Haute Couture Week 2016 Names 5 Guests
Futuristic visions and anti-establishment designs are expected in July so make a date with Paris for that.
For the top-tier Haute Couture Fashion Week, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris has named five fashion labels to display their works as guests alongside the other more established houses in July. Among them are designers who have displayed great depth of innovation and futuristic vision. The inclusion of the subversive rebel design collective Vetements into the mix is a bit of a surprise move on the part of the venerable Chambre. Here is a brief look at all five.
J Mendel isn’t exactly a “spring chicken” since it started out in the 1800s. This label specializes in exquisite furs and displays a penchant for innovation in their use of the material – manipulating it as easily as other types of fabrics.
Iris Van Herpen and Yuima Nakazato definitely represent the future possibilities of fashion design. They’ve embraced technologies like 3D printing and using digital design to push forward the possibilities of what’s possible in their clothing. Form-eschewing sculpted wearables are well represented in their creations.
Francesco Scognamiglio straddles the divide between the classical techniques he picked up from Italy and his own desire for avant-garde expression. The Neapolitan designer can style sensual feminine dresses but he always likes to find a way to infuse it with his own touch of Romanticism. This puts him on the map as a curious designer to look out for.
Inviting Vetements into this Haute Couture Fashion Week is kind of like inviting The Sex Pistols to sing opera. The underground label has been favored by various celebrities – including Kanye West – but they represent everything opposite to what the fashion industry stands for. Their designers aren’t named. They run underground fashion shows far away from the catwalks. They don’t used established models in their shows. Then again, even rebel leader Che Guevara’s face is now being sold on shirts everywhere. How the label aims to maintain their anti-establishment aura while participating in such a high-profile establishment event will be interesting to watch.
