BEAUTY: Clothing--EGONLAB

For Paris Fashion Week, Florentin Glémarec and Kévin Nompeix, the life partners and creative directors of EGONLAB showed a unique and weatrblae collection. "Calling the collection 'Lazarus' comes from an observation we made about our world, in an industry in crisis, which pushed us to be less and less creative just to survive and make a profit," Nompeix remarked. "It’s really a moment of awareness where we want to become ourselves again."

And who they are, clearly, are artists. An early mission statment said:
"WE SEE OURSELVES AS VISUAL ARTISTS. EACH COLLECTION WANTS TO PRESERVE THE AESTHETICS THAT A WORK OF ART MUST PROVOKE."

The pair have always used tailoring as a springboard, launching into territory that sees silhouettes enlarged and altered. And each collection usually has some sort of element that reminds me of historical clothing--here, the high feathered collars recall Elizabethan lace ruffs and the sweep of long coats brings to mind French symbolist poets of the 1880s.

They are also not afraid of features that could be considered "feminizing" like the sleeveless feathered tops (they have incorporated halters and bandeau tops in past collections). This all on top of genius touches like the surface dye on crinkled fabrics that allow the white inside the folds to be seen as the wearer moves, the incredible hip-high and fur-lined boots that zip off in sections in Look #20, and just take a gander at how the coat and jacket from Looks #17 and #19 close.

https://egonlab.com/

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

Paris. Men's Fashion Week. Fall Winter '25-'26

First up: Egonlab.

Kévin Nompeix and his creative partner Florentin Glémarec came back to Paris Fashion Week after taking a year off. And they came back at an interesting time for not only the United States but the entire world. They call their collection "S4LEM," a reference to the Massachusetts witch trials, as a way to speak about the current "witches": outsiders, and the misunderstood. "We are the new witches of Salem."

"We" as in minorities, they explained. As in gay, trans, queer, Black, brown, immigrants, outsiders. "You know, based on what’s happening in politics everywhere," Nompeix continued. Everywhere, yes, but most notably in the current White House occupant's first stunt, er, address as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, when he declared that it would be "official policy" of the United States government that "there are only two genders."

But instead of using witch tropes which would have been the easy path, Egonlab actually turned up the volume on the "We" section...if the machine of the current president's followers run on "liberal tears" as they have often crowed, then they don't get tears anymore. They just get us, in all our fabulous gay, trans, queer, Black, brown, immigrant, outsider glory.

The garments for this FW '25-'26 collection are subtle but once one really starts to look, they are simply amazing. One of the things that really strikes me is the brilliant juxtaposition of a tight, tailored torso with bell shaped, Kimono-like sleeves (the version in denim is surprisingly elegant). I am in love with those long coats that feature an asymmetrical one-button closure...especially the version in claret (look #16 below). Love the skirts over voluminous pants, and the maribou-esque collars and cuffs, too...very "We." But I think the most startling moment is the black leather trousers that continue up and morph into a long scarf to wrap around the neck (look #23). Wow. 

The cumulative effect of this collection is ultimately one of dashing romance. All of us witches, man...We're powerful. And We're staying right. where. We. are.

https://egonlab.com/