Puff pieces

 

The Moncler Maya isn’t your average puffer; the lacquered nylon duvet jacket has kept bodies warm and stylish for over 60 years. For one night last month, the iconic jacket was elevated to the status of art object for the “Art for Love” private exhibition at the New York Public Library. Curated by Interview editorial director Fabien Baron, the show featured depictions of the Maya by more than 30 of the world’s top photographers, including Bruce Weber, Patrick Demarchelier, Annie Leibovitz, Craig McDean, Steven Meisel, Camilla Akrans, and Terry Richardson. Moncler gave the photographers free rein, providing no prompt beyond the Maya jacket and the knowledge that each photograph would be auctioned off, with the proceeds supporting amfAR’s Countdown to a Cure research initiative, which aims to find a cure for AIDS by 2020. The images are as varied as each photographer’s aesthetic, ranging from surreal interpretations to playful ones. “Each bared their soul along with Moncler for this project,” says Moncler chairman Remo Ruffini. “The exhibition features extraordinary images by masters of the camera, icons of contemporary photography, who use their very own language to depict love as the bedrock of the life of human beings.”