La Maison (2024) s01e05 Episode Script

1
[Perle] Do you know how fast
your limited edition Perle bag sold out?
35 seconds.
Scammers are already trying
to sell them online.
We can create a shortage, then use it
to fuel the impression of exclusivity.
The buyers will go nuts with pre-orders.
Drop culture's great for brand image.
One for your daughter?
But you have no children.
You know that, right?
Exciting.
Challenging.
[Perle] Your show has created a buzz.
Everyone wants a piece of your collection.
Everyone wants to be seen with your dove.
You're a public figure now.
You've given them a collection,
a new logo,
and now they want you.
Okay. Absolutely no pressure.
[photographer]
Look straight back into the lens.
Look at me. Great. Very pretty.
- Okay. Sounds good.
- Hello.
Relax.
Just relax a bit.
Okay.
[photographer] There.
Forget about the others. Look at me.
Great. That's fine. Very pretty.
- [photographer] That's good.
- [Paloma] What am I supposed to do?
- [photographer] Calm down. Relax.
- Okay. Okay.
[photographer] Change positions.
Move this way a little.
- Do it subtly.
- Mmm.
How's it going?
- Can I show you something?
- Okay.
I'd like your opinion on a few things.
Okay. [chuckles]
- So beautiful.
- [chuckles]
[photographer] Great. Fantastic.
- Lie down.
- [Paloma] Okay.
- Like this?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- Perfect.
[photographer] Very pretty.
- Okay. Thanks a lot!
- [Paloma] Thank you.
- [photographer] Your turn, Perle.
- [Perle] Well.
- You were born to this, huh?
- Yeah.
- [Sophie] Memories, huh?
- [Perle] Yeah.
It's like rolling back time.
Better than Botox.
We could do a nod to the original
campaign. What do you say?
No. Uh, that's not just Botox.
That's a facelift, Sophie.
Juliette, that bag.
Could you bring it over here, please?
Thanks.
A three-month wait list is fine.
But I wanna push it to six
for a new Perle.
Have to justify my promotion, don't I?
[Perle sighs]
And it's the story of the Maison.
"Everything changes but the DNA."
- [Paloma] Really good work.
- [makeup artist] Yeah? You like it?
[Paloma] Yeah, 'cause it's natural. Mmm.
- Okay.
- Thanks, Louise.
I just hope I wasn't too ridiculous.
You seemed to be enjoying it.
Yeah. I mean, it's amusing.
This is your life from now on.
- Paloma?
- What?
Time for the duo.
Okay. Okay.
[photographer]
Okay, let's replace the bag.
[Paloma] Wow. Ready for this? Thanks.
[chattering]
I'm your most important advertiser
and I'm off the cover?
In that case, don't be surprised
if you end up a stringer.
[sighs] Go on, Doctor.
I recommend surgery as soon as possible.
My secretary will call your office
to provide you with a date.
Sorry, but I'll provide the date.
My calendar's very full.
You must be kidding.
I took this meeting
as a favor to Doctor Castres.
I have a long list of patients
just as attached to life as you are.
I'm sorry. Do you know who I am?
I know there's a tumor in your brain
growing rapidly.
If you want the best neurosurgeon
available, that's me.
Madame Rovel,
I agreed to look at your case
because I'm clearly
the only one who can help you.
My secretary will be in touch
to set up the appointment.
Could you make a guess
as to what your chances of success are?
[call ends]
- Okay, which one?
- [Louise] Well, there are no prices.
I think we can afford it.
Grandma always says,
"pick the most expensive."
It's her birthday.
I wanna give her the best piano.
Is something wrong?
The LEDU show was pretty lame.
Oh.
So, you watched it?
It's all over the Net.
It's just as old-fashioned as ever.
[plays notes on piano]
And the finale With that Perle
Oh, God.
Grandma's right.
There is a time for it all.
But you might disagree about that one.
Louise, are you trying
to tell me something?
Well?
He gave me his house key.
That's great.
He's smitten. Incredible.
You have sex regularly?
You expect me to answer that?
Sex is part of the job, as you know.
No worries on that score.
Keep it up. But don't get attached.
Developing undercover syndrome
is a danger.
How much longer?
Because? Are you feeling guilty?
No, but he's signing with you.
I was supposed to get his signature.
We need to watch him
until he starts work for us.
Okay, but how long?
- Couture Week, that's all.
- Three months? Are you serious?
Just pay me what you owe me,
or I'm done with this right now.
Your mother has some money issues.
Don't talk about my mother.
We'll settle with you when you've honored
your contract, not before.
That's our agreement.
[sighs] Okay.
I just got home. Let's talk tomorrow.
Was that your mother?
Yeah.
What were you talking about?
[sighs] Nothing.
Hang on. Hang on! Did you know
she's had me followed since we met?
She does that with everybody. So what?
Louise saw the photos, dammit!
[sighs]
She'll get over it.
And you?
Don't you even care?
We're not the first couple
to deal with this.
Anyway, it's been two months
since you were with Perle. Am I right?
Uh
Right. So we turn over a new page.
You moved on thanks to me.
[chuckles]
Why'd your mother show you that? Why now?
Because she wants to announce
at her birthday party
that she's naming you CEO, but
But she needs to know she can trust you.
Did I pass the test?
Well, of course.
[footsteps departing]
[phone buzzes]
Ah. Marie of Kerioth.
[Marie] Marie who?
The mother of Judas.
Don't you remember your Sunday school?
No. But I'm a charitable woman,
so I'm calling to see how you're feeling.
Mmm.
Reading the press?
They've made me
completely invisible, I see.
When the cat's away
You should never have fired the cat, then.
They're your own mice.
How are you?
Have I really been that bad?
That I deserve to be erased from history?
Posterity will do justice to the major
contribution you made to fashion.
[chuckles] Yes, so happy to learn
that things will start to look up
after I'm dead.
You've always been so good
at knowing what to say.
Well, my best to your husband.
[end-of-call beeps]
THE LEDU REVOLUTION
[Robinson] "If I could, I would awaken
consciences in the fashion industry."
Paloma Castel.
Oh, come on.
"Venus is in the ideal conjunction.
Success awaits you.
Reach for your dreams."
Ah! The stars have spoken.
Shouldn't you be
looking over your contract?
It's excruciatingly boring.
Okay, but, as of yesterday,
you can't even explain the part
with the veto
or how they'll get around the family.
Okay, so, through an offshore company,
Rovel cuts me a bogus loan.
You need money?
Sure, and then afterwards
I pretend I can't reimburse it,
giving them the right
to seize my collateral.
- Your shares.
- Aren't you smart?
And my lawyer says it's borderline
but it's perfectly legal.
He's renegotiating my annual salary.
They led with 1.5 million.
That number is a bit low.
Okay.
That sure does seem low.
Only 90 years at minimum wage.
- My bad.
- [dish clatters]
I was just trying to
You were just completely out of touch
and self-centered.
As usual.
Hey, give me your birth date
and I'll tell you what's coming.
Are you serious?
We talked about that last week.
Where was I born?
What?
You know I have the memory of a goldfish
No, no, no. Where am I from?
From Rouen.
Roubaix.
You're unbelievable.
You know every detail
of the royal family by heart,
but you don't give a shit about mine.
The poor are only good for sex.
Sol
I do care about you a lot.
You hide it well.
And now it's time for me
to put on that cheap polyester suit
and go to work for your family
for bullshit pay.
See you around.
[critic] Even if you were born
in the year 2000,
you couldn't have missed this.
The first campaign for LEDU's Perle bag.
Featuring this cult photo.
An it bag as iconic as Hermès' Kelly,
and Chanel's Boy.
A timeless piece
that must remain just that.
So, Paloma, the new queen of fashion,
took the easy way out.
A little paint, a limited edition,
and old becomes new.
Same muse, same bag, same pose.
Everything must change
for nothing to change.
Upcycling, right?
- But it mostly feels reheated?
- [oven bell rings in video]
Uh, no. No, I'm not a copycat.
[scoffs] On the contrary, I
I put out a brand-new model.
[sighs] Dammit. I should never
have agreed to take that pose.
[Ye-Ji sighs] That's for sure.
I hated that campaign
right from the start.
Uh, so how do we react?
We don't. It's small. No comment for now.
We don't react. We let it fizzle out.
It'll blow over in two days.
- Thank you.
- Of course.
What was that earlier?
[sighs]
[scoffs]
I mean, this.
Sorry, this doesn't resemble you.
[chuckles]
If it makes you feel better, I agree.
Yeah, but it is you on the cover.
- Palo.
- Hmm?
I don't think I was able to foresee
everything that's happening for you.
[sighs]
And I also underestimated
how it would affect me.
Until the show, it felt like
we were on this adventure together.
But now I know we're not.
Yeah, but I need you on my side, Ye-Ji.
I'll never make it without you.
- Hmm?
- [chuckles]
Okay.
I can do this.
I just need a minute to adjust.
I'm sure it'll all be fine.
Okay.
Cool.
[sighs]
An original design.
I make my own bag from scratch.
All my own. A hundred per cent.
On top of Couture?
- Are you okay?
- [sighs]
Did you remember
to leave your phone at the office?
Yeah. And I got my bulletproof vest on.
All right.
Your shares keep her in the marriage.
The CEO job keeps you in the marriage.
- It's a win-win.
- And if she files for divorce?
What could Caroline use for that?
Perle.
Caroline says she's forgiven me.
Ah. You believe that?
Truthfully, I have no idea.
For all I know, she she could dump me
the second I put my shares in the company.
Between the mother and the daughter,
I got my head in a vice.
What What would you do if you were me?
Speaking as your lawyer or as your friend?
[sighs]
If you wanna protect your future at Rovel,
you really have to stop seeing Perle.
For good this time.
[Perle] That bag hasn't aged a bit,
unlike me.
[Paloma chuckles] It's truly beautiful.
Pretty tough to beat.
Where did he get the idea?
Well, back in the day, I had
this big tote bag I would lug around.
Vincent called me Mary Poppins.
He thought it was anything but chic.
So he created a bag
that would hold everything a woman needs.
He was the first to create a laptop bag.
A millennials' bag. Practical and elegant.
And it was a smash.
But having a bag named for you
is a little weird, isn't it?
No offense, but, I mean, that's basically
the height of objectification.
No.
Vincent always named his important
creations after the women in his life.
Honestly, at the time, I was flattered.
I was proud of it. It felt like
I was really part of the family.
Of course, I couldn't possibly
belong to their world.
Well, in the end, aren't you better off?
I mean, you see what they're like.
- Who would wanna be like them?
- [chuckles]
There's a lot going on
[clicks tongue]
with you and Victor Ledu.
Am I right?
[Paloma chuckles]
I mean, to me, Victor is the asshole
who tried to sink Doppel,
so I'm afraid the concept
may be lost on me.
No, no, it's not that complicated.
He was really gorgeous
and we both worked at LEDU.
So, naturally, I fell for the rich kid.
- That's all.
- Really? You were that kind of girl?
No. No, no, we were in love for real.
We really were.
Victor and I had big dreams for LEDU.
We wanted to create a group
with our own stable of artisans.
So Vincent got rid of Victor.
He made his life elsewhere
and I stayed here.
- I couldn't do it by myself.
- No, Perle, you can't say that.
You're the goose who lays the golden eggs.
You generated so much cash,
you should have a statue.
Without LEDU shares, you're a big nobody.
So ask for some.
Why not? I'm serious. You deserve it.
Give me some shares, or bye Perle.
[laughs]
[baby coos on screen]
[Vincent on screen] Watch it. She can't
breathe with those paint fumes of yours.
Quit complaining, will you?
She needs to learn.
[Vincent] Okay. Pick her up.
Now, come on, pick her up.
- Hey. Hi.
- [baby coos]
Yah! Yah!
Smile, baby girl.
[Vincent] Good. Now, look at me.
Give us a little smile.
Wow. Wow.
[Vincent] Come on, look at me.
Yes, yes, yes.
- Yes.
- Look at her.
Your daughter.
[sighs]
[phone rings]
Yeah?
Can we speak,
or are you with wife and daughter?
Perle, stop calling me.
There's no future for you and me. Got it?
It's always been that way.
Hey. Hey!
Navarre?
Quit following me.
Let go of me!
I don't know you, man.
I'm sorry. I just
I mistook you for someone else.
- Hey, Palo, look what I found.
- Uh
[Ye-Ji sighs]
[Ye-Ji chuckles]
Monsieur wanted to make
a white bag from this.
- But he changed his mind.
- [gasps]
Yeah, there are
25 brand-new skins remaining.
- Really?
- Yes.
- Just rotting in the stockroom?
- Yep.
And what's this?
Now, these are scraps from Perle bags.
- Can you believe it?
- So beautiful.
[Paloma] Today, what does a girl need
to go out on the town?
- Not much at all.
- [Paloma] Exactly.
The 21st-century Mary Poppins
has it all on her phone.
It's her wallet, her camera,
her laptop,
her book, and her mirror.
Remember Fendi's pom-pom key chains
made of fur scraps?
[Perle] Mm-hmm. Limited labor,
no additional cost, huge profits.
Genius.
For every Perle bag that's manufactured,
we scrap 40% of the materials.
The waste is enormous.
[Paloma] Our target
is all vegan leather in one year.
But until then,
let's stop killing cows for no reason.
Right?
Ye-Ji.
[hits key on laptop]
We can make three of my bags
with scraps from one Perle.
And how do you want to call this bag?
"Neutral." [chuckles]
As in carbon and gender.
No more objects named after women.
My bag will be unisex
and sustainable.
Brilliant. Let's launch
the prototype right away.
That for me?
It's a birthday present, a little early
because I always forget the date.
[chuckles]
5000 EUROS
Happy birthday. [chuckles]
Don't take it the wrong way.
I just wanted to help you out.
And I figured I'd better not do cash
because it might seem like
I'm paying you for sex.
Right now you're in a bind,
whereas, uh, I'm I'm fine.
No problem, man.
I can't accept this, but it's nice of you.
- Are you sure?
- Yeah.
Yeah. No, no. I'm sorry.
I knew it was a bad idea.
You You wanna come over tonight?
I'd love to hear you talk about Roubaix.
- [chuckles]
- And the Roubaix guys.
Cool.
Hello, you. [laughs]
Well? Miss me?
Of course.
Nice comms mishap. You no longer have
the best PR man in Paris.
That's for sure.
[sighs]
We all miss you. [chuckles]
I miss you so much.
But there's something I want to discuss.
Sit down.
I'm requesting
an emergency meeting of the board
to assess my contribution
to our success with Paloma.
I want a share of the company.
Which you completely deserve,
but you know that they'll vote you down.
Victor won't have my back.
I always said he wasn't
the right person for you.
But I can push it through with Marie.
She didn't say no
when I broached it with her.
She might be able to convince Vincent.
If I walk away, the value of the company
takes a major hit.
[chuckling] Play it, girl! Oh!
I'm really done with being the lifesaver
with zero recognition.
And that goes for you as well.
If this works,
you'd be able to start your own label.
- Here?
- That's what you always wanted, Robbie.
And now you'll get it.
With my backing.
[Sophie] Three, two, one.
Posted.
[Paloma] Wait, I don't see it.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. There it is, yeah.
[Paloma, in video] Renew, innovate, adapt.
That's how I see the future of fashion.
I thought of using a patchwork
to bring value to our unused scraps.
Everything is from dead stock.
We no longer manufacture.
We repurpose.
NEUTRAL.
By LEDU.
[chuckles]
#FUTUREOFFASHION
I WANT IT FOR CHRISTMAS! PLEASE!
FINALLY, A MAN'S BAG! THANX!
OUTTA THIS WORLD
IS IT ON WISH?
[phone buzzing]
[Paloma] Hey, girl. Where'd you sleep?
[Ye-Ji laughs]
She was not much on conversation,
but she was perfect for me right now.
And did you see the video?
Dude, what do you think?
The first like was mine.
No way.
Palo, you feel like getting some air
once in a while?
There's more to Paris than LEDU.
I will. Once Couture is done,
I promise we'll go see the Eiffel Tower.
I'll see you later. So long. Be good.
[Perle, whispering] Clearly,
Paloma's collection was a huge success.
We can probably all agree that
the worst three months in our history
Ready for your orals?
So-so.
Is Vincent coming?
Or staying on Shutter Island?
No, he'll join remotely.
He wears his robe all the time, I'm told.
It does feel weird not being there
for him when he needs me.
Hey, this is your moment.
Go with it. You can be selfish.
- For once.
- [Robinson's phone chiming]
- Oh, wow.
- [chiming continues]
You're in a shitstorm.
- Excuse me, uh
- Yeah?
Can we take a selfie?
Uh, okay, yeah, sure.
- Do you mind? I
- All right.
- Check it out. Ready?
- [chuckles]
I'm with Number One Hypocrite,
Paloma Castel, who's on her way
on her way to her fancy office building
to talk about meritocracy, right?
- And ecology!
- Get off of me!
Loser.
REBEL WITH SILVER SPOON #NEPOBABY
HOW IS A LEATHER BAG CRUELTY-FREE?
#PREFERENTIALTREATMENT #INNERCIRCLE
[Perle] Bloody hell.
DO WHAT I SAY, NOT WHAT I DO #SELLO
What's the matter?
[phones chiming]
Don't tell me Vincent has done it again.
TOTALLY OUT OF TOUCH
- [commenter] Nepo baby.
- [commenter 2] Token minority.
[commenter 3] A Buzz Brown.
[commenter 4] Hashtag the same story.
[commenter 5] Hashtag pull strings.
Hashtag elite.
[commenter 6] You're gonna crash.
[commenter 7]
Racist from father to daughter.
[commenter 8] I'm not racist.
My ex's daughter's Black!
[commenter 9] It's racist.
[commenter 10] Hashtag pull strings.
- [commenter 11] Boycott.
- [commenter 2] Token minority.
[commenter 10] Hashtag pull strings.
- [phones chiming]
- [overlapping jeering voices]
- Token Black girl.
- Boycott.
- Hashtag pull strings.
- Hashtag same old, same old.
- Boycott LEDU.
- It's racist.
[jeering voices intensifying]
[voices stop]
It's okay. I can handle it.
No, don't come back.
[Perle, whispering]
"Nepo baby"? Seriously?
A girl who's struggled her whole life.
[Robinson] People see her
as the heiress to LEDU,
11th largest fortune in France.
[Perle] Hey. Shh.
I canceled Vincent and Victor.
The meeting's adjourned.
Dear? Please give us the room.
My pleasure.
Have fun!
I don't think this is the right time
to speak of your acquiring shares
considering your PR strategy
has triggered yet another image crisis.
The whole PR crew's on it.
- We can handle it.
- I certainly hope so.
But right now, I don't see a reason
to further dilute our capital
which has been recently weakened.
Bloody time.
[knocking on door]
[door opens]
You have a minute?
Sure. Come on in.
They're heartless on social media.
You good?
"Token minority"?
"Total fraud"? Really?
I know it's the Wild West out there,
but this is too crazy.
Mmm. Yup, it is.
It's not what I signed up for.
Sorry, but it is.
You're LEDU's Artistic Director.
LEDU is you.
And you are LEDU, with
with all of its baggage.
Okay, but they call me a racist. Me.
The crosshairs of the haters
are completely erratic.
All they did was switch
from Vincent to the brand,
and from the brand to you.
And how do I react?
By doing the opposite of what Vincent did.
You climb down off your pedestal
and face it head-on.
You have to make a humble apology.
And, above all, you break off
all your ties with him.
- Nice and clean. Block the gangrene.
- Okay.
But, so, like what?
A tract of contrition? Is that it?
Truth is really a thing of the past.
[both laugh]
The trend is post-truth.
Today it's all about raw emotion.
Talk about your feelings.
The dogs can bark. The caravan moves on.
Good luck.
Robinson?
Thanks.
My dear Robinson.
Have a seat.
Nice view, right?
And soon you'll have your lunch up here
every day if you like.
Wanna hear ideas for my brand?
It's as if you could read my mind.
Okay, for me,
the target is the click generation.
And their dilemma is my challenge.
How to manage being at once
totally into fast fashion and woke.
Don't talk to me about degrowth, please.
No, no, no. No, no, no. We're on
the hamster wheel and we love it.
- Ah.
- But we need to dematerialize fashion.
I'm talking about the very first
partially virtual brand.
And "virtual" meaning what?
Well, it would mean
things like avatar muses.
Plus boutiques that feel like arcades.
Ultra-sophisticated.
Clothes to be streamed.
Okay, there's a market of 3 billion gamers
who are totally under-exploited.
My dear Robinson,
you know, I'm certain
we'll get along swimmingly.
Right.
Happy birthday, Diane.
Thanks.
- Keep holding on.
- Mm-hmm.
- I just thought I should let you know.
- [phone ringing]
Oh, and, also,
maybe you can add a bouquet?
[phone ringing]
[Caroline] Yes? All right.
She'll be right down.
Open your eyes.
Oh! [laughs] Beautiful!
I did well?
Yes, it's wonderful.
Louise, the driver has been waiting.
But how come I can't stay?
How come? Because you're 11
and you have a test tomorrow.
You won't miss a thing.
This birthday party isn't real.
It's just a bunch of freeloaders.
"Freeloaders"?
Come on, dear.
- [Louise kisses]
- Goodbye, my love.
[sighs]
[phone ringing]
[ringing continues]
[Vincent] Paloma?
At first, um [clears throat]
Gino thought it was pretentious
to name you after Picasso's daughter.
He said I was comparing myself
to a genius.
And as for him, everything he came up with
was completely absurd,
names like Flower or
or Rain, that sort of thing.
All because of his trip to California.
That's where he caught the damn virus.
But in the end I got my way.
Even your mother agreed.
Paloma.
My little dove.
[Paloma] Excuse me, but
I'm not sure I understand, uh
One morning, I was scribbling,
and I drew this picture.
And
Gino adored it.
He wanted us to paint
a larger version of it
for all to see.
You're saying the original
of the dove painting
is yours?
[sighs]
Yes, it's mine.
[sighs]
[sniffs]
And you didn't believe
I had the right to know that?
[Paloma whimpers]
Why did you abandon me if
if I was your little dove?
[Paloma sobs]
Why?
Why did you kick me out
when I first got here?
Wow, you're even more twisted
than I imagined.
I know. I I
I'm sorry.
I'm truly sorry.
[sighs]
I ruined everything.
[sighs]
[Perle] I assure you,
I had no idea it was Vincent's drawing.
Gino and you, I mean,
those subjects were off-limits.
I chose this motif
to pay tribute to my father
and distinguish myself from Vincent.
But it turns out it's his.
[sighs]
What they say is right.
I just copy his stuff.
- No, no.
- I'm associated with that dove.
- And now I must look stupid.
- Your bag is still gorgeous.
- Nothing's changed.
- Everything has changed.
Now I must position everything I do
in comparison to Vincent.
I'm not about to trash him online.
It's not my way of doing things.
I know it's difficult,
but it's either you or him.
Focus on saving yourself.
Nothing else matters.
[classical music playing]
Ah, yes, yes, yes, it's a beautiful piano.
[Diane] Thanks.
- Do you play?
- Oh, just a bit.
You're so modest, Mother.
You should play for us.
No.
That one you played last summer,
that lovely melody?
Excuse me, everyone!
Diane is going to play piano for us.
[guests clamor]
There's still so much I have to learn.
We've had another pretty good year.
[chuckles]
Fifty years in business,
and the whole time,
everybody expected me to fail.
There have been pitfalls to avoid
and rebellions to crush.
My successor is ready.
Victor has worked miracles
once again this year.
But I'm not gone yet.
- So you'll have to put up with me.
- [guests clamor]
- To me!
- [guests] To you!
- [guests] Cheers!
- [guest] Hear, hear!
[guests exclaim]
[guests exclaim]
[guests applauding]
Smile.
What happened to "don't call me again"?
Marrying her was a mistake.
Hmm.
I've spent my whole life pretending.
I can't anymore.
I've hurt everyone.
I've hurt you most of all.
Please help me.
[sighs]
Tracy is back.
Leave Tracy where she is. Hmm.
Well, she had me fascinated.
She was so in-your-face.
Unconventional.
Free.
And
I miss her.
Listen. Now that Vincent's gone,
why don't you come back?
The two of us could run the show.
You and me.
But would you actually have me?
Palo?
Jeez.
[Paloma sniffles]
[sighs]
I'll make our "bad days" spaghetti.
Okay?
I wanna go home to Berlin.
[chuckling]
Shopping for fabric at the Mauerpark
flea market the way we used to.
Afterwards, we'd go
to our favorite Turkish restaurant.
[chuckles] Then we would go to Berghain.
[chuckles]
I want our old life back.
You can't go back.
But it'll pass.
I'm not gonna come after Vincent.
- Not right now.
- He came after you.
Because of him, people are
calling you racist. Don't forget.
Don't give up without a fight.
Don't let him take you down.
You owe him nothing.
If he seriously sees himself
as your father,
it shouldn't matter, he'll understand.
- [guest] Night. Thanks very much.
- [Diane] Thanks so much.
Thank you for coming.
- Good night. Happy birthday.
- Good night. See you soon.
What came over you?
After I forgave him for cheating on me
all these years.
I held up my end of the deal.
Then, out of nowhere,
you just drop the whole thing?
[sighs] I changed my mind.
But Victor won't give us his shares
unless he thinks
he's in line to succeed you.
I'll find him a bone to chew on.
[breathes heavily]
Are you all right?
I hate socializing.
I didn't want to celebrate my birthday.
- I told you and you insisted on
- On trying to please you?
[sighs]
Mom, tell me what's really troubling you.
For weeks, you've been
There's something wrong. I can tell.
Have you been ill?
Why won't you trust me
after all I've done to earn it?
Rita!
A glass of water, please?
[Diane breathing heavily]
Why are you like this with me?
You see I'm worried about you, right?
You want me to die,
but that's not happening.
Are you immortal now, Mother?
Rita.
No. [winces]
Mom.
[Diane sighs]
[sighs]
[sniffs]
It was my skin color,
as many eyes can see it,
that put me in a box.
Those eyes disparage and discriminate.
A succession of microaggressions
that indirectly will shape you.
[sighs]
In kindergarten, it begins.
You're told you have grubby skin.
And
And so you wish you could be whiter.
Then, by ninth grade,
none of my friends could decide
if I was "Black" or "a person of color."
Because "mixed race" is
almost an insult.
Almost bilateral.
It's pejorative and degrading.
And it doesn't stop there.
They ask you questions like,
"So, where are you from originally?"
Sometimes they're just kidding.
They don't mean anything.
Hey, they made a joke.
It's not gonna kill you.
Except that words do hurt.
They wound you. They leave deep scars.
I do not sanction
our former Artistic Director's words.
He's not my father either.
We have no family affiliation.
I came to LEDU to change things.
To change the fashion world.
Vincent Ledu
belongs to the past.
He's not part of the future
of this Maison.
But I hope that
that you are.
[waves crashing]
[sighs]
[sighs]