{"id":1834202,"date":"2026-03-19T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1834202"},"modified":"2026-03-19T08:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T05:00:00","slug":"lyas-im-really-bad-at-keeping-my-mouth-shut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1834202","title":{"rendered":"Lyas: \u2018I\u2019m really bad at keeping my mouth shut\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/487-900-1465-976\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441881.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"main-article longread\">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/fashion\/article\/69931\/1\/lyas-la-watchparty-instagram-fashion-spring-2026-issue-interview\" data-article-id=\"69931\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.81\" data-template=\"Longread Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1400\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441881.jpg\" width=\"2417\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Valentin Herfray, styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Imruh Asha<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><time datetime=\"2026-03-19T08:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">DateInMeta<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical vertical - fashion\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\">Fashion<\/a><br \/>\n\/<br \/>\n<a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Lyas: \u2018I\u2019m really bad at keeping my <span class=\"nowrap\">mouth shut\u2019<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>Flipping fashion-world etiquette on its head with his riotous runway watch parties, Elias Medini AKA Lyas is the new-gen face of online <span class=\"nowrap\">style commentary<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-19T08:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - fashion\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\">Fashion<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><time datetime=\"2026-03-19T08:00:00+00:00\" class=\"timestamp\" title=\"19 March 2026\"><span class=\"month\">March<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2026<\/span><\/time><\/p>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/ElliotHoste\">Elliot Hoste<\/a><\/span><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Photography\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Photography<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/ValentinHerfray\">Valentin Herfray<\/a><\/span><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Styling\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Styling<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/ImruhAsha\">Imruh Asha<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-20-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Lyas x <span class=\"nowrap\">Spring 2026<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/0\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1060\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/593-173-1590-1060\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441869.jpg\" width=\"1590\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/1\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/159-138-861-574\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441870.jpg\" width=\"861\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/2\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"976\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/487-900-1465-976\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441881.jpg\" width=\"1465\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/3\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/64-111-921-614\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441871.jpg\" width=\"921\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/4\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-24-2048-1365\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441882.jpg\" width=\"2048\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/5\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1120\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/413-165-1680-1120\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441889.jpg\" width=\"1680\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 20 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally now. Pre-order a copy of the magazine <a href=\"https:\/\/boutiquegalleria.com\/products\/dazed-1\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/boutiquegalleria.com\/products\/dazed-1&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1772900104119000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2nXgs6xfLxlaNtXXEmyBaR\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Elias Medini is, for want of a better phrase, a fashion influencer, known simply as Lyas to his masses of followers. The Paris bar he\u2019s chosen to meet at \u2013 Le Saint Denis, 10th arrondissement \u2013 is a short walk from his new apartment, a recent upgrade from a smaller flat. Le Saint Denis was also the setting for last June\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/dior\">Dior<\/a> watch party, where Medini, on failing to secure an invite to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/article\/69486\/1\/dior-haute-couture-ss26-jonathan-anderson-debut-paris-fashion-week-pfw\">Jonathan Anderson\u2019s SS26 debut<\/a>, orchestrated a breakaway event. Hauling a flatscreen television from home, he invited his Instagram followers to watch the livestream with him. More than 300 people took him up on the offer, spilling from the one-room bar out into the street.<\/p>\n<p>The event exposed a gap in the market, one which Medini quickly filled with La Watchparty, an open-invite event series where young fashionphiles gather to watch livestreamed catwalks. While the fashion show was an exclusive experience brands fought decades to protect, Medini razed and rebuilt that in the space of a season. La Watchparty proves fashion can function as both mass entertainment and community-builder, evidenced by the thousands of joyful kids in attendance. Brands have got on board too, sending gifts and prizes to the watch parties, which run parallel to their own shows.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s January in Paris, and a rogue Christmas tree haunts the corner of Le Saint Denis, engulfed by excessive amounts of tinsel. A newspaper cutting is framed next to the tree: an interview Medini gave the <em>New York Time<\/em>s about the watch party. Another photo of Medini, wearing a Santa hat at the bar\u2019s Christmas party, is thumbtacked to the wall. If you didn\u2019t know who drinks here, the shrine-like interior might give it away. Cultish adoration seems to follow Medini wherever he goes.<\/p>\n<p><span>A few minutes pass, and he walks through the door in a leather jacket, adidas trackies and monk-strap dress shoes. His dark curls are all but obscured by a thick black headband; its cracked pleather coating reminds me of crumbling bark. Swipes of bright red lipstick, now a Lyas signature, cover his mouth. The staff at the bar greet him like a son, before he turns to me and sits. \u201cIt\u2019s so nice to see you again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"dc68f5ec-499f-47f8-9cb7-b41100db5421\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441889.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441889.jpg\" width=\"2400\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">All clothes and leather boots Miu Miu, socks <span class=\"nowrap\">stylist\u2019s own<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Valentin Herfray, styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Imruh Asha<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Medini and I have met before, in the lobby of the Ch\u00e2teau Royal during Berlin Fashion Week. That was two years ago now, and a lot has changed. On a superficial level, his Instagram follower count has exploded from 50k to more than 400,000 people. But with a raised profile comes the pressure of maintaining it. \u201cIt\u2019s been wonderful. I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s been overwhelming at all,\u201d he says of the past two years. \u201cOK, it <\/span><em><span>has<\/span><\/em><span> been at some point \u2013 but I\u2019ve recentered myself. After multiple panic attacks and anxiety crises, I\u2019ve become more in tune with who I\u2019m meant to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Who Medini is meant to be is apparently a kind of critic-cum-socialite, attending fashion shows and reporting on the biggest houses in the world, sometimes whether they\u2019d like him to or not. Medini already had a rapidly rising following before 2024, thanks to his takes on fashion news: acerbic, unfiltered, and posted to Instagram and TikTok. His first videos date back to late 2021 and early 2022, dissecting looks on <em>Vogue Runway <\/em>from his laptop. He picks apart shoots, shows and magazine covers, but he also heaps on praise as much as he critiques. He has his favourites, of course (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/saint-laurent\">Saint Laurent<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/alexander-mcqueen\">McQueen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/jean-paul-gautier\">Jean Paul Gaultier<\/a>), but a positive review one season does not guarantee the same the next. Medini\u2019s content is smart, funny and entertaining, rooted in his strong fashion knowledge \u2013 but it\u2019s the sheer honesty, sometimes bordering on the assaultive, that\u2019s won him plaudits as well as enemies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m really bad at keeping my mouth shut,\u201d he remarks across the table, gleaming with mischief. He recounts a 2025 appearance on Radio France, where host Mathilde Serrell unexpectedly played his take on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/34809\/41\/louis-vuitton-aw25-men-s\">Louis Vuitton\u2019s AW25 men\u2019s collection<\/a> to the station\u2019s 7.2 million daily listeners. Visibly uncomfortable and squirming in his seat, he was forced to back himself. \u201cI went on national radio and said it was level zero of design for Pharrell to put his own face on a hoodie and sell it for three thousand fucking euros,\u201d says Medini, who suspects he&#8217;s been blacklisted by the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c<span>I went on national radio and said it was level zero of design for Pharrell to put his own face on a hoodie and sell it for three thousand fucking euros\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>In person, you can see why so many people are captivated by Medini\u2019s antics. He\u2019s magnetic in a way that evades most clouty fashion people, and perpetually on the charm offensive. His soaring profile has also allowed him unprecedented access to the rich and famous. He\u2019s been granted an elusive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/john-galliano\">John Galliano<\/a> interview, and wore the designer\u2019s celebrated 2024 Artisanal collection, which was \u201cthe biggest stamp of approval\u201c that he could ever get. He\u2019s toured <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/madonna\">Madonna<\/a>\u2019s house on Instagram, and his friendships with the top models of the day \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/alex-consani\">Alex Consani<\/a>, Lulu Tenney, Loli Bahia \u2013 occupy prime real estate on his feed, like Capote\u2019s Swans but for gay people with double-digit screen time. <span>According to Medini, however, celeb-adjacency isn\u2019t a strategy for self-promotion \u2013 he\u2019s simply delighting in the zeitgeist. \u201cIt\u2019s not a plan at all. I just love being with the moment,\u201d he says. \u201cI love to be a part of <\/span><em><span>now<\/span><\/em><span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Medini has flourished in a time when the parameters of creative jobs are increasingly ill-defined. Publications describe him as an influencer, critic, content creator, commentator and more. When I ask him what <\/span><em><span>he<\/span><\/em><span> thinks he is, he responds with a flippant \u201cwho cares!\u201d and offers no further explanation, apparently quite pleased with the silence that follows. I respond with the suggestion that he might be a journalist, to which he pushes back. \u201cI don\u2019t consider myself a journalist, I say I \u2018talk about fashion\u2019. I don\u2019t consider myself a critic. I find this quite restrictive, and I want to be able to do what I want to do,\u201d he says, before finally conceding: \u201cIf people <\/span><em><span>want<\/span><\/em><span> to know \u2013 if they want to put me in a box \u2013 I say I\u2019m a fashion agitator.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This evolution, from Elias Medini to Lyas the Agitator, has been in near constant advance. A self-described \u201cyoung kid who comes from fucking nowhere\u201d, <\/span><span>Medini was born in Paris to French and Algerian parents and brought up in Rouen, 80 miles from the capital. \u201cI was a queer kid in a Muslim family, so it was quite complicated to come out or just be comfortable with who I was,\u201d he says. Medini found solace in fashion, and recalls seeing one formative fashion show as a teenager: Jeremy Scott\u2019s AW14 debut for Moschino, when the designer riffed on SpongeBob and Chanel in high-camp glory. \u201cI loved it so much I didn\u2019t know what to do with it,\u201d he remembers. \u201cI was looking at the photos like, \u2018What the fuck do I do with this? I have no one to talk to about it.\u2019 I couldn\u2019t even put it on Facebook because\u201d \u2013 he takes a pregnant, reflective beat \u2013 \u201ceveryone would have called me a faggot.\u201d The photos remained tucked away on a private Tumblr account.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"50c32ee4-4ecd-467d-9f7e-b41100db4bd2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441885.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441885.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">all clothes and leather shoes Prada, socks stylist&#8217;s own, nylon and acetate sunglasses Saint Laurent by <span class=\"nowrap\">Anthony Vaccarello<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Valentin Herfray, styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Imruh Asha<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>At 18, Medini moved to Paris and enrolled in film school. Fashion might have been his protective layer, but cinema was his first true love. \u201cSince I was very young, I\u2019ve always wanted to tell stories, and a great way to do that is cinema,\u201d he says. A career in film \u201cwas always the goal\u201d, but after graduating, Medini spent two years shopping a script called <em>Two Thousand Per Cent<\/em>, a kind of modelling mockumentary with graphic violence and a forced coming-out. \u201cI really thought that I had a gem on my hands,\u201d he says. \u201cI still want to do it.\u201d When that didn\u2019t go to plan, he decided to refocus on his other great love: fashion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI was going out every fucking night in Paris, and the people who go out aren\u2019t the cinema people \u2013 it\u2019s the fashion people,\u201d he says. While partying, Medini met Pierre A M\u2019Pel\u00e9 AKA Pamboy, the former editor-in-chief of French <\/span><em><span>GQ<\/span><\/em><span>, and collaborated on a series of videos, parodying fashion archetypes. Despite its virality, <\/span><em><span>GQ<\/span><\/em><span> cancelled the series. \u201cToo much money, too much production shit,\u201d Medini cites as the reason. But with his taste for fashion commentary ignited, he set out to discover \u201ca way to do it from my room \u2013 and that was through criticism.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While the first few years were mostly confined to his laptop, everything changed when Medini met public relations empresario Lucien Pag\u00e8s, who has become a bit of a fashion fairy godfather for Medini since. \u201c<\/span><span>We invited him to attend one of the Saint Laurent shows, which was one of his first major fashion shows,\u201d <\/span><span>Pag\u00e8s tells me, over email. \u201cHe arrived in a tuxedo, incredibly chic, very composed. People were drawn to him in a very natural way \u2013 there was a kind of collective fascination. That was the moment I truly saw his star quality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Saint Laurent A\/W24 was followed by an avalanche of invites, with Medini moving from influential bedroom critic to front-row fixture. Implicit in that trajectory, however, is the suggestion that the fashion establishment saw his critiques as a threat, and brought him in as a way to shut him up. \u201cYeeeaaah,\u201d he responds, unconvincingly, before launching into a tangential anecdote. I ask again if it\u2019s beneficial for brands to have him on side, but his phone rings and he takes the call, apologising and switching to Do Not Disturb afterwards. I ask a third time, and after some evasiveness, Medini eventually concedes that his videos became less critical when the big invites started rolling in. \u201cI did tone it down when I started to get invited to bigger shows. I was like, \u2018OK, fuck. I have to shut my mouth now.\u2019 And then it all came to a head when I saw that Dior show.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cPeople don\u2019t like to see the new generation come into this industry and break open the doors that were shut by the people before. I don\u2019t want to repeat the mistakes that my older peers made with me\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Medini\u2019s less-than-favourable review of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/34280\/0\/dior-ss25\">Maria Grazia Chiuri\u2019s SS25 show<\/a> caused a fashion firestorm. It\u2019s a cosmic irony that Medini\u2019s next act \u2013 as the pied piper of fashion\u2019s new generation \u2013 came from that other interaction with Dior: the SS26 watch party at Le Saint Denis. The positive press generated from the event resulted in a personal thank you (plus a new season bag) from Jonathan Anderson, and miraculously healed his relationship with the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After the success of the first watch party, Medini rebranded as La Watchparty, upgrading to larger venues and branching out in London and Milan. <\/span><span>Besides creating a space for young people to collectively experience fashion, it\u2019s clear that Medini is also healing his inner child, the one who had to stash his Jeremy Scott pics. <\/span><span>\u201cI really wanted to create an event the kid in me would\u2019ve loved to attend,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s also weirdly an excuse for me to watch a fashion show with my parents and my family, because I never was able to do that before. They came, and they sat through the whole show, and we were together. Finally, it was a shared dream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As the murky grey outside is replaced by the yellow glow of streetlamps, Medini invites me to inspect the designs for his La Watchparty merch at his new apartment. It\u2019s a spacious place, with just a couple of used wine glasses dotted across the counter, and monographs on David Wojnarowicz and Ruven Afanador artfully arranged on a coffee table. He pulls up his laptop and shows me a T-shirt with the phrase \u2018When I can\u2019t sleep I goon to McQueen SS98\u2019 printed across it, next to a cartoon face wagging its tongue. Another shows a cartoon man sitting in front of an open laptop, which may or may not be Medini. \u201c\u200b\u200bI don\u2019t want it to be too obviously me, because some people might hate me, but still want to buy the shit,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As much as Lyas is adored, I\u2019m keen to broach the topic of his detractors. These people mostly come from within the industry, dinosaur editors who refuse to accept that a new wave of commentators is holding space on the front row. Medini has become representative of that new guard, but it\u2019s also opened him up to criticism and sparked debate about whether internet personalities deserve front row access, side by side with seasoned journalists.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"1215663a-2026-4bdd-9c89-b41100db478e\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441882.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.39\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1471\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441882.jpg\" width=\"2048\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">All clothes Jean Paul Gaultier, cotton socks Ann Demeulemeester, patent leather shoes Saint Laurent by <span class=\"nowrap\">Anthony Vaccarello<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Valentin Herfray, styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Imruh Asha<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Earlier, at Le Saint Denis, when I asked him if he\u2019d become a lightning rod for these kinds of criticisms, his response was brusque. \u201cI\u2019m sure a lot of people don\u2019t like what I do, but maybe if they\u2026 yeah, no, I\u2019m taking this personally,\u201d he said, before trailing off. Here in his own home, he\u2019s a lot more receptive to the line of questioning. \u201cPeople don\u2019t like to see the new generation come into this industry and break open the doors that were shut by the people before,\u201d he says, matter-of-factly. \u201cI don\u2019t want to repeat the mistakes that my older peers made with me. They saw me as competition, and I don\u2019t want to make that mistake when the next generation comes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a moment of meta-coincidence, the conversation is halted when Medini remembers he has to jump on a video call with Dazed editors to plan our accompanying shoot. They discuss a shot where, at a fictionalised watch party, he is lifted into the air by the crowd of attendees. Medini briefly opposes that particular suggestion, which I address after the call. \u201cI\u2019m not too sure about it,\u201d he says, in a rare display of reticence. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit too wannabe rock star.\u201d I gently remind him that people attend his watch parties as much for him as for the fashion. When it comes down to it, what\u2019s La Watchparty without La Rockstar? \u201cThat\u2019s the thing \u2013 I don\u2019t want it to be just that,\u201d he replies. \u201cI want it to live without me at some point, so I can go and make my movies, and have the watch party still happening.\u201d He pauses, for just a moment, contemplating. \u201cBut maybe I do need to be the face of it at the beginning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Raised skyward by fashion\u2019s next gen, the photograph remains in the final shoot.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html-embed\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n<p><em>Hair Andrea Idini at Home Agency sing Oribe, make-up Axelleerina using Byredo and SL Beauty, set design F\u00e9lix Sesnouin at Total, photographic ssistants Lou-Anna Grolleau, t\u00e9mi Procureur, Baptiste auduret, Diane Sou\u00eatre, styling ssistants Moni Jiang, Asya von oldenstern, Romane Walti, nne Elizabeth Voortmeijer, Sam erring, set design assistants lijah Deroche, Faustine Morisset, Enguerran Chauve, ailoring Carole Savaton, digital perator Romain Boe, production ocelyn Rummler at 360PM, roduction assistants Julia ellouche, Louise Baz, Thibault Rousseau, Douglas Walter, Lunis lessaoui, post-production INK<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\">Fashion<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/social-media\">social media<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/instagram\">Instagram<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/lyas\">Lyas<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"image-navigation\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/news\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img one\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">News<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img two\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Fashion<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/music\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img three\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Music<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/film-tv\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img four\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Film &amp; TV<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/article\/69931\/1\/lyas-la-watchparty-instagram-fashion-spring-2026-issue-interview#features\" class=\"image-navigation__img five\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Features<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img six\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Beauty<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img seven\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Life &amp; Culture<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/art-photography\/\" class=\"image-navigation__img eight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image-navigation__wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"image-navigation__title\">Art &amp; Photography<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-20-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">Lyas x <span class=\"nowrap\">Spring 2026<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/0\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1060\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/593-173-1590-1060\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441869.jpg\" width=\"1590\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/1\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"574\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/159-138-861-574\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441870.jpg\" width=\"861\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/2\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"976\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/487-900-1465-976\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441881.jpg\" width=\"1465\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/3\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/64-111-921-614\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441871.jpg\" width=\"921\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/4\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/0-24-2048-1365\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441882.jpg\" width=\"2048\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/36855\/5\/lyas-x-spring-2026\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1120\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/320\/413-165-1680-1120\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441889.jpg\" width=\"1680\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 20 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><em>This story is taken from the spring 2026 issue of Dazed, which is on sale internationally now. Pre-order a copy of the magazine <a href=\"https:\/\/boutiquegalleria.com\/products\/dazed-1\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/boutiquegalleria.com\/products\/dazed-1&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1772900104119000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2nXgs6xfLxlaNtXXEmyBaR\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Elias Medini is, for want of a better phrase, a fashion influencer, known simply as Lyas to his masses of followers. The Paris bar he\u2019s chosen to meet at \u2013 Le Saint Denis, 10th arrondissement \u2013 is a short walk from his new apartment, a recent upgrade from a smaller flat. Le Saint Denis was also the setting for last June\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/dior\">Dior<\/a> watch party, where Medini, on failing to secure an invite to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/article\/69486\/1\/dior-haute-couture-ss26-jonathan-anderson-debut-paris-fashion-week-pfw\">Jonathan Anderson\u2019s SS26 debut<\/a>, orchestrated a breakaway event. Hauling a flatscreen television from home, he invited his Instagram followers to watch the livestream with him. More than 300 people took him up on the offer, spilling from the one-room bar out into the street.<\/p>\n<p>The event exposed a gap in the market, one which Medini quickly filled with La Watchparty, an open-invite event series where young fashionphiles gather to watch livestreamed catwalks. While the fashion show was an exclusive experience brands fought decades to protect, Medini razed and rebuilt that in the space of a season. La Watchparty proves fashion can function as both mass entertainment and community-builder, evidenced by the thousands of joyful kids in attendance. Brands have got on board too, sending gifts and prizes to the watch parties, which run parallel to their own shows.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s January in Paris, and a rogue Christmas tree haunts the corner of Le Saint Denis, engulfed by excessive amounts of tinsel. A newspaper cutting is framed next to the tree: an interview Medini gave the <em>New York Time<\/em>s about the watch party. Another photo of Medini, wearing a Santa hat at the bar\u2019s Christmas party, is thumbtacked to the wall. If you didn\u2019t know who drinks here, the shrine-like interior might give it away. Cultish adoration seems to follow Medini wherever he goes.<\/p>\n<p><span>A few minutes pass, and he walks through the door in a leather jacket, adidas trackies and monk-strap dress shoes. His dark curls are all but obscured by a thick black headband; its cracked pleather coating reminds me of crumbling bark. Swipes of bright red lipstick, now a Lyas signature, cover his mouth. The staff at the bar greet him like a son, before he turns to me and sits. \u201cIt\u2019s so nice to see you again.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"dc68f5ec-499f-47f8-9cb7-b41100db5421\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441889.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.8\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441889.jpg\" width=\"2400\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">All clothes and leather boots Miu Miu, socks <span class=\"nowrap\">stylist\u2019s own<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Valentin Herfray, styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Imruh Asha<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Medini and I have met before, in the lobby of the Ch\u00e2teau Royal during Berlin Fashion Week. That was two years ago now, and a lot has changed. On a superficial level, his Instagram follower count has exploded from 50k to more than 400,000 people. But with a raised profile comes the pressure of maintaining it. \u201cIt\u2019s been wonderful. I wouldn\u2019t say it\u2019s been overwhelming at all,\u201d he says of the past two years. \u201cOK, it <\/span><em><span>has<\/span><\/em><span> been at some point \u2013 but I\u2019ve recentered myself. After multiple panic attacks and anxiety crises, I\u2019ve become more in tune with who I\u2019m meant to be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Who Medini is meant to be is apparently a kind of critic-cum-socialite, attending fashion shows and reporting on the biggest houses in the world, sometimes whether they\u2019d like him to or not. Medini already had a rapidly rising following before 2024, thanks to his takes on fashion news: acerbic, unfiltered, and posted to Instagram and TikTok. His first videos date back to late 2021 and early 2022, dissecting looks on <em>Vogue Runway <\/em>from his laptop. He picks apart shoots, shows and magazine covers, but he also heaps on praise as much as he critiques. He has his favourites, of course (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/saint-laurent\">Saint Laurent<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/alexander-mcqueen\">McQueen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/jean-paul-gautier\">Jean Paul Gaultier<\/a>), but a positive review one season does not guarantee the same the next. Medini\u2019s content is smart, funny and entertaining, rooted in his strong fashion knowledge \u2013 but it\u2019s the sheer honesty, sometimes bordering on the assaultive, that\u2019s won him plaudits as well as enemies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI\u2019m really bad at keeping my mouth shut,\u201d he remarks across the table, gleaming with mischief. He recounts a 2025 appearance on Radio France, where host Mathilde Serrell unexpectedly played his take on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/34809\/41\/louis-vuitton-aw25-men-s\">Louis Vuitton\u2019s AW25 men\u2019s collection<\/a> to the station\u2019s 7.2 million daily listeners. Visibly uncomfortable and squirming in his seat, he was forced to back himself. \u201cI went on national radio and said it was level zero of design for Pharrell to put his own face on a hoodie and sell it for three thousand fucking euros,\u201d says Medini, who suspects he&#8217;s been blacklisted by the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201c<span>I went on national radio and said it was level zero of design for Pharrell to put his own face on a hoodie and sell it for three thousand fucking euros\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p>In person, you can see why so many people are captivated by Medini\u2019s antics. He\u2019s magnetic in a way that evades most clouty fashion people, and perpetually on the charm offensive. His soaring profile has also allowed him unprecedented access to the rich and famous. He\u2019s been granted an elusive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/john-galliano\">John Galliano<\/a> interview, and wore the designer\u2019s celebrated 2024 Artisanal collection, which was \u201cthe biggest stamp of approval\u201c that he could ever get. He\u2019s toured <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/madonna\">Madonna<\/a>\u2019s house on Instagram, and his friendships with the top models of the day \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/alex-consani\">Alex Consani<\/a>, Lulu Tenney, Loli Bahia \u2013 occupy prime real estate on his feed, like Capote\u2019s Swans but for gay people with double-digit screen time. <span>According to Medini, however, celeb-adjacency isn\u2019t a strategy for self-promotion \u2013 he\u2019s simply delighting in the zeitgeist. \u201cIt\u2019s not a plan at all. I just love being with the moment,\u201d he says. \u201cI love to be a part of <\/span><em><span>now<\/span><\/em><span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Medini has flourished in a time when the parameters of creative jobs are increasingly ill-defined. Publications describe him as an influencer, critic, content creator, commentator and more. When I ask him what <\/span><em><span>he<\/span><\/em><span> thinks he is, he responds with a flippant \u201cwho cares!\u201d and offers no further explanation, apparently quite pleased with the silence that follows. I respond with the suggestion that he might be a journalist, to which he pushes back. \u201cI don\u2019t consider myself a journalist, I say I \u2018talk about fashion\u2019. I don\u2019t consider myself a critic. I find this quite restrictive, and I want to be able to do what I want to do,\u201d he says, before finally conceding: \u201cIf people <\/span><em><span>want<\/span><\/em><span> to know \u2013 if they want to put me in a box \u2013 I say I\u2019m a fashion agitator.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This evolution, from Elias Medini to Lyas the Agitator, has been in near constant advance. A self-described \u201cyoung kid who comes from fucking nowhere\u201d, <\/span><span>Medini was born in Paris to French and Algerian parents and brought up in Rouen, 80 miles from the capital. \u201cI was a queer kid in a Muslim family, so it was quite complicated to come out or just be comfortable with who I was,\u201d he says. Medini found solace in fashion, and recalls seeing one formative fashion show as a teenager: Jeremy Scott\u2019s AW14 debut for Moschino, when the designer riffed on SpongeBob and Chanel in high-camp glory. \u201cI loved it so much I didn\u2019t know what to do with it,\u201d he remembers. \u201cI was looking at the photos like, \u2018What the fuck do I do with this? I have no one to talk to about it.\u2019 I couldn\u2019t even put it on Facebook because\u201d \u2013 he takes a pregnant, reflective beat \u2013 \u201ceveryone would have called me a faggot.\u201d The photos remained tucked away on a private Tumblr account.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"50c32ee4-4ecd-467d-9f7e-b41100db4bd2\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441885.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.77\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1350\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1035\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441885.jpg\" width=\"1035\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">all clothes and leather shoes Prada, socks stylist&#8217;s own, nylon and acetate sunglasses Saint Laurent by <span class=\"nowrap\">Anthony Vaccarello<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Valentin Herfray, styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Imruh Asha<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>At 18, Medini moved to Paris and enrolled in film school. Fashion might have been his protective layer, but cinema was his first true love. \u201cSince I was very young, I\u2019ve always wanted to tell stories, and a great way to do that is cinema,\u201d he says. A career in film \u201cwas always the goal\u201d, but after graduating, Medini spent two years shopping a script called <em>Two Thousand Per Cent<\/em>, a kind of modelling mockumentary with graphic violence and a forced coming-out. \u201cI really thought that I had a gem on my hands,\u201d he says. \u201cI still want to do it.\u201d When that didn\u2019t go to plan, he decided to refocus on his other great love: fashion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cI was going out every fucking night in Paris, and the people who go out aren\u2019t the cinema people \u2013 it\u2019s the fashion people,\u201d he says. While partying, Medini met Pierre A M\u2019Pel\u00e9 AKA Pamboy, the former editor-in-chief of French <\/span><em><span>GQ<\/span><\/em><span>, and collaborated on a series of videos, parodying fashion archetypes. Despite its virality, <\/span><em><span>GQ<\/span><\/em><span> cancelled the series. \u201cToo much money, too much production shit,\u201d Medini cites as the reason. But with his taste for fashion commentary ignited, he set out to discover \u201ca way to do it from my room \u2013 and that was through criticism.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While the first few years were mostly confined to his laptop, everything changed when Medini met public relations empresario Lucien Pag\u00e8s, who has become a bit of a fashion fairy godfather for Medini since. \u201c<\/span><span>We invited him to attend one of the Saint Laurent shows, which was one of his first major fashion shows,\u201d <\/span><span>Pag\u00e8s tells me, over email. \u201cHe arrived in a tuxedo, incredibly chic, very composed. People were drawn to him in a very natural way \u2013 there was a kind of collective fascination. That was the moment I truly saw his star quality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Saint Laurent A\/W24 was followed by an avalanche of invites, with Medini moving from influential bedroom critic to front-row fixture. Implicit in that trajectory, however, is the suggestion that the fashion establishment saw his critiques as a threat, and brought him in as a way to shut him up. \u201cYeeeaaah,\u201d he responds, unconvincingly, before launching into a tangential anecdote. I ask again if it\u2019s beneficial for brands to have him on side, but his phone rings and he takes the call, apologising and switching to Do Not Disturb afterwards. I ask a third time, and after some evasiveness, Medini eventually concedes that his videos became less critical when the big invites started rolling in. \u201cI did tone it down when I started to get invited to bigger shows. I was like, \u2018OK, fuck. I have to shut my mouth now.\u2019 And then it all came to a head when I saw that Dior show.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<blockquote>\n<p><span>\u201cPeople don\u2019t like to see the new generation come into this industry and break open the doors that were shut by the people before. I don\u2019t want to repeat the mistakes that my older peers made with me\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Medini\u2019s less-than-favourable review of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/gallery\/34280\/0\/dior-ss25\">Maria Grazia Chiuri\u2019s SS25 show<\/a> caused a fashion firestorm. It\u2019s a cosmic irony that Medini\u2019s next act \u2013 as the pied piper of fashion\u2019s new generation \u2013 came from that other interaction with Dior: the SS26 watch party at Le Saint Denis. The positive press generated from the event resulted in a personal thank you (plus a new season bag) from Jonathan Anderson, and miraculously healed his relationship with the brand.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After the success of the first watch party, Medini rebranded as La Watchparty, upgrading to larger venues and branching out in London and Milan. <\/span><span>Besides creating a space for young people to collectively experience fashion, it\u2019s clear that Medini is also healing his inner child, the one who had to stash his Jeremy Scott pics. <\/span><span>\u201cI really wanted to create an event the kid in me would\u2019ve loved to attend,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s also weirdly an excuse for me to watch a fashion show with my parents and my family, because I never was able to do that before. They came, and they sat through the whole show, and we were together. Finally, it was a shared dream.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As the murky grey outside is replaced by the yellow glow of streetlamps, Medini invites me to inspect the designs for his La Watchparty merch at his new apartment. It\u2019s a spacious place, with just a couple of used wine glasses dotted across the counter, and monographs on David Wojnarowicz and Ruven Afanador artfully arranged on a coffee table. He pulls up his laptop and shows me a T-shirt with the phrase \u2018When I can\u2019t sleep I goon to McQueen SS98\u2019 printed across it, next to a cartoon face wagging its tongue. Another shows a cartoon man sitting in front of an open laptop, which may or may not be Medini. \u201c\u200b\u200bI don\u2019t want it to be too obviously me, because some people might hate me, but still want to buy the shit,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As much as Lyas is adored, I\u2019m keen to broach the topic of his detractors. These people mostly come from within the industry, dinosaur editors who refuse to accept that a new wave of commentators is holding space on the front row. Medini has become representative of that new guard, but it\u2019s also opened him up to criticism and sparked debate about whether internet personalities deserve front row access, side by side with seasoned journalists.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"1215663a-2026-4bdd-9c89-b41100db478e\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441882.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.39\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Lyas dazed spring 2026 issue\" class=\"img\" height=\"1471\" src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1600\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441882.jpg\" width=\"2048\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">All clothes Jean Paul Gaultier, cotton socks Ann Demeulemeester, patent leather shoes Saint Laurent by <span class=\"nowrap\">Anthony Vaccarello<\/span><\/span><span class=\"credit\">Photography Valentin Herfray, styling <span class=\"nowrap\">Imruh Asha<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Earlier, at Le Saint Denis, when I asked him if he\u2019d become a lightning rod for these kinds of criticisms, his response was brusque. \u201cI\u2019m sure a lot of people don\u2019t like what I do, but maybe if they\u2026 yeah, no, I\u2019m taking this personally,\u201d he said, before trailing off. Here in his own home, he\u2019s a lot more receptive to the line of questioning. \u201cPeople don\u2019t like to see the new generation come into this industry and break open the doors that were shut by the people before,\u201d he says, matter-of-factly. \u201cI don\u2019t want to repeat the mistakes that my older peers made with me. They saw me as competition, and I don\u2019t want to make that mistake when the next generation comes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In a moment of meta-coincidence, the conversation is halted when Medini remembers he has to jump on a video call with Dazed editors to plan our accompanying shoot. They discuss a shot where, at a fictionalised watch party, he is lifted into the air by the crowd of attendees. Medini briefly opposes that particular suggestion, which I address after the call. \u201cI\u2019m not too sure about it,\u201d he says, in a rare display of reticence. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit too wannabe rock star.\u201d I gently remind him that people attend his watch parties as much for him as for the fashion. When it comes down to it, what\u2019s La Watchparty without La Rockstar? \u201cThat\u2019s the thing \u2013 I don\u2019t want it to be just that,\u201d he replies. \u201cI want it to live without me at some point, so I can go and make my movies, and have the watch party still happening.\u201d He pauses, for just a moment, contemplating. \u201cBut maybe I do need to be the face of it at the beginning.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Raised skyward by fashion\u2019s next gen, the photograph remains in the final shoot.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html-embed\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-sm-6\">\n<p><em>Hair Andrea Idini at Home Agency sing Oribe, make-up Axelleerina using Byredo and SL Beauty, set design F\u00e9lix Sesnouin at Total, photographic ssistants Lou-Anna Grolleau, t\u00e9mi Procureur, Baptiste auduret, Diane Sou\u00eatre, styling ssistants Moni Jiang, Asya von oldenstern, Romane Walti, nne Elizabeth Voortmeijer, Sam erring, set design assistants lijah Deroche, Faustine Morisset, Enguerran Chauve, ailoring Carole Savaton, digital perator Romain Boe, production ocelyn Rummler at 360PM, roduction assistants Julia ellouche, Louise Baz, Thibault Rousseau, Douglas Walter, Lunis lessaoui, post-production INK<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series header article-series tags\"><span class=\"heading\">More on these topics:<\/span><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\">Fashion<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/the-spring-2026-issue\">The Spring 2026 Issue<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/social-media\">social media<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/instagram\">Instagram<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/lyas\">Lyas<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/fashion\/article\/69931\/1\/lyas-la-watchparty-instagram-fashion-spring-2026-issue-interview&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/1200\/487-900-1465-976\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1440\/1\/1441881.jpg&#8221;] Photography Valentin Herfray, styling Imruh Asha DateInMeta\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2026 Fashion \/ The Spring 2026 Issue Lyas: \u2018I\u2019m really bad at keeping my mouth shut\u2019 Flipping fashion-world etiquette on its head with his riotous runway watch parties, Elias Medini AKA Lyas is the new-gen face of online style commentary March\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2026 FashionThe [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,76],"class_list":["post-1834202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dazeddigital-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1834202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1834202\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1834202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1834202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1834202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}