Ah, what a cracking five days of URL fashions it has been! The inaugural Digital Paris Men’s Fashion Week saw brands across the board dabble into the various virtual worlds, each prepped and ready with their own distinct way of showing their latest collections. Some created digitalised avatars, others shot innovative films. Some didn’t even show any of their clothes at all. With Milan Digital Fashion Week now in full swing, we thought it would be best to round up some of our favourite digital showcases of the week. Think of this as 10’s PFW recap, brought to you live from our kitchen table.
This rather spectacular Paris-based designer is bringing a much-needed mysticism to menswear with his sporty tailoring-hybrids. SS21 was no different, with Viguier staging a 3D lookbook presentation which saw a sign language interpreter describe each garment on display. We’re getting the hint that Viguier is a big video games fan as this gave us Grand-Theft Auto meets World of Warcraft meets Assassin’s Creed, and we’re not mad about it.
Design duo Lisi Herrebrugh and Rushemy Botter began their Friday evening slot by sharing their support of the Black Lives Matter movement “We are standing against racism, ignorance and lack of empathy, said Herrebrugh. “We will overcome with our family, where nobody is left behind. A family we choose and that chooses us.” Shot within the duo’s studio, models wore rigid bodices swimming in florals and relaxed suiting in slightly swollen silhouettes. One look saw the designers drape strands of yarn across a model’s torso, creating a skeleton of a vest that everyone can create from home. DIY Botter, for everyone!
It was off to Hawaii – well, a mock-up version – for the Casablanca SS21 presentation. Designer Charaf Tajer knows how to make his Casablanca boys look opulent. Whether its silk shirting in tropical hues, Miami Vice suiting or pearls piled upon even more pearls, Casablanca isn’t a brand for a man who wants to fade into the background. These are clothes made to be seen.
LVMH Prize winner Doublet premiered a rather heartwarming film that featured a giant crochet bear who loves to gives gifts. Taking place under the balmy summer heat, the bear finds himself twiddling his thumbs without any national holidays to dish out the prezzies. He decides to take it upon himself to make a range of crafty gifts for his entire neighbourhood, who are all dressed rather impeccably in Doublet fashions. Bear-y touching indeed.
In lieu of showcasing their latest collection, GMBH designers Benjamin Alexander Huseby and Serhat Isik used their PFW slot to stage Season Of Migration To The North, a film by Lars Laumann and Sudanese activist and architect Eddie Esmai. The footage shows a catwalk organised by Esmai in Khartoum, Sundan, which was raided by the police who arrested all “the boys who they thought looked gay”. Esmai was forced to flee Sudan and seek asylum in Norway, where he still lives today. The GMBH boys – who both became ill with the Covid-19 virus – produced an accompanying collection which was made mostly from pre-existing materials leftover in their studio. A true standout of the week.
It was all new beginnings for Lemaire who announced it will only present co-ed collections going forward. The first of which closed out the digital PFW shows, which saw roomy trenches, slouched trousers and sleek formal shirting for every type of Lemaire customer. The brand is about to embark on a massive, global expansion drive, including two new Asian stores. Watch the space.
Tan lines aren’t a worry if you’re wearing Ludovic de Saint Sernin swimwear… The designer previewed his SS21 collection with a tender film, Do You Love Me? which saw two boys fall head-over-heels for one another on a pebble beach. Both wearing Ludovic’s skimpy briefs, there’s lots of long, romantic gazes and some tasteful water canoodling. It’s practically the summer fling every gay boy dreams about…
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Similarly to Ludovic, Namacheko’s SS21 film featured a beach and two boys. Instead of romance, though, brother and sister duo Dilan and Lezan Lurr explored ideas surrounding “rituals, adolescence, innocence, and nature.” Short and snappy at just under two minutes long, Krokus features finger-painting, dancing-in-circles and a glimpse at some rather excellent Namacheko knits, due to be unveiled to the press in Tokyo later this month.
Palomo Spain invites you into the studio to witness the method to his magic, dressing his tender army in extravagant, gender-fluid evening wear. Think lime green suiting, dresses with billowing skirts and a cracking pair of bumsters that come adorned with a floral arrangement. “This fucking jacket, it doesn’t look right,” he proclaims as he frantically styles his tender muses. Watch a modern design maven at work.
Designer, rock-climber, movie director? Spencer Phipps premiered his SS21 collection through a film feature trailer that starred the designer himself. Gambling, wrestling and a slew of cracking cowboy boots, this is two and half minutes of pure Americana, with some fantastic fashions to match.
