Vetements goes for no-show in Paris

For men's fashion week, Balenciaga artistic director Demna Gvasalia stick to a no-show format for his cult label Vetements this season, just several days after announcing he wanted to stop runway shows, which he said have become "boring, repetitive and tiring."

With no runway show then, the designer went for something new with a large scale photo exhibition and concert (the Love Hotel Band played) in the middle of a glass-covered parking lot on boulevard des Batignolles, teamed with miniature bottles of champagne and Italian beer -- the scene transformed into a gallery for the occasion.

As for the clothes, there wasn't a new collection to speak off, but more 'archive' pieces already released as part of spring/summer 2016 and 2017. For the most part, items were redefined for the next season, worn by teenagers, seniors, and regular people in the street including pregnant women. Of note, however, and making an appearance for the first time, was an accessories line including bags, socks and caps with the letters Vetements.

Justified in part by the relocation of its headquarters to Zurich this year, the no-show decision was largely commented on when it was first revealed, mostly because of the comments of Guram Gvasalia, the designer's brother (he told the SonntagsZeitung that "Paris killed creativity with its bling-bling environment and superficial glamour ", ed.).

With the desire not to yield to the frantic rhythms of collections, this recent no-show should make buyers and consumers even more impatient. A bias to desirability that, until now, seems to work.

Vetements goes for no-show in Paris

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