The family of Countess Yola d'ALCANTARA has been the big friends with Alexandre VASSILIEV for the past 35 years, since their daughter, Stephanie, was his student at the Paris fashion school “Esmod” in the 1980s, when he was a professor of fashion history there. The family of Countess Yola d'ALCANTARA, born the Belgian aristocrat Comtesse de VILLEGAS de SAINT PIERRE JETTE, owns the castle in Querrieu, near Amiens, which was founded in 853 by Charles the Bald to protect the region from Norman raids. Over the centuries, the castle has belonged to the noble Spanish family of the Dukes and Counts d’ALCANTARA, who were closely related to the Dukes of OSSUNA and the Empress of France, Eugenia de MONTIJO. The guests of this castle throughout the ages were the King of France Francis I, the King of France Henry IV, the King of England George V and his son the Prince of Wales, the future Duke of Windsor and the husband of the famous fashionista Wallis SIMSON, and even German marshal GOERING (during the WWII). The owners of the castle have preserved the historical interiors, a valuable collection of paintings, porcelain and furniture, and often organize concerts and exhibitions in the castle. In particular, an exhibition from the Alexandre VASSILIEV Foundation’s collection was held here three times.