RUNWAY YOUR HOME

THE MAN BEHIND SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE FASHION SHOWS SHARES HIS INTERIOR TIPS

With 27 years’ experience, Alexandre de Betak is the design virtuoso behind more than 1,000 fashion shows. For Dior SS16, he made a 59ft flower mountain – with 300,000 real delphiniums – in the courtyard of the Louvre (below left). At Raf Simons’ SS18 show, he used lanterns to transform a dark New York alley into a neon Chinese market (bottom left). Having travelled the world transforming spaces into spectacles, we asked Alexandre how to apply the ideas behind his catwalk creations to our own homes. ‘When you create a house, you want a place to sleep and eat,’ he says. ‘In fashion, it’s similar: you need to receive the audience, and express the designer’s ideas, but in both cases there has to be some freedom.’

1. BRING THE OUTDOORS IN ‘For Dior AW12 we covered the walls in flowers. When it comes to your home, you could bring in a tree branch, and it will last a few months, then you can do something else. In my own home, I’ve made shelves from rocks, and tables and benches from dead pine trees.’

2. NOTHING IS PERMANENT: HAVE FUN! ‘People think of a house as everlasting. The shell and walls are long term, of course, but it can be useful to see it as a short-term thing, too. A few years ago, I did a show for Lacoste where I covered the entire tent in sheepskin. In winter, that’s what we do [with the furniture] in my apartment. I love it, and these days, thanks to Ikea, it’s fairly inexpensive.’

3. QUESTION EVERYTHING ‘The best place [to find items for your home] is often the most unexpected. If you need a seat, maybe you’ll find one at a food market? Hang frames from the ceiling! It’s a bit more difficult, but why not?’ Betak: Fashion Show Revolution is out now