Backstage at Cirque d'Hiver
VFS Sales Manager Emma Crosby with Émilien
5 Generations of the Bouglione Family
Émilien Performs
A Young Émilien
Émilien strikes a pose for us!
Last night, Fashion Scout had the privilege of dining with local legend, Émilien Bouglione.
Escaping the rain to the comfort of a dimly-lit Parisian bar, and using our collective, somewhat limited, French vocabulary we were invited to a private, midnight guided tour of the infamous Cirque d’Hiver with Émilien himself.
Émilien Bouglione is true circus royalty. He was born into the world of high trapezes and exotic animals at Paris’ stunning Cirque d’Hiver, where he still reigns as its director.
The circus itself was built in 1852 for Napoléon III, and has been under the Bouglione family’s rule since 1934. As a young boy, Émilien’s father and uncles instructed him in the ways of their surreal and flamboyant world, training him as an acrobat, trapeze artist, clown and lion tamer, not forgetting as fodder for the human canon. His equestrian show, however, is what really made him his name, and he has toured it all over France.
Bouglione’s shows are famous for their dynamism, combining ancient circus traditions with fresh and contemporary ideas.
The tour concluded with a private performance from rehearsing jugglers and an introduction to Émilien’s pet panther, ‘Tiger’. A truly amazing experience, Fashion Scout feels honoured to be invited in to such a magnificent, personal establishment. Merci beaucoup Monsieur Bouglione!