SIOBHAN BONNOUVRIER

METAMORPHOSIS OF A DRIVEN INTERN TO AN INDUSTRY NORTH STAR

Who is Siobhan Bonnouvrier? Siobhan Bonnouvrier is initially a fashion-crazed teenage girl magazine collector who morphed into a self-made timeless creative director, the embodiment of what she graciously says about others in her orbit. Her genuine modesty doesn’t allow her to ascribe to herself the compliments that she bestows only on others, which similarly define her. It is in this context that she concedes that her long-held obsession with style magazines as a teenager is what drew her to the fashion industry and the people she came to admire and personify

At 25, after her modeling stint that took her across the globe, Bonnouvrier made her entry into Harper Bazaar the only way she knew how: by immersing herself full throttle and completely into the endeavor Starting out as an intern to fashion editor Sasha Charnin Morrison, she was in the shadows of some of the biggest directors and stylists; she reminisces on her time, “Back in the 90s, I remember seeing all the editors going into the Isaac Mizrahi show and all the chaos outside the show and just thinking, ‘I'm gonna be with you guys one day.’” Little did Bonnouvrier know, that day would come very quickly. Climbing through the fashion world ecosystem, she made her way over to Conde Nast as a Style Director turned Fashion Director in just under five years, “At that time, Conde Nast was much more buttoned up, more powerful at that moment.”

Along the way, Bonnouvrier networked a web of connections and was attending fashion shows left and right, sitting front row with some of society’s favorite designers She had the privilege of collaborating with people like Liz Tilberis, Fabien Baron, Tonne Goodman, Patrick Demarchelier, and Paul Cavaco, who left an imprint on Bonnouvrier, “He really took me under his wing and decided he was going to give me an open lane to grow and do a lot.” Once her foot parted the opening in the door, her chances of being embraced within the industry became exponentially better Driven by her work ethic and confidence, she was destined to succeed. In retrospect, she had just taken the initial part-time position at Conde Nast without giving a second thought to it becoming more. Bonnouvrier made her name a reality everyone wanted to see flourish.

Throughout this time Bonnouvrier was exposed to what it meant to be a part of a “fashion family”. Nevertheless, not everyone brought into a nest is embraced or succeeds. It is no surprise that Bonnouvrier impresses almost everyone with whom she comes into contact. Having had the opportunity to participate in a variety of shoots for incredibly talented people, whether it be a celebrity or fashion story, clearly each endeavor propelled her to a significant stature early in her career. Thereby fulfilling her dream, however, she still is ever so critical of herself that she sometimes is never satisfied enough to believe she belongs amongst the icons who inspire her. Eventually, she gravitated to her own style, which included embracing timelessness and photography to the more trendy, colorfulness du jour. That is not to say she did not take pride in her shoots of Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Blake Lively, and Angelina Jolie.

As for personal creative achievement, she especially favored and took pride in the production she conducted during lockdown for designer Carolina Sarria This was a fashion show set in Nintendo‘s animal crossing,

Bonnouvrier augmented those connections with the Warhol foundation, resulting in the creation of an Andy Warhol avatar. It was that particular project and all of its radiation that has given her the most gratification as a Creative Director.

“I CALLED ON A HUGE NETWORK OF COLLABORATORS THAT I KNEW FROM NEW YORK AND FROM MEDIA AND FASHION TO WORK ON IT AND THEN I ENDED UP ASKING THE WARHOL FOUNDATION TO BE A PART OF IT.”

Beckoning back to her own sense of modesty, she still has doubts about having “the confidence to bring a team along, to lead a team to create something beautiful,” despite the zeal and commitment, she gives to her projects. Thus she continues to strive to make every challenge more beautiful than the last, while doing her best to hide her inherent shyness, making that introverted trait a paradox in the world within which she inspires and lives. Bonnouvrier balances her innate draw to be open-minded and flexible with an occasional yet necessary dab of uncompromising assertiveness In that role, she sees herself as, “Part diplomat, part artist or creative soul, and part Mother,” as typical in this industry “you have to be so many things to so many people.”

Like all humans, Bonnouvrier also has regrets A singular regret in her career is allowing intimidation, the fear to create because of possible failure, to get in the way rather than relying on her perseverance. For example, she steered away from an opportunity to take over a European magazine as Editor-In-Chief which was held in high regard. Yet, she fretted it did not have the resources to succeed in a launch in the US. In hindsight, Bonnouvrier wishes she had embraced the challenge.

“PART DIPLOMAT, PART ARTIST OR CREATIVE SOUL, AND PART MOTHER, YOU HAVE TO BE SO MANY THINGS TO SO MANY PEOPLE.”

Fortunately, some bad decisions open better doors, and so that is how Bonnouvrier came to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) after 30 years of the New York grind. What more could she hope for than to share her experiences, her knowledge, her teamwork, her perspective in the industry, and her aspirations in such an ecosystem? SCAD is where all of it was open for discussion and debate. In her commitment to SCAD, this love of her work has intersected with her personal happiness here in Savannah, a radical change from the ever-growing and accomplished portfolio in New York. As Bonnouvrier brings all that she cherishes in the industry to a new level, culminating in a new adventure in her life, SCAD Visual Media, she continues to rely on her most trusted mantras: nothing comes without hard work, collaboration, and perseverance. Bonnouvrier shares with us that,

Siobhan Bonnouvrier continues to shape and impact the industry and is a name everyone should continue to follow.

X AnaCarina Murphy

“EVERYTHING IS CHANGING SO QUICKLY THAT ONE WAY OF DOING SOMETHING TODAY IS PROBABLY NOT THE WAY TO DO IT TOMORROW.”