The Paris Fashion Week in the French capital had a small Coevorden touch this year. Make-up artist Joyce Pietrzak (41) was allowed to let off steam on the models of the American fashion designer Rick Owens.
How does an organization like Paris Fashion Week end up with a make-up artist from Coevorden?
“Well, because this make-up artist from Coevorden is lucky enough to work for the most beautiful make-up company in the world: MAC Cosmetics. And they do a lot of shows worldwide. When I started in make-up, I really looked up to the MAC make-up artists. They are so creative and quirky. It was a dream for me to also be able to work as a make-up artist at fashion weeks. And that’s what I’m doing now, in addition to my work for the MAC store in Zwolle.”
Was this your first job abroad?
,,Yes. But I did do a number of fashion weeks in Amsterdam before this.
What did you have to do?
,,We were allowed to do the show of fashion designer Rick Owens. His main make-up artist calls in extra hands via MAC if he needs them. I was one of four added to the French team. In total, there were twelve of us on 48 male models. We on our trolleys, the models in front, further on they were working on the hairstyling with thirty people and behind us a group was steaming the clothes. And to my left was fifty meters of clothes racks. It’s a very streamlined organization.”
And then you get all handsome men in front of you that you have to make even more handsome?
,,True! You will first receive a briefing on what the look must be and which products you may use. In this case it had to cleanskin are. Beautiful skin, which should look a bit like it has a glow. And then make up so that the cheekbones look a bit higher. A little goth.”
Didn’t you regret that you weren’t allowed to make up women? What can you do with men?
,,(Laughs) Men, what should we do with it? No, seriously: you can do just as much with men as you can with women. A face is a face. A canvas is a canvas. You can also give men brightly colored lips. Or a smoky eye .”
Sounds like a busy life: working at fashion weeks and in the store and then you’re also a mother.
,,Beats! I’m in the store 24 hours a week and for MAC I also do other things besides fashion weeks. Metamorphoses for the magazine Female friend , for example. And I also have my own company, with which I make up brides and do make-up for television productions. And yes, I am a mom! Of a daughter and two gift daughters. My daughter spent a little longer with her dad this week.”
Does Paris taste like more?
,,Of course! I’m open to everything! I am so proud to have achieved this. People sometimes think it’s just a crazy world, all glamour, but I’ll tell you, it’s not. From our hotel to Palais de Tokyo, where it was, we couldn’t get a single taxi. At one point we went to the metro with our heavy suitcases full of make-up, lug down stairs, up stairs again… It also started to rain hard! We laughed so much… We artists? No, we’re just movers! I’m dead tired, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”