Six up-and-coming designers spotted on the sidelines of Paris Fashion Week
On the sidelines of Paris Fashion Week, which took place in the French capital from September 23 to October 1, traditional showrooms presented buyers and the press with a new generation of designers. Here are some of the brands that stood out.
1. Matty Bovan
For its 12th edition, the London Showrooms presented collections by a selection of designers on the Rue de la Roquette. The showcase featured around 15 designers including Duran Lantink and English designer Matty Bovan, who had also showcased a collection in London in mid-September as part of London Fashion Week. The punk-drag-queer-pop-kitch designer, who graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2015 and has received the LVMH graduates award, has seen his brand grow significantly in recent seasons.
Matty Bovan, supported by Marc Jacobs and stylist Katie Grand during his debut, presented a collection featuring patchwork textiles and mixed prints this season. Courtly dresses had extravagant dimensions and played with brightly coloured overlays and more wearable looks mixed street and workwear.
2. Alice Archer
Another graduate of Central Saint Martins, designer Alice Archer specialises in embroidery and had previously collaborated with British artist Tracy Emin to create her signature hand embroidered artworks before joining the Dries Van Noten design team.
Archer has been supported in her development by Simon Burstein who is the former vice president of Sonia Rykiel and now head of The Place London stores in London and Paris. The young designer creates ready-to-wear collections which combine both traditional and digital embroidery and printing.
Her latest collection featured a number of summer dresses and evening dresses that featured meticulous work and played with transparency as well as several silk kimono jackets. Archer retails from The Place London as well as around 10 other points-of-sale including Barneys in New York and at the Bulgari Hotel in Dubai.
3. Rave Review
An event organised at the Swedish Institute in the Marais presented collections by nine emerging designers who have just graduated from Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm. The group of mostly as-yet unknown designers included several names that had already had their first taste of recognition. Designer Fo Phan, who was included in the Vogue Talents 2019 list, was accompanied by two other graduate-headed labels, the menswear brand Per Götesson and Rave Review.
The brand Rave Review, founded in 2017 by Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück, offers a wardrobe made entirely from second hand clothes and pre-existing textiles selected for their nostalgic and anti-trend feel. For the brand’s spring/ summer 2020 collection, the design duo presented a series of dresses, trench coats, coats that mixed lunar and floral prints, and other deconstructed garments.
4. Natures of Conflict
At the Dach Showroom, which brings together emerging designers from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, the Vienna-based brand Natures of Conflict exhibited its designs for the first time in Paris. The brand is inspired by uniforms and heritage workwear and headed by the design duo composed of Nora Berger and Kathrin Lugbauer, both graduates of the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. The brand has been producing timeless collections since 2008, to each of which they give a number.
This season, the brand presented a series of garments that showcased beautiful materials and prints, inspired as ever by uniforms, interpreted with a contemporary and sophisticated touch.
5. IA London
This season, the Nob Showroom brought together around 20 international designers from countries including France, Germany, Malaysia, China, Belgium, Russia, Italy and Japan. Bernhard Willhelm and the recent LVMH Prize winner Thebe Magugu showcased collections along with the 'avant-garde art label' IA London.
IA London was launched by British designer Ira Iceberg in 2017 and specialises in eco-friendly prints taken from works painted by the designer and digitally printed on each garment. This season, designs included trousers, kimonos, jackets, coats, skirts, dresses, and t-shirts with a collage aesthetic.
With a dark undertone, the brand’s spring/ summer 2020 collection was inspired by the Shakespearean tragedy King Lear. Garments presented faces from beyond the grave, new-romantic figures, and doll masks mixed with floral compositions. Each piece is customisable for buyers.
6. Dion Lee
Generally less visible than that of other countries, Australian fashion was highlighted at a showcase at the Australian Embassy in Paris at the end of Paris Fashion Week. A collaboration with the Woolmark Company allowed seven Australian designers to present collections at the event.
Dion Lee, who launched his eponymous brand 10 years ago and showcases his collections in New York where he settled last year, presented a minimalist collection for spring/ summer 2020. Designs were largely inspired by the world of women’s lingerie with a colour palette of black, white, and earth tones. Pieces included second-skin bustier tops with functional pockets, variations on the corset, and garter belts attached to oversized boots as well as fluid, tapered, and oversized trousers. The collection contrasted its pure white hues with military khaki, orange, and black garments that featured bandana prints on dresses, tops, and trousers.
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