Swiss Fashion Designer Kévin Germanier Creates Poster For Montreux Jazz Festival’s 60th Anniversary

Montreux Jazz Festival has announced that Swiss fashion designer Kévin Germanier is the creative genius invited to design an official poster for its 60th edition, taking place from 3^rd to 18^th July, 2026. Conceived as a haute couture artwork, Germanier’s creation marks a historic moment for the Festival: it is the first embroidered poster ever produced for Montreux, a bold fusion of fashion craftsmanship and visual storytelling that continues the Festival’s long tradition of commissioning boundary-pushing artists. Germanier now joins a distinguished lineage of artists including Jean Tinguely, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, David Bowie, Milton Glaser, Camille Walala and Malika Favre, who have previously designed posters for the world-famous music festival.

Germanier’s poster is a vivid, high-energy composition built from more than 60,000 beads, sequins and embellishments. Glass, wood and plastic elements are meticulously embroidered onto a black velvet canvas, with additional layers formed from wool and fragments of electrical tubing. Every component originated from previous Germanier creations, reflecting the designer’s well-known commitment to upcycling and responsible couture. Six artisans worked simultaneously on the embroidery, creating depth and movement that give the impression of a sculptural, three-dimensional piece. Germanier has described the process as “an organised chaos”, a fitting parallel to the electrifying spontaneity of live music.

To develop the concept, Germanier immersed himself in the Festival’s visual heritage, exploring nearly six decades of posters–dating back to Giuseppe Pino’s design for the 1967 poster–and the creative philosophies behind them. He listened to music while sketching, allowing rhythm and emotion to guide his ideas rather than literal depictions of instruments or performers. One of the strongest influences was Jean Tinguely’s 1982 poster, whose black background and dynamic forms helped inspire Germanier’s colour palette and the inclusion of feather-like shapes that echo Tinguely’s iconic design.

According to Germanier, the goal was to capture not an object but a sensation. “My favourite Montreux posters are those that represent the Festival in a non-literal way,” he explains. “Music isn’t just a saxophone or a guitar–it’s a feeling. I tried to convey that explosion, that emotion that moves both your body and your heart. I wanted something generous, dynamic and vibrant.”

The resulting composition resembles an eruption of colour and texture, a burst of motion suspended in a moment. Its shimmering surface recalls stage lights hitting a performer’s costume, while its swirling forms evoke the physicality of sound waves. This expressive quality reflects Germanier’s sensibility as a fashion designer: his couture pieces often combine theatrical silhouettes with intricate embellishments, aiming to generate emotional impact and visual intensity. The poster adapts this language to the world of graphic identity, offering a tactile take on festival branding that merges couture aesthetics with cultural symbolism.

Born in Switzerland and now based in Paris, Germanier has become one of the most recognised talents on today’s international fashion scene. A graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, he launched his eponymous label in 2018 after working at Louis Vuitton. His designs are characterised by their commitment to upcycling, transforming reclaimed materials into luxury garments that are sharp, futuristic and vividly coloured. Germanier’s approach has attracted widespread attention and a high-profile clientele. He has dressed major artists including Björk, Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, and his custom creations have appeared on global stages such as the Grammy Awards and the Met Gala.

In addition to his fashion collections, Germanier has extended his practice into costume design. He created the outfits for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and designed costumes for the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel in 2025. These projects align with his interest in spectacle and movement, qualities that also inform the Montreux poster, which channels the energy of performance into a static but tactile medium.

The physical embroidered artwork will be exhibited at the MUDAC in Lausanne as part of Germanier’s solo exhibition Les Monstrueuses, running from 7 November 2025 to 22 March 2026. It will then be displayed in the Montreux Jazz Festival Boutique during the Festival itself, from 3–18 July 2026. The exhibition and festival presentation will allow visitors to see the embroidery up close, revealing the craftsmanship and materials that cannot be fully perceived in printed or digital reproductions.

Since its founding in 1967, the Montreux Jazz Festival has given Swiss and international artists complete freedom to design its official poster each year. This tradition has transformed the poster series into a creative archive that reflects the evolution of visual culture over nearly six decades. Jean Tinguely’s 1982 design became so influential that it helped form the Festival’s recognisable visual identity. Keith Haring created three versions in 1983, then collaborated with Andy Warhol in 1986 on one of the most celebrated posters in the series. David Bowie contributed a design in 1995, followed by artists such as Yoann Lemoine (Woodkid), Malika Favre, Christian Marclay, Tomi Ungerer, JR and Rylsee. Each poster serves as both a promotional image and a standalone artwork, representing the Festival’s openness to experimentation.

Germanier’s contribution reinforces this tradition while introducing new techniques and materials. By transforming the poster into a couture object, he expands the possibilities for what a festival poster can be. The choice to embroider rather than paint, draw or digitally render the design brings a sense of craftsmanship rooted in Swiss tradition, yet delivered through Germanier’s contemporary lens. The use of upcycled materials also reflects current conversations in fashion and design about sustainability, offering an approach that aligns artistic expression with environmental awareness.

The Montreux Jazz Festival’s 60th edition provides a fitting context for such an ambitious commission. As one of the world’s most respected music festivals, Montreux has consistently fused creativity, innovation and cultural dialogue. Germanier’s poster, with its combination of fashion, art, craft and sound symbolism, captures this spirit while looking toward the Festival’s future. It marks a milestone not only for Montreux but also for Germanier, who continues to expand the boundaries of his practice across disciplines.

With this embroidered artwork, Germanier contributes a striking new chapter to Montreux’s poster history, one that celebrates both the Festival’s heritage and the dynamic creativity that defines its next decade.