This menswear season Paris reminded the world that it is still the number one style capital. It had the most shows, the most celebrity attendants, and the brands with the most influence (not just traditionally but also of the moment). With such a huge calendar it was hard to narrow down a selection worth covering but we finally we settled on the highlights below.
Louis Vuitton’s last show (back in January) debuted the brand’s long-rumoured Supreme collaboration and kicked the style world in to a frenzy. With the bar now set so high the iconic fashion house’s follow-up collection was always going to be less sensational. While the newest show might not have sent the internet in to a frenzy like the last, it did capture the attention of considered eyes. The show presented leather crafted in to technical sportswear, the return of the Hawaiian shirt, and twists on traditional tailoring, all soundtracked to a Drake collaboration. It sounds odd, but it works. If anything it’s a sign that luxury houses are seriously throwing weight behind their desire to cater to a new generation. With Louis Vuitton currently under designer Kim Jones’s control they just might get there.
During the Paris schedule Aitor Throup presented his third capsule collection for his collaboration with G-Star RAW. For the first time the capsule included womenswear, adding to the shift many brands are making by showing male and female items at once.
As we’ve come to expect from RAW RESEARCH the collection was focused on technical advancements in the fabrication of denim. When most people think of denim they think of indigo blue jeans, which is why G-Star’s team separated those two things for this collection. Indigo became one half of the presentation while uncoloured raw fabric was the other. In typical Throup fashion the idea seems simple but revolutionary all at once.
The collection will be available in selected concept stores from December.
Ami blanketed their show venue in neon pink sand for their collection—fitting considering the collection was a celebration of the tourists who visit France (but with the colours turned up to 11). We’ve never seen tourists look this good but maybe things are different in Paris since the last time we visited. For our next visit we’ll have to up the ante.
Another season sees another set of collaborations come rolling down the runway. This time it’s Junya Watanabe’s turn to share the spotlight, but to be fair the Japanese label have been for a while. During the label’s show collaborations with Carhartt, Levis, and The North Face, were all on offer. While highlighting these brands the show also highlights fashion’s current obsession with “the everyman”. No complaints here, if collaborations like this—and as good as this—really are the new normal, then sign us up.
Pigalle took the opportunity of their latest show to highlight their own designs but also their collaboration with NikeLab. The focus on sportswear as an influence meant a collection that felt like a futuristic Olympic basketballer’s uniform. Pattern clashes, transparent fabrics, and Nike Swoosh’s dominated the show with metallics and the whitest-whites worked in for futuristic measure. Some say the Nike focus distracted from Pigalle’s own narrative, but maybe those people have forgotten the power of the Swoosh’s spotlight.
