In these first few days of Paris Fashion Week, during which the women's Spring-Summer 2025 collections are presented from September 23 to October 1, the young creative guard is out in force, ready to duke it out with the industry's heavyweights. And in this busy agenda, it's not easy to stand out from the crowd.
Alain Paul, who worked alongside Virgil Abloh in the studios of Vetements and Louis Vuitton Men before launching the brand that bears his name in 2023, presented his collection on the stage of the Théâtre du Châtelet. It was the ideal venue for his lineup, which sought to call back to dancers' wardrobes during their morning rehearsals. The 35-year-old designer, himself a former student of Marseille's National School of Dance, skilfully blended tops and T-shirts in transparent tulle, flowing skirts and dresses ending in spindles tied under the shoes' soles. This comfortable, feminine range was completed by suit jackets, long draped dresses and large blouses.
Another collection that was all about comfort was Marie Adam-Leenaerdt's, who invited her guests to sit at a table (deviled eggs included) at the Terminus Nord brasserie opposite the Gare du Nord train station. "For us Belgians, it's a must, the first place you see when you get off the Thalys train!" laughed the 28-year-old designer who was a finalist for the LVMH 2024 prize. This season, she turned her attention to T-shirts, the simplest and most basic clothing item. But that was to better deconstruct it: Her top's jersey was stretched, laid flat and then turned into a jacket, apron dress or transformed into a draped evening gown. It's a particularly successful gamble.
Another radically different approach was that of 32-year-old Kevin Germanier, whose work was noticed at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games, where he designed the 120 outfits presented on stage. This busy summer left him little time to prepare his zodiac signs-based collection, christened "Les Désastreuses." It featured 20 or so creatures dressed in sequins, tassels, rhinestones and spikes on the top of their skulls in explosive colors. While one ponders about the commercial viability of such a proposal, it certainly has the merit of standing out from the crowd with panache.
At Ester Manas's show, guests were greeted by a huge inflatable elephant, echoing the collection's name, "L'Eléphant dans la pièce" ("The Elephant in the Room"). Launched in 2019 by Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, a married couple in their 30s, the brand has been committed since its inception to offering inclusive fashion designed for all body shapes and sizes. How great it was to finally see not just skinny models walk the runway.
Here, they wore openwork, sheer nylon mesh dresses, ruffled tops, evening gowns with floral prints and frills and textured, gathered leather jackets revealing printed motifs. "The expression 'the elephant in the room' also points to the difficulties small brands face today; many have gone out of business. We are the first to be hit by the current crisis. But we're really proud to have been able to take part in the show because it's not easy," said the duo. A commendable doggedness.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.