BEAUTY: Clothing--Misc. Paris Fashion Week

Paris Fashion Week just ended and here are some miscellaneous details from the Spring Summer '26 collections that caught my eye:

Kévin Nompeix and Florentin Glémarec of Egonlab paid tribute to Glémarec’s late grandfather, René, who passed away last November aged 90. He had been a great early supporter of Egonlab, appearing in the brand's creations at every outing. Glémarec’s grandfather and family are from Breton so the duo used motifs of that region, including lace, to pay homage.

3.Paradis, Emeric Tchatchoua's brand, showed a collection inspired by the classic children's book (for grown-ups too!), "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The Little One showed up on a sweater and a camp shirt, but references to other parts of the book surfaced: the plane flown by the pilot, the doodle of a snake swallowing an elephant, the flock of wild birds that carried the Little Prince from his home planet, and more abstractly, pieces in gloriously saturated colors of a desert sunset as well as desert camouflage (models walked a runway heaped with white sand!). The idea of travelling made Tchatchoua reflect on the idea that time seems to slow when one is on an adventure and this manifested in a pattern of analog watches...there was even a wild moment of a trench coat adorned with actual watches!

For the new Issey Miyake branch IM Men (the Issey Miyake brand decided to retire their Homme Plissé runway show from the Paris schedule--although the line still continues to be produced--and replace it with the new IM Men), designers Sen Kawahara, Yuki Itakura and Nobutaka Kobayashi looked to the 60s and 70s pottery pieces of celebrated ceramicist Shoji Kamoda for pattern and shape. The opening of the show is quite dramatic. Take a look.

Wooyoungmi showed a fun Mary Jane sandal with sheer socks and garters...

https://egonlab.com/
https://www.3paradis.com/
https://us.isseymiyake.com/
https://en.wooyoungmi.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--EGONlab

For Paris Fashion Week and their Fall-Winter '24-'25 collection, Florentin Glémarec and Kévin Nompeix, the life partners and creative directors of EGONlab created suits of fascinating scale and proportion. Exaggerated shoulders are reminiscent of 80s power suiting, while nipped-in waists offer a sexy-hyper-tailored vibe. Fluid draped trousers are held up with beautiful brooches. A few jackets received the same fluid treatment with brooch closures at the waist. What is truly lovely though are the tops consisting of scarves affixed to a metal collar. In other hands, this could have come out puzzling or just trashy, yet here they look marvelous.

But the actual intent and inspiration behind these silhouettes is of grave importance. Titled "Only Lovers Left Alive," the collection refers to the very real damage social media and an addiction to screens can cause. "Screens force the younger generations to use filters more and more, which means conforming to canons of beauty imposed by society," Nompeix said. The brand partnered with Psycom, an international public organization in the United States that focuses on caring for people with mental health issues. However, when speaking about the silhouettes of the garments, Glémarec referenced body dysmorphia and said, "It’s as if the clothes were translating the tortured inner thoughts of its wearer," by twisting or showing enlarged or shrunken areas. Which, frankly is a little confusing. If the pair are concerned about young people--or anyone for that matter--having body issues, perhaps it is better not to create clothes that show someone's view of themselves through a dysmorphic lens? However, Nompeix did offer this: "It’s a message of optimism. You have to learn to love yourself before trying to correspond to all these standards." So maybe it was a translation problem? If you take the garments and their startling proportions for themselves, they are luxe, unique (and that is the point of style vs. fashion, isn't it?), and desirable. And I say that as someone who is thoroughly himself and proudly Insta and Tik Tok and X free.

https://egonlab.fr/

BEAUTY: Clothing--EGONlab

Florentin Glémarec and Kévin Nompeix, the life partners and creative directors of EGONlab created a collection that seems to be fitting into the zeitgeist...halter tops, off-the-shoulder tops, bandeau wraps, overskirts, but mixed with some over-sized jackets to play with contrast. It's feminine glam balanced with wide-shouldered power suiting. And just ogle that amazing last look: a metal breastplate that looks like billowing fabric which recalls Issey Miyake's legendary metal breastplate from his FW 1980 collection, famously worn by Grace Jones.

EGONlab's statement about this Spring Summer '24 collection shown at Paris Fashion Week is interesting:

TOUTE PREMIERE FOIS
THE EIGHTH COLLECTION BY EGONLAB

“I can choose what I am, I can choose my gender, choose my nationality and my name, my place of birth, all simply by opening my mouth. Nobody has to remain the person they were born; we can put ourselves together like a jigsaw.”
— Patjim Statovci

For this 8th collection, EGONLAB urges us to redefine our relationship with our bodies and reminds us of moments of choice. That tipping point when two directions lay before us and the decisive moment when we venture into the unknown.

"Toute première fois" evokes this rebirth, the power of decision-making and liberation. The power of life, growth, and pleasure. An inner exploration that involves exploring the body we discover, defying gender, and revealing forms. For the upcoming spring, bodies are blossoming like the "flower of evil."

Tailoring is ever-present, serving as a reminder and landmark, a signature. It sculpts the body and captivates the blossoming hearts.

Curves are meticulously crafted to enhance silhouettes and shape unique, open, and subversive identities. A scent of punk and sensuality takes hold of the wardrobe as bodies break free from conventions and mingle in an endless soirée.

Denim, leather, and exquisite materials punctuate this open wardrobe. Skin against skin. If to touch our souls, we must taste sweat, feel flesh, then so be it.

Where life presents a multiple-choice questionnaire, the collection becomes a command. Experience everything, live intensely. A reminder of our first time, a radiant promise of all that we could accomplish.

A new masculinity lies before us.
It is time to embrace it, to embrace the body that draws us in.

Man yesterday, feminine today, it doesn't matter.

In the puzzle of life, all combinations are winners.

https://egonlab.fr/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Egonlab

EGONlab was named for the iconoclastic Viennese artist Egon Schiele, and its founders and life partners Florentin Glemarec and Kevin Nompeix showed only their second physical show at Paris Fashion Week (see their first one here). For this Spring Summer '23 outing titled "Wonderland," they continued their work with sharp tailoring but added a great twist with tops of large paillettes and sequined patterns. Also in the mix: leather hot pants, eyelet trousers, and awesome platform thigh-high boots and shoes (we must thank Rick Owens for normalizing them to the point where platforms can now be a part of anyone's collection).

 

https://egonlab.fr/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Egonlab

Greetings followers and regular readers. As many of you may recall, twice a year I blog about all the fascinating, beautiful, mesmerizing, strange, puzzling, outrageous, outstanding, unusual, artistic, inspiring sartorial creations coming out of the exquisite imaginations of designers, and down the runway. January and June are usually the months for show that happen in Europe: traditionally, London Fashion Week goes first, followed by the Pitti trade show in Florence, then Milano Moda Uomo. The month was always capped off with Paris Fashion Week.

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...

https://egonlab.fr/

BEAUTY: Clothing--EGONlab.

EGONlab., the design duo consisting of life and business partners Florentin Glémarec and Kévin Nompeix, showed a SS '21 collection at virtual Paris Fashion Week that featured some awesome lace ups boots as well as lace up garments. And some A shirts with cut outs à la Rick Owens. Never a bad thing.

EGONlab.

"WE SEE OURSELVES AS VISUAL ARTISTS. EACH COLLECTION WANTS TO PRESERVE THE AESTHETICS THAT A WORK OF ART MUST PROVOKE."

EGONLAB IS A FRENCH EMERGING BRAND WHOSE VISUAL EYE IS DEEPLY INSPIRED BY ARTISTIC MOVEMENTS AND WHICH HAVE GREATLY INFLUENCED OUR MODERN SOCIETY.

EACH COLLECTION WILL SHOWCASE AN ARTISTIC RE-INTERPRETATION OF THESE REVOLUTIONS AND THE RIPPLE EFFECTS FOLLOWING THEIR FRUITION.

MERGING FASHION, MUSIC, MOTION DESIGN, AND MIXED MEDIA ART -EGONLAB IS A ONE OF A KIND BRAND AND A MOVEMENT IN ITSELF, ONE WHO OFFERS A FULLY IMMERSIVE AND COMPLETE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE TO ITS CONSUMERS.

https://egonlab.fr/