INTERVIEW – The icon of fashion and Parisian nights of the eighties, today a director and producer, adds a string to his bow: he writes:
His first book, French childhood (Ed. Albin Michel), Vaudeville Prize 2024, is the autobiographical story of a child born to Algerian parents who grew up in brutality in the suburbs of Lyon, Mingettes. It is also a moving story of emancipation.
My state of mind at the moment?
Restless as always. Anxiety was followed by anxiety, my close companion for a long time. Just like the fear that inhabited me for years, but which was also the driving force that made me get up in the morning and move.
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My news?
I continue to support the publication of my book, French childhood. I get daily messages from people who have read it, even though they aren’t necessarily readers, which makes me even more excited.
Why should you read my book?
I wanted to tell what happens inside the walls of the city, beyond the walls, in this long journey that is immigration. It is a book that, I think, weaves connections, just as literature has connected me to the world.
How do I feel in the spotlight?
Dizzy anxiety.
It is a book that connects me, just as literature connected me to the world.
Farida Khelfa
A topic that makes me miserable at my hinges.
Colonization. Reading Frantz Fanon opened my eyes to the damage of several generations of colonialism. He is a leading figure in that theme, he joined the Free French Forces at the age of 17 and then campaigned for decolonization not only in Algeria but also in sub-Saharan Africa. He is also a thinker who revolutionized psychiatry by creating the day hospital. It would be a nice gesture to enshrine him. Reading his books gave me a better understanding of my parents. I also knew that I did not want to be colonized.
A piece of couture that looks like me.
Tuxedo: eternal, essential.
A designer to watch!
I recently walked for Mugler. Creative director Casey Cadwalader created a red coat for me, as polished as my lipstick. I was excited to come back to this house. Fashion continues to interest me. That’s a pretty good sign.
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My current mental load.
My mind is constantly overloaded, I try to manage it as best as possible, especially by meditating every day.
The question I don’t answer.
That one!
What do I like people to say about me?
I prefer not to know what people say about me.
My mind is constantly busy, I try to manage it as best as possible
Farida Khelfa
Last time I was proud of myself?
When my boys were born, I didn’t believe I could bring children into the world. Wonderful feeling!
What do I think about in the morning when I put on my makeup?
To hide my dark circles.
Misunderstanding about me?
I heard wrong.
An opinion that made me happy.
Virginia Despentes. He sent me a very kind and extremely caring message. It touched me because for me Despentes is a writer who evokes in his books an underworld, an underground environment that few in literature understand. A world that excites me because I know it well.
Is promoting myself a chore?
I rarely talk about myself except for promos.
A wooden tongue or too loose a tongue ?
Too loose which caused me some frustrations. At one time I spoke without a filter, I really did not realize that I could offend people. I have evolved, now I know that it is not necessary to say everything that you think, especially since the next minute you can think the opposite.
Fashion continues to interest me, which is a good sign
Farida Khelfa
I lie in interviews.
Rarely.
What am I going to do after this interview?
Go for a run or meditate…
Source: Le Figaro
