2024 will be a Stéphane Ashpool year. The designer, known for his men's ready-to-wear brand Pigalle, has designed the outfits for the French athletes at the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. In a different vein, the 42-year-old designer is the subject of a carte blanche staged by Georgi Stanishev at the 19M gallery. This 1,200-square-meter cultural space, open to all, is located on the site that brings together 12 art and manufacturing houses belonging to Chanel, representing more than 700 high-level craftspeople.
Winner of the ANDAM Grand Prix (for up-and-coming designers) in 2015, Ashpool was then mentored by Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion at Chanel and 19M, and given free access to the art houses' workshops. With his label Pigalle, he collaborated for several years with exceptional feather workers, embroiderers, hat makers and weavers to create couture-minded streetwear pieces that can be seen in the first part of the exhibition.
A second part presents original models made especially for the event, in collaboration with five Chanel art houses, accompanied by photos and videos. These include a tweed jacket embroidered with Rhodoïd strips (a material close to plastic) by the Studio MTX embroidery workshop, a leather jacket embellished with hammered cannetille (metal thread) patches by Lesage, a fleece hoodie adorned with feather inlays by Lemarié and pants enhanced with Lognon pleats. These sculptural pieces, with their multiple textural effects, offer an immersion into the heart of the materials, the craftsmanship and Ashpool's style. The exhibition is accompanied by occasional performances designed with guest artists.
"Free figure. Stéphane Ashpool," at 19M, 2 Place Skanderbeg, Paris 19th, until June 16. le19m.com
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.