May 7, 2025 |
Aside from the clothes, the first thing you remember from a legendary fashion show is its soundtrack. Inside 10 Magazine Issue 74, we spotlight 10 musicians and sound engineers who are adept in masterminding catwalk scores that have gone on to become certified fashion moments in their own right. Next up, Frédéric Sanchez.
A prolific and influential talent, Sanchez’s roll call of clients reads like a who’s who of modern fashion. Prada, Miu Miu, Hermès, Versace, Loewe, Moschino, Givenchy, Balmain, Brioni, Lanvin, Craig Green, Simone Rocha, Duran Lantink and Rokh have all tapped him for show music that amplifies their message and brings a unique energy to the catwalk.
Frédéric wears cardigan by GRAN SASSO, shirt by RALPH LAUREN, trousers by A LA PETITE JEANNETTE, shoes by CROCKET & JONES
What does music bring to a fashion show?
It depends how a fashion designer has conceived and integrated the work [around] sound and music in their creative process and also how much importance a fashion house gives to this subject. In general I don’t talk about music, I’d rather talk about sound, as I find it much more accurate. For me the sound in a fashion show is like the negative of a photograph. With music, words, dialogue from movies, sound effects and sometimes silence, it designs an emotional space surrounding the models. The audience provides the fashion designer with a way to share what you don’t see from their work, what is behind it. It is like a form of energy!
What’s your approach to creating a fashion show soundtrack?
Making soundtracks is for me a way to tell stories and create sensitive spaces where people experience different types of emotions. It can be dreamy, it can be disruptive, but the purpose is never to entertain. This is why I have always preferred to be considered as a sound illustrator rather than a musician or a DJ.
How do you work with a designer?
What inspires me is what you don’t see. This work process takes shape usually as ongoing dialogue with the fashion house and the designer. Then I can look at the clothes, the fabrics, the colours and also the hair and make-up. The venue and the light are also very important. It is all these elements that create the soundtrack in order to amplify them.
Which track or artists have you used the most?
I avoid using the same artist twice. I like it when a sound illustration seems made to measure and participates in the story of a fashion house. It gives haute couture and a luxurious edge. But sometimes using the same artists constantly can create a strong signature too. With Ann Demeulemeester over the years, we have often played music by Patti Smith or Nick Cave. This was a strong part of her creation process [and was used] in order to unearth her own aesthetic.
What makes the perfect finale track?
Silence is often the best. Like at the end of a gig or a play when the applause fills the space with sound and noise. I experienced this a few times for Calvin Klein a long time ago. When Calvin was taking his bow in the silence [without any music playing] it was so powerful and emotional, a true live performance. I also like the way we treated the finale with Craig Green [for his SS25 show in June]. Craig always likes when it sounds and feels like the end of a movie. When you see all the credits, when you [might] cry and it is so emotional. The end of something.
What musical fashion show moments stand out for you?
All my first shows! My first Martin Margiela, my first Jil Sander, Marc Jacobs, Prada. Also the first time I worked with Gianni and Donatella Versace, and my first Hermès. They were all the beginnings of very long collaborations and also the building of strong stories.
What music genres define you?
I have no [preferences in] music genres, anything can be good to create a soundtrack, but I have had a very personal way of creating these soundtracks since the beginning. I have always made sound and music collages. For me it is like taping images together and either I use a reel-to-reel machine or very sophisticated tools. I still make collages. I find this low-key approach very poetic and sensitive.
What’s one fashion show you wish you’d created the soundtrack for?
I think I have been lucky enough to work with all these incredible houses in the past. Now I am more than happy to carry on working with newer fashion designers like Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, Simone Rocha, Craig Green or Duran Lantink. It is important to look at the future and still be bold and creative.
Which designer has the best musical taste?
I don’t know what bad or good taste means. When you work in fashion you always spend your time playing with high and low culture. It is what makes fashion so exciting. Vulgarity can be very sophisticated when too much refinement can feel a bit boring. Finding the right balance is not an easy path but amazing talented fashion designers are often the ones that play with this so brilliantly.
Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 74 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands now. Order your copy here.
THE MUSIC MAKERS
Creative Editor GARTH ALLDAY SPENCER
Text PAUL TONER
Portrait FRANCESC PLANES
