A darling of Paris nightlife in the '80s, style icon Farida Khelfa speaks with L'OFFICIEL about the formative decade and the friendships she forged with photographer Jean-Paul Goude and designers Azzedine Alaïa, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Christian Louboutin.

A fixture at the famous French club Le Palace, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/farida-khelfa-interview-issue-france-2019">Farida Khelfa</a>&nbsp;spent her formative years surrounded by Parisian nightlife and fashion. The&nbsp;model&rsquo;s catwalk career was launched by <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/jean-paul-gaultier-final-couture-show-dita-von-teese">Jean Paul Gaultier</a>, she played muse to designer Azzedine Ala&iuml;a and photographer <a href="https://www.jeanpaulgoude.com/en/">Jean-Paul Goude</a>, and forged a life-long friendship with <a href="https://www.lofficiel.at/en/fashion/christian-louboutin-39-s-illusionist-collection">Christian Louboutin</a>. Now also an actress and documentary filmmaker, the creative continues to be a cultural force to be reckoned with.&nbsp;

Here, L&rsquo;OFFICIEL speaks with the style icon about taking the Paris nightlife scene by storm in the &lsquo;80s, and the passions and friendships that grew from the magnificent decade.

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L&rsquo;OFFICIEL: Can you tell us about when you first arrived in Paris?

FARIDA KHELFA: I didn&rsquo;t know where to go. I wandered everywhere, but I soon met Le Palace&rsquo;s crew in Les Halles. It was the trendiest neighborhood, with &lsquo;50s vintage shops&hellip;it was where everything happened.

 
L&rsquo;O: You talk about Le Palace as a place of initiation for you. What did you discover there?

FK: Homosexuality. I had a lot of gay friends when I was very young but it was taboo; nobody would say anything. At Le Palace no one hid. Everybody was so nice to me and I felt safe with them. They welcomed me with open arms. Fabrice Emaer let us in even though we had no money. We weren&rsquo;t there for that! He understood that letting us in would attract the Parisian golden youth. I loved the lack of judgment and the anonymity, something that&rsquo;s just&nbsp;not possible today. We were allowed to be whoever we wanted.

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L&rsquo;O: You lived here and there, from Pierre &amp; Gilles&rsquo; studio to the apartment of the Le Palace bouncer, Edwige. Were you scared of anything?

FK: No, but I knew how to recognize danger. I always had a pair of jeans ready on the floor next to my bed, in case I had to run away.

 
L&rsquo;O: What were your days and nights like?

FK: There were no days! Only nights. Most of the time I would wake up around 4 p.m., or Edwige and I would leave the club early in the morning and go to ground beef at the butcher shop.

 
L&rsquo;O: You met the fashion world on the dance floor of Le Palace and Les Bain Douches: <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/ysl">Yves Saint Laurent,</a> <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/kenzo">Kenzo</a>, Claude Montana, <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/mugler">Thierry Mugler</a>, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/jeanpaulgaultier">Jean Paul Gaultier</a>. Did they make you love fashion?

FK: Yes. They appreciated my unexpected style. I dressed how I wanted: Very tight Levis or stirrup pants, a black turtleneck, and some rocker shoes from the &lsquo;50s. It was all very masculine, unless I was wearing my red high heels that <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/louboutin">Christian [Louboutin]</a> brought me from London. These close friends are the ones who made me discover fashion and brought me to the catwalk, even though I wasn&rsquo;t really interested in the big brands at the time.

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L&rsquo;O: You were the &ldquo;Queen of the Door&rdquo; at Les Bains Douches. Did it sharpen your style sense?

FK: A lot, since I was judging people only on that. Usually the ones with great style have no money so I was only letting in people who weren&rsquo;t buying drinks...the rich ones were badly dressed and that was not acceptable. A bad pair of earrings could kill a look.

 
L&rsquo;O: What did you consider to be great style?

FK: Nobody was buying expensive brands because they couldn&rsquo;t afford it. It forced you to use your imagination&mdash;that&rsquo;s how people stood out.

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I loved the lack of judgment and the anonymity...we were allowed to be whoever we wanted.

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L&rsquo;O: The first time you walked the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier he let you choose your clothes. What do you remember of working with him?

FK: I remember the first time I met Jean Paul. It was in Trinit&eacute;, a neighborhood in Paris. He had dark hair and was very shy. I came to do a fitting even though I didn&rsquo;t have the body of a model: I was voluptuous and curvy. I had large breasts and never thought I could fit in those clothes, but I did! I also walked pretty early for Mugler. Both were visionaries.

 
L&rsquo;O: In 1982 you met your partner for several years, the photographer <a href="https://wwd.com/eye/lifestyle/chanel-hosts-jean-paul-goude-exhibition-in-milan-1203371487/">Jean-Paul Goude</a>, who was 20 years older than you. Was he the one who influenced your passion for images?

FK: I loved what Jean-Paul did with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/20/fashion/the-power-of-grace-jones.html">Grace Jones</a>. It was the first time we could see a black woman with almost a crewcut, dressed in a suit jacket with nothing underneath. Her skin was so beautiful. Jean-Paul taught me to appreciate so many things, like the <a href="https://www.lofficiel.at/en/Jewellery%20&amp;%20Watches/swatch-celebrating-the-100th-anniversary-of-bauhaus">Bauhaus</a>, Stravinsky, the Russian ballets. I was very into literature, but he brought images into my life. I still appreciate visuals today because of him.

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L&rsquo;O: You worked with a lot of singular designers. What did they share that made them so influential, inspired, and respected?

FK: Jean Paul Gaultier, <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/alaia">Azzedine Ala&iuml;a</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/casey-cadwallader-mugler-creative-director">Thierry Mugler</a>, and Christian Lacroix all created their own fashion houses. They had strong personalities. That&rsquo;s the game changer. Today most designers have to follow and respect a brand&rsquo;s history when they become creative director. It&rsquo;s more of a challenge to lead.

 
L&rsquo;O: You still have your friends from the &lsquo;80s: <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/naomicampbell">Naomi Cambell</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/burberry-holiday-campaign-riccardo-tisci-2019">Carla Bruni-Sarkozy</a>, Victoire de Castellane, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/quincy-brown-louboutin-sneaker-campaign-2019">Christian Louboutin</a>. What keeps your friendships going over so much time?

FK: I&rsquo;m very loyal in friendship and love. It&rsquo;s really hard for me to make friends. It takes time, so I do everything to keep them. I try to avoid conflicts. They are good people, so over the years I&rsquo;m rarely disappointed.

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L&rsquo;O: Do you prefer acting or directing? You&rsquo;ve done both.

FK: I love the freedom of <a href="http://www.lofficielusa.com/tags/acting">acting</a>. But I also feel freedom whenI make documentaries. When you start one, you never know where the story will end up, and most of the time it&rsquo;s somewhere unexpected. I&rsquo;ve made documentaries on Jean Paul Gaultier, then about Tunisian youth during the Arab Spring, and most recently one about women in the Middle East.

 
L&rsquo;O: You were <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/azzedine-alaia-archival-collection-the-editions-naomi-campbell">Azzedine Ala&iuml;a&rsquo;s</a> studio director from 1996 to 2003, then couture director for Jean Paul Gaultier. Is it easy to work with friends?

FK: Not at all. I discourage people from working with friends. I prefer to keep my friends rather than work with them.

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L&rsquo;O: You are widely known as a muse and style icon. What does that mean to you?

FK: Nothing really, I&rsquo;m very flattered about it but I don&rsquo;t wake up in the morning thinking about it. I say thank you but it doesn&rsquo;t define me.

 
L&rsquo;O: So how do you define yourself?

FK: As a woman of the 21st century. Especially as a mother who is trying to be herself, without any bitter feelings. I try to stay positive.

&nbsp;

L&#39;OFFICIEL&#39;s&nbsp;September 2020 Issue is available on newsstands and&nbsp;<a href="https://issuu.com/lofficielitalia/docs/lous_digital_issue_sep20__1___2_">online</a>&nbsp;now.&nbsp;

Style Icon Farida Khelfa Looks Back on Paris' Fashionable Nightlife

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