For the very first amfAR-Gala at the Salzburger Festspiele, the house of Vivienne Westwood created extraordinary costumes inspired by the iconic play Jedermann. Creative Director Andreas Kronthaler reimagined historic pieces from the festival’s costume archive: dismantled, recombined, and merged with elements of contemporary collections.
The result is a powerful visual narrative that reflects the play’s central themes: life and death, possession and loss, power and humility.
The Three Faces of Buhlschaft
At the heart of the story is the Buhlschaft, portrayed in three life stages:
- Buhlschaft 1: youthful, playful, in pink and red chiffon with embroidered details.
- Buhlschaft 2: strong and transformative, wearing an embroidered top and a sequin skirt.
- Buhlschaft 3: visionary, dressed in the iconic Bird-of-Paradise gown of red silk taffeta with voluminous sleeves – unmistakably Westwood.
Characters of Excess and Ephemerality
The Table Society appears as a lively, pleasure-seeking chorus, their costumes an eclectic blend of historic silhouettes and Westwood’s modern language.
The figure of Death, embodied by Lidia Baich, takes the stage as a powerful, feminine presence in a black corset gown with a long train – beauty confronting mortality.
Mode als Botschaft, Kunst als Statement
Fashion with Purpose, Costume as Statement
Each costume – including those of Devil, Mammon, Good Companion and the Cousins – will be auctioned to benefit amfAR´s AIDS-research.
“Salzburg is special for Vivienne and me. We are honoured to be part of the amfAR Gala. Theatre is vital.”
– Andreas Kronthaler
An Evening of Art, Life and Hope
The collaboration demonstrates how fashion transcends clothing: as transformation, as memory, and as an expression of social responsibility.
Mehr über amfAR´s AIDS-research.