Rad Hourani’s Equal Opportunity Book

PHOTO BY GILLES UZAN

On Saturday night, emerging designer Rad Hourani seized the momentum of men’s weeks to release his first and self-titled photography book. The aim was to organize, Interview-style (if we do say so ourselves), conversations between people that are all close to him—ranging from ’70s model Viviane Fauny, to his entire team and closest friends. He then went on to shoot every single interviewee’s portrait, in Paris and New York—each dressed in head-to-toe Hourani, bien sûr.

Interview chatted with Hourani during his book launch in Paris’ Marais, and discussed the philosophy of unisex.

ALICE PFEIFFER: What is happening here today, exactly?

RAD HOURANI: This is the launch of my first-ever book project, which I did in collaboration with [Amsterdam creative team] Mykro. They wanted to do a book about Rad Hourani, and I offered to focus it, as a starting point, on my good friend’s mother, Viviane Fauny. She was a model in the 1970s who worked with photographers ranging from Avedon to Penn and Newton. She’s also very dear to me, so I wanted to use this opportunity to show the world around me, her, but also my team and my friends.

PFEIFFER: What is the connection between Fauny and your team, apart from yourself of course?

HOURANI: It is about linking different generations and different worlds; I wanted to talk about the past, the present and the future; I organized discussion with my casting director and my stylist, my best friend and my producer, and myself with Viviane.  I went on to shoot the entire book, and making a short film featuring Viviane. There, she talks about the way different generations think, and work, whether in fashion, art or cinema.

PFEIFFER: Speaking of Viviane, why is she so inspiring to you?

HOURANI:  I’ve always been interested in unisex—and Vivianne is the perfect example of someone who really interests me: she doesn’t categorize people by age nor nationality, which is a similar philosophy. In her I don’t just see a muse, I also see a mirror, I recognize a lot of myself in her way of thinking. Also, she is never bored nor old-fashioned, and this is the kind of message I wanted to get out there: don’t hang on the past, look at today and tomorrow.

PFEIFFER: How was your experience as a photographer?

HOURANI: I don’t consider myself as a designer, a stylist, nor a photographer. I didn’t learn fashion design nor photography. These are just medium of expressions that I truly love.

500 LIMITED-EDITION PRINTER ISSUES OF HOURANI’S BOOK ARE AVAILABLE JULY 1 IN SELECTED STORES AND ONLINE (HERE OR HERE).