oui Magazine, cover photo by Jeff Dunas; yellow theme, polaroids by Maripol

Spread 15Deborah Harry, Fred Brathwaite and Maripol, photo by

Bobby Grossman; Parallel Lines, Blondie’s first album with cover photo by Edo Bertoglio and styling by Maripol

Spread 16Story of a dress, an outfit worn by Maripol’s mom (photo by Maripol’s dad, 1950’s) and then revisited by the designer in the 80’s, photo by Roxanne Lowit

Spread 17Wigstory, Maripol in white wig at Palladium, 1985, photo by Patrick McMullan; Adriana, Sharon, Perri Lister, Kiri Teshigahara and Maripol, Jil Jones, Mylene Farmer, CC McGurr, polaroids and drawings by Maripol (except for Maripol in pink wig, photo by Edo Bertoglio)

Spread 18Eiffel Tower by night, photo by Maripol, 2009; Maripol wearing her Eiffel tower earing, Hamptons, 1978, photo by Edo Bertoglio

Spread 19Maripol and Bénédicte Siroux, self-portrait in Tortola Island; necklace designed by Maripol, polaroids by Maripol

Spread 20Cross earings, hand painted paper by Maripol

Spread 21Madonna for her very first cover for Island Magazine, photo by Curtis Knapp, jewelry and styling by Maripol

Spread 22See captions on the pages

Spread 23Maripolitan jewelry price list; Maripol for Madonna

Spread 24Maripolitan jewelry; Madonna first album cover with autograph, photo by Gary Heery

Spread 25Madonna wearing the costume designed by Maripol for Keith Haring’s anniversary at Paradise Garage, where she performed Like a Virgin on a hugebrass bed

Spread 26Preparatory sketches for the Like a Virgin costume; Like a Virgin album cover, photo by Steven Meisel

Spread 27Fan letters addressed to Maripol

Spread 28Billy Boy’s Barbie collection outfits by different designers; Maripol and Billy Boy

Spread 29-30Maripol, photo by Edo Bertoglio; drawings and cut out by Maripol

Spread 31Mylene Farmer outfitted by Thierry Mugler for XXL video, hand painted polaroid by Maripol

Spread 32Fashion of the future, styling, polaroids and sketches by Maripol

Spread 33Daisy necklace, drawing by Maripol, 1978; Maripol (wearing Andre Walker), outfitting Fabienne for Fashion show at Limelight

Spread 34Sketches, polaroids and storyboard for Tommy Page’s video Turning Me On directed by Maripol

Spread 35Maripol’s medieval mesh belt featured in Vogue America; Adriana Kaegi modeling mesh items designed by Maripol, photo by Giampietro Favero

Spread 36Idalis Leon wearing Maripol’s rubber design; Seduction, album cover photo by Adrian Buckmaster shot in Puerto Rico, art direction and styling by Maripol

Spread 37Maripol, photo by Roxanne Lowit; Ins & outs in Maripol’s 1987 Christmas list

Spread 38Boomerangs and cone bras by Maripol, photo and artwork by Hubert Art.

BookletArtwork by Maripol

Spread 1Angel in the Air, music video in Times Square by Marcus Nispel, styling and photo by Maripol

Spread 2Maripol pregnant, Tereza Scharf and Alba Clemente at David McDermott and Peter McGough Studio, 1989

Spread 3Maripol and new born Lino; Lino wearing Batman and Ninja Turtle costume; Lino and his Mammie Aline; Lino and his Grandfather Gerry Meoli; Keith Haring; Maripol and Andrea Clemente

Spread 4The AIDS quilt, March in Washington DC; Florent Morellet and Diego Cortez with Jorge Soccaras, Dimitri and Lady Kier of the group Deee-lite

Spread 5Variuos invitations produced for numerous clubs

Spread 6Cher on the set of Walking in Memphis, video by Marcus Nispel, photo and styling by Maripol; Kim in Maripol’s feather outfits, photo by Giampietro Favero; reggae singer, photo by Maripol; Steve Olson and Maripol, photo by Moshe Brakha

Spread 7Mylene Farmer on the set of Instant X, video directed by Marcus Nispel

Spread 8I love you all very much, dead or alive!, Polaroids by Maripol

Spread 9Shop window of Marc by Marc store on West 11th and Bleecker with the new jewelry line

Spread 11Meghan O’Connor, Malia Scharf and Paulina Lempicka modeling Maripol’s jewelry

Spread 15Montage by Maripol; Maripol at the Lafayette House in New York, photo by Santiago, 2010

Endpapers Artwork by François-Marie Anthonioz

Front coverMaripol, self-portrait, Polaroid

Back coverArtwork by Maripol

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This book is dedicated to my mom Aline, my dad Georges-Antoine, my son Lino, Gennaro Meoli, my brothers

Pierre, Jacques, Jean and all my family.

There is so much I want to say and so many people I want to thank, without their generosity and dedication this

book would not have been made. There I so many people who are gone, so many memories.

Thanks to Damiani: Enrico Costanza, Andrea Albertini, Gianni Grandi, Eleonora Pasqui, Alice Rose George.

Thanks to Townhouse: Art Directors Anton Aparin and Nick Vogelson, who have been constantly there to design;

and thanks to Sebastien Robcis, Michael Jorris, and Jason Seldon, for all of their assistance.

Thanks to DAP: Alexander Galan and Elisa Leshowitz. Thanks to Edo Bertoglio. Thanks to my precious little bees:

Malia Scharf and Adele Jancovici. Thanks to Madonna and Guy Oseary. Thanks to all the photographers, artists,

models, muses, actors, writers, poets. Thanks to Gerard Malanga, Christine Shreyer, Jean-Paul Goude,

Marc Jacobs, Robert Duffy, Meghan O’Connor, Reed Putlitz, Michael Ariano, Jennifer Baker, Waylon Watts,

Kenny Scharf, Deborah Harry, Tommy Gear, Steven Mass, Philippe Pasqua, Laurence Delesti, Adriana Kaegi,

Elio Fiorucci, Love Therapy, Giovanna Munao, Valmont and Nancy, Santiago Studio, Julia Gruen, Paulina Lempicka,

Roxanne Lowit, Shoko, Gerard Basquiat, Edwige, Mylene Farmer, Agnès b., Thierry Suc, Ray Henders, Alba and

Francesco Clemente, David Stark, Eric Goode, Jean-Yves Pilet, CC McGurr, Glenn O’Brien, Michael Zilkha,

Annie Maurette, Patrick Gourt, David Armstrong, Henry Banger Benvenuti, Luca Bonetti, Moshe Brakha,

Adrian Buckmaster, George DuBose, Jeff Dunas, Giampietro Favero, Bobby Grossman, Torkil Gudnason,

Gary Heery, Hubert Art., Curtis Knapp, Patrick McMullan, Steven Meisel, Marcus Nispel, Patisse, Ian Patrick,

Anton Perich, Pier Poretti, Ricky Powell, Kiri Teshigahara, The Andy Warhol Foundation.

© Damiani, 2010

© Maripol for the texts and the works

© The authors for their texts

© Photo credits: David Armstrong; The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat; Henry Banger Benvenuti; Edo Bertoglio; Billy Boy; Luca Bonetti; Moshe Brakha;

Adrian Buckmaster; Stéphane Clavier; George DuBose; Jeff Dunas; Giampietro Favero; Jean-Paul Goude; Bobby Grossman; Torkil Gudnason;

Keith Haring; Gary Heery; Hubert Art.; Curtis Knapp; Roxanne Lowit; Patrick McMullan; Steven Meisel; Marcus Nispel; Patisse; Ian Patrick; Anton Perich;

Pier Poretti; Ricky Powell; Santiago; Kenny Scharf; Kiri Teshigahara; The Andy Warhol Foundation

© Endpapers, François- Marie Anthonioz for Maripol Graffiti

MARIPOLLITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

Editorial coordination by Enrico Costanza and Eleonora PasquiUS Representative Alice Rose GeorgeArt Direction by Anton Aparin and Nick Vogelson of Townhouse Prepress and retouching by Gianni GrandiText editing by Susan Lassiter

Damiani editorevia Zanardi, 37640131 Bolognat. +39 051 63 50 805f. +39 051 63 47 188www.damianieditore.cominfo@damianieditore.it

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical—including photocopying, recording or by any information storage

or retrieval system—without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Printed in June 2010 by Grafiche Damiani, Bologna, Italy.

ISBN 978-88-6208-136-8

E U R 45,00 | US D 65,00 | G B P 40.00D E S I G N E D B Y T O W N H O U S E

my having met maripol was really

very lucky. maripol was living

in new york when i arrived from

milan with the intention of

bringing italian modernism to the

usa. maripol introduced me to the

american avant-garde: from andy

warhol to madonna and all those

who later became part of fiorucci’s

history. maripol always guided me

towards the latest trends. she is

like family to me, she dedicated her

whole life to others and to art.

she is a constant font of creativity

who can give anyone interested in

learning about the latest and most

extraordinary things.

—elio fiorucci