PARIS — Chemena Kamali, creative director of Chloé, has been chosen as president of the fashion jury of the 41st edition of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography and Fashion Accessories.

This year’s edition, slated for Oct. 15 to 18, will be the first under Valérie Duport, who was recently elected president of Villa Noailles, the event’s parent organization.

It will have a distinctly feminine bent: the accessories jury will be headed by Danish designer Cecilie Bahnsen, a former finalist of the LVMH Prize, while French photographer Camille Vivier, whose work is currently on show at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris, will lead the photo jury. 

It marks the return of the traditional jury president structure after a turbulent 40th edition that saw designers and photographers judging their peers. Further details about the composition of the jury are due to be unveiled in September, a spokesperson said. 

“2026 marks a new chapter in the evolution of the Hyères Festival,” organizers said in a statement on Tuesday.

The festival’s new management, including managing director Hugo Lucchino, has appointed Magalie Guérin artistic director.

She will collaborate with Nataniel N.M. Robert, creative director and editor in chief of Boycott magazine, for fashion; Florence Tétier, founder of jewelry brand Tétier, for accessories, and artist and fashion producer Rebecca Cuglietta for photography.

“The festival retains the core elements that define its unique character: group exhibitions by the finalists; fashion shows; solo exhibitions by the previous year’s winners; workshops on exceptional craftsmanship, and conferences dedicated to the challenges facing the fashion and the photography industry,” they said.

Considered a major launchpad for designers since its creation in 1985, the Hyères festival has helped raise the profiles of talents such as Viktor & Rolf; Saint Laurent artistic director Anthony Vaccarello; Paco Rabanne’s Julien Dossena, and Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh, who design men’s label Botter.

But the event has been mired in debt, leading to a wide-ranging reorganization that saw founder Jean-Pierre Blanc step down last year. A 2025 audit by the Ministry of Culture’s general inspectorate of cultural affairs highlighted a debt of 3.8 million euros in the association’s financial results for 2023, which has since been partially paid off.

One of Duport’s priorities is securing its long-term financial stability, particularly shoring up its economic model balancing public and private funding, as the association continues to pursue its debt reduction plan, part of a three-year financial recovery strategy.

The organization also unveiled changes to its board alongside her nomination. Pascal Morand, executive vice president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, has been elected secretary, while Renaud Sabari, founder of artistic production agency Arter, became its treasurer.