Mastermind, Media, and the Power of Time with Marie-Amélie Sauvé

• Growing up with fashion in France – Fashion was as much a part of daily life as literature and gastronomy in her upbringing, shaping her early perspective.
  
• Landing an internship at French Vogue – Her mother’s love for fashion led to an opportunity at Vogue Paris, where she was first exposed to industry legends like André Leon Talley, Helmut Newton, and Guy Bourdin.
  
• The golden era of French Vogue – Describes the unparalleled creative freedom of the magazine at the time, where editors and photographers could push boundaries without advertiser interference.
  
• Why she left Vogue to go freelance – She wanted a deeper understanding of how clothes were made and how designers shaped the industry, rather than just styling full looks in editorials.
  
• How yoga shapes her creative process – She practices Iyengar yoga daily, valuing its emphasis on precision and discipline, which mirrors her approach to fashion and creative direction.
  
• Why she created Mastermind – She wanted a magazine that balanced fashion with architecture, politics, cinema, and philosophy, giving equal weight to journalism and imagery.
  
• The longstanding creative relationship with Nicolas Ghesquière – She and Nicolas "grew up together" in the industry, sharing an obsession with research, reinvention, and pushing creative boundaries.
  
• Why true innovation requires risk – She reflects on how the most memorable fashion moments come from pushing boundaries, rather than playing it safe within industry expectations.
  
• Fashion’s democratic shift – Acknowledges that while fashion is now more accessible, standing out requires an even stronger creative perspective and sense of individuality.
  
• What’s contemporary now? – Time. In an era of constant acceleration, she believes the most valuable thing is having enough time to slow down, focus, and create with intention.

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Notable Quotes: 

• "Fashion was always part of life in France, like literature or gastronomy—it wasn’t just an industry, it was culture."
  
• "At French Vogue, we had the freedom to create without restriction. It wasn’t about selling clothes; it was about making images that stayed with you."
  
• "I wanted to understand how clothes were made, how designers shaped the industry—not just how to style them for a photograph."
  
• "True creativity comes from being free. The moment you start thinking about restrictions, you limit yourself."
  
• "I’ve always been drawn to brands that need to be rebuilt. When something is already perfect, there’s nothing left to do. I like the challenge of reinvention."
  
• "At Balenciaga, we weren’t afraid. Every collection was different, every campaign was an experiment. It felt like a laboratory for ideas."
  
• "Yoga teaches me the same thing fashion does—you are always striving for something precise, something better, but perfection is never truly attainable."
  
• "Fashion has become bigger than ever, but that just means you have to be even more directional, more precise, to stand out."
  
• "Mastermind isn’t just about fashion. It’s about cinema, architecture, politics—because if you only look at fashion, you miss the bigger picture."
  
• "What’s contemporary now? Time. Slowing down, making space for real thought, and resisting the pressure to move too fast."