AZ Factory's collaborative creative project, Carte Blanche, to spotlight emerging designers is back. The label founded by the late Alber Elbaz with Swiss group Richemont has teamed up with Finnish designer Jenny Hytönen, who won the jury Grand Prix and the City of Hyères award at the 2022 Hyères Festival. She will create 10 looks for AZ Factory, which will be unveiled at a couture runway show during next January’s Paris Haute Couture Week, from Jan. 22 to 25, 2024.

At the 37th edition of the Hyères International Festival of Fashion, Photography, and Fashion Accessories, Jenny Hytönen presented a collection called “Untitled” which is based on a contrast of sensitivity and roughness, a combination of crystal-embroidered, transparent mesh fabrics and heavily riveted leather. Hytönen got the jury's attention with a cyborg bride wearing a veil that incorporated 25,000 glass beads and an LED bodysuit with a heart sensor that materialized the wearer’s heartbeat with pulsating lights.

Hytönen is a fashion designer who graduated from Aalto University with a major in fashion and is currently working for Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens in Paris. Her graduate collection won the Aalto University's Näytös21 Award, with the jury describing the collection as impressive, balanced, and mature. After her graduation, she worked as a knitwear designer at Olivier Theyskens.

In July 2023 AZ Factory showcased the work of young designer Lora Sonney, a graduate of HEAD Geneva, with an event during Paris Couture Week presenting ten looks at the Fondation Cartier.

Photo: Courtesy of AZ Factory