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/

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/