Runway Show Producer Extraordinaire Alexandre De Betak Releases Betak: Fashion Show Revolution

by Flaunt Intern

Berluti, Fall/Winter 2015 by Alessandro Sartori, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. © Daniel Beres

Berluti, Fall/Winter 2015 by Alessandro Sartori, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. © Daniel Beres


Alexandre De Betak has worked within the fashion industry for over 25 years, collaborating closely with some of the biggest names in the game. De Betak has produced runway shows, events, installations, and exhibitions for some of the most famous fashion houses in the world. His art is turning spaces into stories for these luxurious labels, bringing designer concepts to life. Over the course of his esteemed career, he has created a book: Betak: Fashion Show Revolution published by Phaidon, showcasing the biggest projects he has taken on. 

Christian Dior Couture, Spring/ Summer 2018, by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Musée Rodin Paris

Christian Dior Couture, Spring/ Summer 2018, by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Musée Rodin Paris


Alexandre, throughout his career, has been known as the "Fellini of fashion" creating over 1000 fashion shows for countless designers. He produced the 2000 Victoria’s Secret show that famously crashed the site, and his most recent project is producing the Christian Dior spring/ summer 2018 show in Paris— a gleaming wonderland inspired by Niki de Saint Phalle’s Jardin des Tarot.

The venue was made up of over 80,000 broken mirror pieces in the gardens of the Musée Rodin. The Dior show is one of the 22 productions De Betak has created this fashion season alone. He states, “No show is just an individual show, they are long lasting, creative collaborations that I have with the fashion designers – some of which have been 20-years-long.”

Christian Dior, Couture Fall/Winter 2014 by Raf Simons, Musée Rodin, Paris. © Daniel Beres

Christian Dior, Couture Fall/Winter 2014 by Raf Simons, Musée Rodin, Paris. © Daniel Beres


One of Alexandre De Betak’s longest professional connections is with Belgian designer, Raf Simmons. The two have been collaborating for years and Simmons has worked with him not only with his namesake brand, but also as he has taken on the creative director role of Calvin Klein. De Betak speaks on his relationship with the esteemed fashion designer saying, “He’s very precise, very involved and knows exactly what he wants, it’s what makes him so relevant and surprising. He’s also extremely open to new ideas from others and open to quite radical changes. He is a true creative force in the sense of the unexpected, and I guess I am too, that's why we complement each other.”

Scaffolding for venue construction, Christian Dior, Couture Spring/Summer 2015. Musée Rodin, Paris. © Romain Bassenne 

Scaffolding for venue construction, Christian Dior, Couture Spring/Summer 2015. Musée Rodin, Paris. © Romain Bassenne 


De Betak, since he was a kid, has always taken interest in a more creative side starting with photography and eventually creating works of art. He produced his first fashion show at the age of 19, for the designer Sybilla Sorondo in Madrid— soon after creating his agency Bureau Betak in 1990. He even produced Miu-Miu's first ever fashion show in 1994.

Nowadays fashion shows are much more complex then what they used to be due to the internet. De Betak says, “We’re entering a completely different era of social media and technology and I’m very excited by that. It’s going to liberate the designers and houses that show in such a confined format. Fashion week has rules that have been followed for decades and decades, but now it’s dictated by the fact the show needs to work on social media – that’s the next revolution.”

Betak: Fashion Show Revolution is out now and is published by Phaidon. 


Written by: Alex Ceballos