Frédéric Tcheng '07 Premieres New Film In Theatres Nationwide

Invisible Beauty, a feature length documentary about fashion pioneer Bethann Hardison co-directed by alumnus Frédéric Tcheng ’07, has been released theatrically in the US and is now screening at Film Forum in New York City. The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and also screened at Hot Docs International Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. After acquiring the distribution rights in July, Magnolia Pictures released the film theatrically this past September. 

Invisible Beauty shines a spotlight on the singular and unapologetic Hardison, one of the fashion industry’s most influential icons who, as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent and entrepreneur, has pushed the boundaries of fashion culture and has been at the forefront of progress throughout her career. In the film, Tcheng and Hardison trace her impact on fashion from runway shows in the 1970s to roundtables about the lack of racial diversity in the early 2000s. Featuring intimate interviews with Iman, Tyson Beckford, Tracee Ellis Ross, Zendaya, Fran Lebowitz, Pat Cleveland, Naomi Campbell, and Stephen Burrows, Invisible Beauty is an absorbing record of the racial evolution of fashion.

Frédéric Tcheng is a French filmmaker. Originally trained in civil engineering, Tcheng obtained a Masters of Fine Arts from Columbia University School of the Arts in 2007. Known for his compelling style of capturing fashion on film, he co-produced, co-edited and shot the hit 2009 documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor, which was shortlisted for the Best Documentary Oscar, and, in 2011, he was the co-director of Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel. He has collaborated with a variety of personalities including fashion photographer Mikael Jansson and poet Sarah Riggs, and works as an editor on commercials for brands including H&M, Jimmy Choo and Ferragamo. Tcheng is the director, writer and producer of the 2015 documentary Dior and I, which takes viewers on a privileged, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Raf Simons’ first haute couture collection as artistic director of Dior.