Learning from the best : A class with Maïda Gregori-Boina

This podcast was recorded on december 18th, 2019 durig a class given at Institut Français de la Mode to our Fashion Image major students. Maida Gregori-Boina has become one of the industry’s most successful and sought-after casting directors, responsible for selecting models for some of the biggest runways in the world. With the quickly changing landscape of fashion, Maida focuses her attention on the building of iconic imagery through the casting of a compelling, yet curated, edit of faces to narrate identifiable insight into a brand’s visual communications; ultimately, making for an unmistakable brand message. She has casted shows for Jil Sander, Givenchy with Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga with Nicolas Ghesquiere, Roberto Cavalli, Halpern, Acne Studios, Dior, Azzedine Alaïa, Calvin Klein, Edun, Élie Saab, Hermès, Iris Van Herpen, Raf Simons, The Row and Zac Posen. She has also been responsible for launching the runway careers of Lara Stone and Karlie Kloss, among many others. Maida has styled editorials for i-D magazine, The Face and Vogue Hommes International. It was through her work in styling musicians that she first met Raf Simons, a longtime creative collaborator, working with everyone from Madonna, Michael Jackson, Elton John, and Vanessa Paradis, to rock bands like The Cult and the Smashing Pumpkins. In addition to this work, Maida has been an integral part to the Festival de Hyeres for decades, she is the Festival Art Director. The annual festival promotes young creation in fashion, photography and fashion accessories areas. Maida has helped to launch careers of many young designers thorough the festival like … Anthony Vaccarello, Felipe Oliveira Baptista, Julien Dossena and recently the Boter duo.