The following ten participants showed their collections at the defilé in the Salin des Pesquiers in La Capte, a picturesque place on the outskirts of Hyères.
French designer Louis Gabriel Nouchi presented his womenswear collection ‘I Hate Humans’ inspired by the Japanese animation character Princess Mononoke. The designer mixed different fabrics such as wool, fur and cotton, contrasting textures and patterns into an intricate colourful mixture that featured white, grey, orange, red, blue and black. His nonchalant, slightly oversized silhouettes had a sporty touch to them and featured ribbons and cords borrowed from sportswear.
Marit Ilison’s womenswear collection ‘Longing For Sleep’ deals with a certain nostalgia and sensations linked to sleep. Ilison took her inspiration quite literally and cut her cosy, fluffy coats from fabrics that resemble blankets that were highly popular throughout the Soviet period, therefore giving a nod to her childhood memories. Despite the resemblance to blankets, Ilison’s coats don’t look heavy or bulky, but rather elegant and comfortable. On the body they give the wearer a feeling of protection expressing the idea that the garment can also be used as shelter, much like a blanket that warms and protects us. On the inside, the coats are embellished with Swarovski crystals, tiny hidden treasure: Only the wearer can see and feel them. Ilison’s collection proves once again that a garment is more than just a piece of fabric – rather code and symbol that can be interpreted and linked to specific feelings, memories, ideas and dreams.
Agnese Narnicka’s ‘Raipair Man’ collection is all about layering and mixing. The models at the show sported layered looks with most pieces made of light, transparent fabrics (nylon, PVC, rubber) mixed with heavier materials. The looks were completed with eye-catching accessories such as PVC caps in transparent, white or aquamarine, and there were also transparent rubber overshoes. Overall, Narnicka’s collection featured urban, modern looks with a laid-back touch. Only one detail about the collection made me wonder: The transparent PVC hats featured in Narnicka’s collection looked astonishingly similar to the ones that Ukrainian fashion designer Sasha Kanevski showed in his Spring / Summer 2013 collection.
Inspiration for Coralie Marabelle’s womenswear collection ‘Dream catcher’ comes from the traditional clothing of the shepherds in northern Iran. The French designer took two key elements of the shepherd’s wardrobe, the cape with exaggerated pointy shoulders and the egg-shaped hat, and transformed them into feminine, elegant pieces. Even when Marabelle keeps the form of the cape and its traditional pointy shoulder-shape, she transforms it into a light, feminine piece by using fine fabrics and a soft color palette of nude, off-white, black and purple. Some of her capes have a fluffy, furry texture that resembles the curls of the Astrakhan fur, while others are adorned with cutout leather flowers, adding a feminine note to the masculine-inspired shapes. Marabelle’s meticulous work and her fresh and original interpretation of tradition was rewarded with the Public Prize of the City of Hyères.
Ukrainian designer Yulia Yefimtchuk created a collection inspired by 1920s Russian Constructivism and Soviet workwear as well as by the works of Painter Kazimir Malevich, Poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and Painter Alexandra Ekster. Minimalist and oversized silhouettes are crucial for Yefimtchuk’s design. In Hyères she showed an array of slightly oversized shirts paired with midi-skirts or cropped trousers. Some of the shirts featured Soviet slogans like ‘миру – мир’ (meaning: peace to the world), ‘труд’ (work) and ‘с каждым днем все радостнее жить!’ (life is more and more joyful with every day), apparently referring to the current political situation in Ukraine. The fact that the designer spoke Ukrainian at the press presentation of her collection and had an English translator could also serve well for self-promotion of the Ukrainian fashion industry that uses the current political situation in Ukraine in order to gain the attention of the international press and fashion industry. The jury’s decision to give Yefimtchuk a Special Prize was certainly influenced by politics and a gesture of support and recognition of Ukrainian fashion.
The menswear collection of Belgian Pablo Henrard titled ‘Maelström’ presented a fresh take on masculine uniform. The collection featured fitted jackets and frocks with constructed wide sleeves and bias-cut hems, an interesting mixture of masculine and feminine elements. Slim fitted see-through turtleneck longsleeves added a note of sensuality to the overall sober collection. The designer played with common concepts of masculinity and femininity and created an array of hybrid pieces that featured genuine masculine elements such as square shoulders and uniform-like tailoring as well as asymmetric cuts and flounces that are mostly associated with womenswear. Sportswear-inspired pieces also featured in the collection in the form of a fitted jacket made of quilted fabric with a geometric pattern (lines and circles). The designer used monochromatic colours such as black and white with splashes of saturated red and baby blue here and there.
The main theme of Anne Kluytenaar’s menswear collection is cross-dressing. Kluytenaar dresses her men in elegant fitted jackets and dresses, a variation of Chanel’s classic pieces, but made for men. Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s main inspiration famously were items from the men’s wardrobe which she masterfully transformed into classical garments for women such as fitted cropped jacket. Therefore Kluytenaar’s collection could be described as ‘Chanel goes back to the roots’. Kluytenaar’s collection delivers an interesting concept, however, technically, nothing new or innovative: All pieces bear a strong a strong resemblance to Chanel in terms of cuts and materials. Klunetaar’s models at the defilé show walked the catwalk smoking cigarettes and wearing chainmail necklaces and pearl earrings on their left or right ear (a visual code for being gay or not, as the designer explained at the press presentation). The cigarettes and jewelry could be seen as an homage to Madame Gabrielle Chanel’s personal style, an interesting idea that points out that fashion is also about style and attitude.
The collection of Dutch designer Liselore Frowijn is a potpourri of colours, patterns and styles inspired by sport and dance, featuring slim fit bodysuits in bright colours, such as pink and green, and geometric patterns. Hand-printed capes made of see-through fabric worn on top of bodysuits gave the looks a sense of lightness and fluidity. Among the standouts was a green floor-length coat with a geometric pattern that looked like an elongated oversized bomber jacket.
Austrian designer Roshi Porkar created an intriguing collection inspired by the ancient Afghan feminine statuettes that were created circa 2000 BC. The shapes and colours are two key elements of the collection that derive from the ancient statuettes celebrating the beauty and elegance of the female body. The coats and dresses feature exaggerated square shoulders and are trimmed with fake fur, starting from the elbows or hips. A belt in snakeskin aesthetic accentuates the waistline and emphasises the hourglass silhouette of the look. The designer plays with texture by juxtaposing sleek fabrics with fluffy and fringed materials. The pieces that look heavy due to the usage of fake fur are actually very light and comfortable. The slippers in blue, beige and leopard print with straps in snakeskin on top complete the looks. Roshi Porkar’s Chloé look earned her one of the Chloé Prizes. The look is very different to what she shows in her main collection, consisting of a white classic shirtdress with see-through organza trimming and a cropped bomber jacket made of quilted fabric with an exaggerated zipper. Porkar’s Chloé look combines urban ease, sporty elements and references to the hip hop culture in a laid-back and contemporary way.
This year’s winner of the Grand Prix Première Vision is Japanese designer Kenta Matsushige who is currently based in Paris. Matsushige presented his womenswear collection ‘Hinabi’ (pastoral beauty) which stands in opposition to ‘Miyabi’ (urban beauty). The collection featured cropped closureless jackets and plain white shirts paired with short skorts or high-waisted trousers. One of the most stunning pieces is a bulky jacket with extra-large rounded sleeves worn on top of a plain shirt – a combination which creating a silhouette that emphasises the upper body and gives it extra volume. All pieces are executed from solid fabrics in muted grey and off-white colours. The collection pieces can be easily worn in daily life for both work and leisure. All in all, it has something of a school uniform with an urban ease, and will certainly sell well in both European and Asian markets.
Veronika Doroscheva