Cannes 78th International Film Festival: Where Fashion Meets Film, from Red Carpet to Riviera Runway

Striking a pose in billowing white couture and French lace on the Croisette at Cannes during the film festival. Photograph by Andrea Heinsohn for DAM.

The 78th Cannes International Film Festival offered far more than red-carpet spectacle, its true spirit unfolded along the Croisette, where street style, spontaneous encounters, and the tireless dance of photographers created a living portrait of the festival. From fashion statements born in the sunlit bustle to the charged energy surrounding daily premieres and seaside happenings, Cannes revealed itself as a vibrant cultural stage where cinema, style, and human moments intertwined, writes Antonio Visconti. Photography by Andrea Heinsohn

Ballgowns and jeans and t-shirts

all mix on the Croisette at Cannes.

IN Cannes, the annual film festival unfolded this year with all the shimmering unpredictability that has long made the palm-lined Croisette a stage as compelling as any cinema screen. While the red carpet remained the festival’s ceremonial heart, the true story of Cannes played out on the sun-washed boulevard outside the Palais des Festivals, where fashion, frenzy, and fleeting moments converged in an irresistible daily performance.

From early morning, the Croisette became a runway of its own, alive with actors, directors, producers and cinephiles dashing between screenings and seaside cafés. 

Street style at Cannes has always been a uniquely global blend, but this year felt especially expressive: Italian linen tailoring, sculptural Japanese silhouettes, Riviera-chic ensembles in sun-faded blues, and bursts of couture-level glamour stepped straight off yachts and into the crowd. The laissez-faire elegance of Cannes mingled seamlessly with high-voltage fashion statements, oversized sunglasses, silk scarves fluttering in sea breezes, metallic handbags catching the light like jewellery.

And then there were the photographers, a guild whose energy shaped the atmosphere as much as any celebrity appearance. Positioned along the red carpet, lining ladders above barricades, darting through the crowds, or crouched low on pavements, they worked with a choreography all their own. Their lenses chased everything: star arrivals, glimmers of vintage Chanel drifting past on bicycles, unexpected reunions between directors, or simply a stranger whose look demanded attention. In Cannes, anyone can suddenly become a subject. The photographers know this better than anyone, and their instinct for spontaneity is what gives the festival its pulse.

At dusk, a golden wash of Côte d'Azur sunlight illuminated the Croisette, turning the palm-lined boulevard into a cinematic frame

Photographers bring their own

ladders to capture all of the red

carpet action at the festival. 

Throughout the day, the Croisette thrummed with happenings, pop-up interviews, brand launches, and impromptu fashion shoots unfolding against the Mediterranean backdrop. At dusk, a golden wash illuminated the boulevard, turning every step into a cinematic frame. 

Crowds gathered outside the Palais as the evening premieres drew near, the anticipation almost physical. Tourists craned for glimpses of stars, while photographers jockeyed for position, shouting cues, adjusting lenses, and capturing images destined to circulate worldwide within minutes.

Beyond the glamour, Cannes remained about human connection: actors paused to greet fans; directors chatted with students; festival guests shared laughter over gelato on the promenade. Our reportage captures these contrasts, the grandeur of couture brushing against the easy charm of a festival lived in the streets.

In the end, the 78th Cannes Film Festival was more than a celebration of cinema. It was a living tableau: vibrant, unpredictable, and visually intoxicating. And on the Croisette, every passerby, every flash of a shutter, and every burst of Riviera light played a role in the ongoing mythology of this French filmic icon.

Scroll down to see more moments from the Cannes Film Festival by Andrea Heinsohn

Personalising a Luxury Fashion Item with a Name or Initial? Research Suggests a Hidden Social Cost

Research shows those who personalise items with their name worry more about being negatively judged than those who purchase non-customised items. Pictured is Italian entrepreneur Chiara Ferragni with her own name on a Dior tote. Cover picture by Andrea Heinsohn for DAM

By Anne-maree O'Rourke

You might think spending $5,000 on a handbag or wallet would be prestigious and exclusive enough. What about taking things one step further – and personalising it with your own name? Brands including Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Dior now offer extensive customisation options – some for a few products, others for their entire range. Names and initials are an obvious, popular choice.

Some have hailed personalisation as the future of luxury goods. But it’s worth asking – could there be any downsides?

Research has shown there’s a trade-off to signalling social status with luxury goods. Luxury consumers are often perceived as less warm and friendly, more concerned with managing their image.

Our recent research examined whether name-stamping could increase this social cost. Our findings suggest for some customers, it can – increasing their fears of being negatively judged.

One-of-a kind products

These personalised touches are marketed as unique, one-of-a-kind products. They’re designed to appeal to a desire for individuality and exclusivity.

For luxury buyers, customisation offers a way to showcase their personality, passions and interests. It can enhance their feelings of connection to a brand and sense of psychological ownership of an item.

A promotional video showing personalisation 

options for Dior’s “Book Tote”.

Enabling consumers to co-design a product can also help alleviate the impostor syndrome some consumers experience when buying high-end luxury items.

For the brands themselves, personalisation services can increase profit margins, improve market appeal and strengthen customer loyalty.

Much of this trend has been fuelled by millennial and Gen-Z luxury consumers, who are increasingly seeking out unique, tailor-made experiences.

Luxury brands are adapting to changing trends. Alya108k/Shutterstock

By 2030, it’s expected that millennials and Gen-Z will account for 60–70% of all luxury purchases.

A 2017 survey found more than half of millennials who’d recently made a luxury purchase were willing to pay more for personalised luxury goods.

We love our own names

The popularity of name-stamping, in particular, may come down to a concept called “implicit egotism”.

Research suggests most people have a subconscious positive association with themselves. This extends to a preference for things that are connected to their sense of identity – such as the letters of their own name.

The drawbacks of personalisation are less widely discussed. One clear one is its impact on resale value. Personalised items are harder to sell.

This is particularly relevant for Australia’s booming second-hand luxury market, driven by younger consumers prioritising sustainability and affordability.

Research also suggests that excessive customisation – letting customers make design decisions on custom colours, fabrics, and so on – can decrease the signalling value of luxury items and undermine their status appeal.

One popular choice is to personalise items with a customer’s name or initials. Screenshot from au.louisvuitton.com

Luxury’s social cost

Then there’s the cost that can come with luxury itself.

Research has shown luxury consumers can be perceived as less warm and friendly than those who forgo luxury.

Interestingly, this perception isn’t driven by envy. Rather, it stems from a belief that luxury wearers are actively managing their image to impress others.

Does name-stamping luxury increase this social cost even more? Our research, with co-authors Joanna Lin, Billy Sung and Felix Septianto, suggests the answer is yes.

Research suggests luxury goods can make the wearer seem less warm to others. Body Stock/Shutterstock

We conducted four studies with 1,354 female luxury and non-luxury shoppers from the United States.

We found consumers who personalise luxury items with their name worry more about being negatively judged than those who purchase non-customised items.

This effect was consistent, regardless of whether the personalisation featured initials or full first names.

The overtness of name personalisation, in particular, may explain the added social cost. Customising a bag with a non-standard colour might only catch the eye of a luxury brand enthusiast. A prominently displayed name, however, unmistakably signals customisation to everyone.

Not all fear judgement

Importantly, we found not all luxury consumers share this fear of judgement equally. The impact depends on individual motivations for purchasing luxury items to begin with.

Those who are motivated to consume luxury goods for social reasons, such as standing out, are less concerned about receiving negative judgement from others.

Some luxury customers don’t worry about negative judgement. Street style photo/Shutterstock

In contrast, those who are motivated to buy luxury items for more individual reasons are more wary of how name personalisation might be judged.

For this group, which made up about half of the consumers we sampled, subtle, customised touches could be a more appealing option.

There could also be some variation across different cultures.

A report by KPMG found Chinese consumers – a group not included in our study – often seek luxury consumption as a means of social advancement and self-differentiation, meaning they are likely less concerned about the social costs.

On the other hand, we could speculate that Australian consumers, influenced by the “tall poppy syndrome” cultural phenomenon, may be even more sensitive.

Anne-maree O'Rourke, Lecturer in Marketing, The University of Queensland