2026 edition
The ones who make it happen
A first edition gets built by people willing to commit before they have seen the numbers. These are the ones.
The brands
What each one provides to the 2026 class.
-
Wardrobe partner, the Salins shoot
CHIO
An Italian swimwear and resortwear house, founded in 1999 by Stefania Di Simone. The line is now designed by the Di Simone sisters and made in Italy.
The house’s premise is to apply couture methods to beachwear: lace, crochet, embroidery, stones. It dresses the Salins shoot.
-
Gown partner, Arles amphitheatre
Portia & Scarlett
An Australian evening-wear house based in Sydney. Prom, evening and pageant gowns: more than a thousand styles, carried by around a hundred stockists in over twenty countries.
Its gowns have been worn by title-winning contestants on international pageant stages. It supplies the gowns worn at the Arles amphitheatre.
-
Hair partner
David Mallett
An Australian hairdresser based in Paris, where he opened his salon in 2003, in a 17th-century hôtel particulier near the place des Victoires.
The house launched its haircare line in 2008, formulated in a French laboratory, vegan and sulphate-free. It does the 2026 class’s hair.
-
Jewellery partner
Mila Toledo
A jewellery and accessories house based in Paris, in the 18th arrondissement. Necklaces, chokers, earrings, bracelets and rings in fine and semi-precious stones: turquoise, jade, coral, emerald.
The pieces are made by hand and the house designs to order. It supplies the jewellery for the 2026 edition.
-
Red-light partner
Helight
A French company based in Saint-Étienne, co-founded in 2015 by Jean-Marc Moncorger and Jérôme Grange. Its device, Helight Sleep, emits pure red light at 630 nanometres for twenty-eight minutes, the wavelength of the setting sun.
The device is sold in France in shops and online.
-
Footwear partner
Shoe Gummi
An American brand founded in 2019 by Shantel Jackson. Shoe Gummi makes an outer sole that fixes under the front of a heel and spreads the load across the ball of the foot.
The problem it solves is precisely a competition evening’s problem: hours on your feet in heels.
-
Eyewear partner
Valtoria
Luxury eyewear designed in Monaco and handmade in Fukui, Japan, in Japanese acetate and titanium, with Zeiss optical treatments.
Founded by Gabriela Tarkanyi Maldonado and the former Formula 1 driver Pastor Maldonado; the name comes from their daughters. First global showcase at Silmo Paris 2025.
-
Oral health partner
Cabinet Dentaire Madeleine
A Paris dental practice at 8 boulevard de la Madeleine, in the 9th arrondissement. Fourteen practitioners work there, dental surgeons, periodontists, endodontists and orthodontists, Monday to Saturday, 9.30am to 7pm. The practice works in French, English and Arabic.
Dr Ralph Badaoui, chirurgien-dentiste, supports the 2026 edition.
The venues
Where the 2026 class was hosted, photographed and received.
-
Preparation venue
Mas Bleu
A property at Sommières, in the Gard: a former stable turned guest house, with a pool, a tennis court and grounds.
It hosted the 2026 class’s preparation week in September: photo shoots, stage and speaking coaching, written and oral assessments.
-
Host town
Town of Sommières
A small medieval town in the Gard, between Nîmes and Montpellier, set on the Vidourle and crossed by a Roman bridge still in use.
The town supports the organisation on the 2026 class’s shoots and public appearances, including the preparation week, which was held on its territory.
-
The gown shoot
Arles Amphitheatre
A Roman amphitheatre built around 90 AD, over 130 metres long, which held around 21,000 spectators. It still hosts races, shows and concerts.
Listed as a historic monument in 1840 at Prosper Mérimée’s instigation, and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1981. It is not a ruin: it is still in use.
-
Shoot location
Château de Pondres
At Villevieille, next to Sommières. The estate is attested as early as 1195; the present building is 17th-century, rebuilt at the turn of the 21st after a fire.
A four-star hotel: twenty-four rooms and suites, a fifteen-hectare park. The estate hosted part of the 2026 class's photography.
Work with us
What a partnership covers, what the 2026 edition received in return, and how to reach us.
Become a partner