Welcome to this second episode of the new Dior Talks series ‘The Female Gaze’. With the term developed in response to the writings of feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey, this podcast series which explore how the work of the female photographers and creatives collaborating with Dior offers a radically new and progressive image of women.
In this episode, series host Charlotte Jansen, a British journalist and author, speaks with Maripol, an icon of 1980s culture in New York and an influential artist, filmmaker, designer and stylist. Maripol discusses her extraordinary career and her passions and influences from her childhood in France to the heady days and multidisciplinary inspirations of Manhattan, and her photographic collaborations with Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Women’s collections.
Having moved to New York City in 1976 at the age of 20 with her then-boyfriend Edo Bertoglio, the Swiss photographer and director with whom she would have a highly fruitful artistic collaboration, Maripol became art director of Fiorucci by the early ‘80s, before opening her own boutique, Maripolitan, in the mid-80s. She was Madonna’s stylist for her first two iconic albums, creating the famous look for Like a Virgin, and also made numerous documentary films. She directed The Message, about the life of Keith Haring, and also produced Downtown 81, starring Jean-Michel Basquiat and Blondie. She is noted for her pioneering use of the Polaroid camera – her first SX-70 was a gift from Bertoglio – particularly for fashion photography and portraiture, and in 2014 published a book of her work, MARIPOLARAMA.
Always outspoken and audacious, she divulges her unique take on life, culture and feminism in this episode. She has always collaborated with remarkable individuals and has always been fascinated with fashion. She brought to it her broad education in the arts and her rebellious, punk sensibility, and as soon as she landed in New York, people noticed her for her unique style and self-made accessories. She fully embraced the collaborative spirit of the city at that time and has been creating and working with like-minded pioneers ever since, most recently with her Polaroid shoots of Maria Grazia Chiuri’s collections.
Discover a selection of works:
- "The Women Behind the Lens: Maripol, Dior Mag, 20th March 2016 https://www.dior.com/diormag/en_hk/article/the-photos-of-maripol
- "The Photos of Maripol", Dior Mag, 20th March 2016 https://www.dior.com/diormag/en_hk/article/the-photos-of-maripol
- Backstage Dior Spring-Summer ready-to-wear 2017 by Maripol https://vimeo.com/306933860
Grace Jones by Maripol at Studio 54, 1979https://www.phillips.com/detail/maripol/NY000309/289
- Hanra, "Maripol: Did I discover Madonna? She discovered me!", The Guardian, 2015https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2015/mar/20/maripol-madonna-photographer-stylist-polaroids-exhibition
- Debbie Harry by Maripol, 1980https://www.absolutart.com/us/artist/maripol/artwork/deborah-harry-1980/
- "Keith Haring: The Message" directed by Maripol, 2013https://www.dailymotion.com/video/xzb9ki
- "Downtown 81" directed by Edo Bertoglio produced by Maripol, 2001 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6GoKk-iMOs
- Geller "Jewelry designer Maripol on Fiorucci, Grace Jones and Madonna", Interview Magazine, 2018 https://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/maripol-lynn-geller-interview
- Grace Jones modelling Maripol's rubber bracelets for Fiorucci, 1980s https://www.vfiles.com/vfiles/53612
- Museum of Sex,"Punk Lust: Raw Provocation 1971–1985", New York, November 29, 2018 – November 19, 2019 https://www.museumofsex.com/portfolio_page/punk/
- A whip belt and brace necklace by Maripol in Bettridge "A new exhibition of punk-era lust reminds us how gentrified sex has become", Interview Magazine, 2018 https://www.interviewmagazine.com/art/maripol-and-the-museum-of-sex-exhibit-reminds-us-how-gentrified-sex-is
- "Andy Warhol with Polaroid" by Anton Perish, 1977 in Sirisuk "Un photographe s'est immiscé dans les clubs new-yorkais les plus cools des années 1970", I-D Magazine, 2018 https://i-d.vice.com/fr/article/d35e5y/un-photographe-sest-immisce-dans-les-clubs-new-yorkais-les-plus-cools-des-annees-1970
- Interview Magazine, December 1985 https://www.interviewmagazine.com/tag/new-again-december-1985
- Maripol, "Little Red Riding Hood", 2010 https://maripol.com/books/
- Lisa Lyon by Robert Mapplethorpe, 1982 https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/90662/lisa-lyon
- "Robert Mapplethorpe's Sensual Flowers", AnOther Magazine, 2016 https://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/8524/robert-mapplethorpes-sensual-flowers
- “Girl On Girl”, Charlotte Jansen https://smarturl.it/girlongirl