EXCLUSIVE: Events Firm Villa Eugénie Names Virginie Trapenard in New Communications Role

BEHIND THE CURTAIN: Etienne Russo, the behind-the-scenes talent who produces fashion shows for brands including Chanel, Hermès and Dries Van Noten, is ready to step into the spotlight.

Russo’s creative agency, Villa Eugénie, has hired veteran PR executive Virginie Trapenard as head of communication and marketing, a newly created position. Reporting to Russo, founder and art director, and Sandrine Guétin, deputy general manager, she is charged with bolstering the agency’s brand presence.

Trapenard will be based in Paris, following a three-year tenure as global communications and marketing director at high-end accessories brand Boyy in Milan.

Prior to that, she was senior vice president global communications and agency managing director at the Paris branch of public relations firm and branding agency Karla Otto.

Having started her career at the Totem agency in Paris, Trapenard has also held senior roles at KCD Paris and Givenchy.

In tandem with her appointment, Hervé Cosmao, founder of image and communications agency Syncro, has been named as strategic consultant focusing on Villa Eugénie’s events and VIP ecosystem.

Cosmao was previously communications director at Rabanne; head of PR, press and VIP at Maison Margiela, and manager of press relations at Louis Vuitton.

The move comes amid growing consolidation in the events production sector. French creative consulting firm Mazarine owns companies including La Mode en Images and Arter, an agency specializing in the production of artistic and cultural events, while global marketing and communications group The Independents has snapped up Bureau Betak, Prodject and Kennedy, among others.

Villa Eugénie has offices in Brussels, Paris, New York and Milan. In addition to producing spectacular shows for blue-chip clients — including Karl Lagerfeld’s supermarket-themed fall 2014 ready-to-wear show for Chanel — Russo works with emerging brands including Hodakova, Robert Wun and Marie Adam-Leenaerdt.

Russo established Villa Eugénie in 1997 in Brussels, his hometown, after modeling for Van Noten. Soon thereafter he solidified a creative partnership with the Antwerp-based designer, who was charmed by Russo’s multidisciplinary approach to event production and boundless curiosity.

Since then, his practice has expanded to immersive environments, multisensory experiences and 360-degree projects that extend beyond the show itself. Villa Eugénie’s clients span across fashion, culture, retail and hospitality.