But the COVID-19 pandemic has brought tremendous suffering and change to the world. And the fashion industry has seen major seismic shifts not only in presentation but also in philosophy. Many houses have decided to cut the number of shows they present per year. Most have decided to gang men's and women's shows into one. And most major brands are taking hard looks at how they do business in terms of waste and sustainability: many brands and designers are increasingly recycling/upcycling and using dead stock. These changes seem as if they will be permanent.
This year, things kicked off a little early with Milano Moda Uomo: I was not expecting the shift so I completely missed covering it. And yesterday, Paris Fashion Week wrapped up (London Fashion Week goes last this season, from February 18th to the 22nd), so here are some collections and moments that caught my eye and imagination.
Named for the iconoclastic Viennese artist Egon Schiele, Egonlab is the brainchild of designer duo Florentin Glemarec and Kevin Nompeix who won the 2021 Pierre Bergé Andam award and are also finalists for the 2022 Woolmark Prize. However, they began their new brand on the eve of the pandemic and have not had a physical show...until now. A Fall Winter '22-'23 collection entitled "Egonimati" (a play on the idea of the Illuminati) was described in their program notes as "a secret society responsible for establishing universal happiness." That happiness comes, they added, by way of total inclusivity. "We realized that when people speak of inclusivity, they’re really talking about exclusivity," said Nompeix. "We wanted to show that it takes a bit of everything to create a world."
The silhouettes may have an ecclesiastical bent to them, but the tailoring is exquisite. Also featured is a print which resembles Tarot-like engravings. I like the overall feeling and rhythm of it all...
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