But if there’s one key takeaway from the Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2024 Show, it’s that it’s not just about fashion– it’s an immersive experience that’s a little bit Louis Vuitton, a little bit celebrity-inspired, and a whole lot Pharrell.

The Phlace

The show took place on Paris’ oldest bridge le Pont Neuf while overlooking the river Seine in a nod to the brand’s Parisian roots. Guests arrived by boat to see the historical location covered in Louis Vuitton’s signature Damier check, drinking champagne and enjoying chicken nuggets prepared by celebrity chef Jean Imbert. What followed was a three-hour celebratory spectacle filled with fashion, music, and culture that confirmed Vuitton’s promise to position itself as a ‘cultural brand’.

The Phriends

A live orchestra and gospel choir accompanied the 71 looks that strutted down the runway, building excitement that exploded as Jay-Z gave a surprise concert near the end. The rapper wasn’t the only A-lister in attendance; amongst the 1,750 guest list were also Naomi Campbell, Jaden and Willow Smith, Kim Kardashian, and Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. Most notably however, were Pharrell’s closest friends lining the front row. From Beyoncé and Zendaya’s reunion to A$AP Rocky and Rihanna’s matching denim fits, the show seemed more like that party hosted by the cool, popular kids we all desperately wanted to get invited to.

The Phinspiration

But unlike those high school parties, Pharrell wants everyone to feel included with the ‘Lovers’ collection. Following his announcement to take the reigns on Valentine’s Day, the 50-year-old kept the capsule theme going by revolving the whole show around love and community. ‘I make clothes for humans’, he said to Vogue ahead of the show, ‘It’s very inspired by the love and support of the people here that I’ve just been blessed to be able to experience’. He even included his confidants inside the collection, with Rihanna being the face of the campaign and the clothes referencing Tyler The Creator’s signature preppy look.

The Phieces

And now on to the actual clothes. The runway opened with a neutral, boxy suit preliminary for the increasingly quirky and detailed looks that followed. Center stage was the LV Damier checkerboard, reinterpreted everywhere from leather biker jackets to fur coats. Pharrell also focused heavily on bags and introduced the ‘Damouflage pattern’, a digitized camo print that inspires thoughts of Minecraft.

Overall, the collection was an organized haphazard mix of vastly different aesthetics. Slick tailored pieces contrasted baggier clothes, and 70s flared trousers debuted alongside pearl-embedded tracksuits. Truly no style was left behind: there were leather football shirts, watch chain jewelry, camouflage parkas, and even a golf cart filled to the brim with LV trunks. The Vuitton logo was everywhere, with additional “LV Lovers” graphics plastered on both female and male models. There’s no doubt that a collage of so many opposing styles shouldn’t fit together; yet somehow Williams made it work.

The Phuture

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At the end of the show, Pharrell took a standing ovation in a ‘Damouflage’ patterned jacket and trousers, sweetly bringing out the Louis Vuitton design team to honor the community behind his debut (very on theme if you ask us). After such a grandiose presentation, the fashion industry is already wondering what the entertainment mogul is bringing to the table next. If his opening show is any hint, we can expect more statement bags, ‘Damouflage’ everywhere, break-the-internet moments, and a lot of celebrity power. The ‘phuture’ is Pharrell, and we’re all here for it.

_{Words by Alexia De Las Heras}

^{Header Image: @Louis Vuitton Instagram}

The post The Pharrellification Of Louis Vuitton appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Louis Vuitton

The Men’s Louis Vuitton show was incredible. The brand always pulls sensational surprises out at their hat and this year’s Paris Men’s show was a top tier performance. Starting with the retro set design created by French filmmakers Michel and Olivier Gondry, the show was built for success from the get-go. Inspired by memories from their childhoods, the set was supposed to capture ‘Formative Moments’ that make up a boy ‘s initial stages of life. The set was super effective in setting the scene of the show. 

The collection came with a performance from sensation, Rosalia, which had viewers hyped. She was seen singing, dancing and parading around the runway kitted head to toe in oversized Louis Vuitton. Turning up the tempo she jumped on the retro yellow car which parked next to the pop-up home set-up. Louis Vuitton had hyped the audience before they had even debuted any of their new collection. That is how you do it, in our opinion.  

The looks lived up to the amazing atmosphere which had been created. A co-collaboration between Colm Dillane and Louis Vuitton for AW23 was evident from the moment the founder of KidSuper stepped out amongst the Louis Vuitton team. His creations included his famous artwork of patchworked faces on leather casualwear and accessories. They were super cool and vibrant, and we loved the hybrid pieces of his work merged with the Louis Vuitton monograms. Retro 70s floral prints also found their way into the looks, complimenting the set they walked through.

The items were insanely cool with lots of nods to the past evident as inspiration. The show which had models chaotically pacing through bedrooms and living rooms was made-up of almost 70 looks. Louis Vuitton covered a huge amount of ground in the collection. Surrealism was evident in the designs which made the fits super eye-catching and intriguing. War-time inspired pieces were shown on runway models such as aviator hats, piff helmet hats, leather gloves and camouflage prints which fully covered jackets and trousers. Rugged denim, biker jackets and hoods cropped up on stage as they predict to trend in AW23. Puffer styles, ribbon-tied trousers and fringe lined suit jackets also made popping appearances in the show. However, long slim-tailored coats definitely dominated the looks as well as classic cut suits.  

Rick Owens

The grungy glamour aesthetic continues its way in AW23 menswear with Rick Owen’s latest collection. A designer with a powerful story behind him, Owens managed to work his way up the fashion industry in unconventional manners. From dropping out of art school to working for knock-off production factories, he found his way to Paris where it all changed. Establishing a romantic relationship with boss at the time, Michele Lamy, she managed to give his designs exposure and so his legacy as a fashion designer began.

He has kept his rebellion roots and they are always paramount in the design of his clothing. Showcasing at Paris fashion week this year, his collection was no exception to his inspiringly classic Rick Owen’s Style. However, the collection took a ‘Victorian’ influence which was unpredicted but well-received by audience members. He stated he took inspiration from the reign of the Queen during the 19th century and wanted to show a modern take on ‘elaborate modesty’ which was so paramount at the time. Stating the significance of masking sensuality was so elaborate it almost had the opposite effect. His play with historic styles and grunge sub-culture influence created some innovative and visionary designs.

He experimented with Victorian silhouettes and pieces from the time period such as cloaks. Pencil skirts, platform gladiator boots and puffer jackets all made their way on to the runway in his full-black looks. The cow-hide spike shoulder jackets appeared one after the other and pieces were deconstructed into their simplest forms to give an experimental element to the collection. The range of looks consisted mainly of black pieces and otherwise a dark muted palette was used. Slicked hairstyles and blocked face paints added to the grunge aesthetic of the clothing.

_{Words By Erin Wilson}

The post Retro Innocence Vs Grungy Victorian: PFW Highlights appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Garage Amelot in the Marais district will play host for the showroom during the week of walkways. From Thursday the 19^th to Sunday the 22^nd of January, the showroom will display 17 menswear designers to showcase their designs. For example, Derrick, Toron and Lula Laora, are all brands which will feature at the showroom.

House Of Jaffa

The talented list also includes House of Jaffa, known for their use of bright colours and international influences. The brand expresses what it is like being Queer in the Middle East and takes huge influence in the two designers upbringings.

Loci

The vegan sneaker brand Loci will also be showcasing their latest designs. A brand putting emphasis on their sustainability as well as style. Loci, deriving from the word locus, which means centre, symbolises the best within a human. They use this ethos throughout their designing and manufacturing process as they utilise recycled and durable materials.

Abigail Ajobi

British-Nigerian designer Abigail Ajobi creates luxury sustainable streetwear for men and women. The brand’s ethos lies in empowering the designer’s community through her creativity.

The British Fashion Council’s LONDON show ROOMS have created pop-up spaces outside of London since 2008, to allow emerging British designers more exposure. Travelling to cities such as Hong Kong and New York, the Paris pop-up showroom has continued to popularise season after season. The pop-up gives buyers and press from around the world the opportunity to view collections which they otherwise may not have seen. This year will be no different as TRANOÏ MEN support the British Fashion Council in their event. We wish all designers best of luck as they show their work at the iconic Garage Amelot.

Words By Erin Wilson

_{Header Image: Arundhati Das}

The post Thanks To LONDON Show ROOMS: We’ll Be Seeing These Designers At PFW. appeared first on Voir Fashion.

Lukhanyo Mdingi

The winner of the last Karl Lagerfeld Prize awarded at the eighth edition of the LVMH Prize for young fashion designersthe South African designer Lukhanyo Mdingi opened the dance of Paris Fashion Week. Lukhanyo Mdingi is part of the new wave of African Talent bringing the continent to the forefront of fashion. His new Spring Summer Collection“BURKINA” offers a reinterpretation of Burkinabe prints and a celebration of West African fashion.

Kidill

Japanese designer Hiroaki Sueyasu Collection “Hell Haus”featured Contemporary fashion and streetwear in a post-apocalyptic, psychedelic setting with models walking like zombies or lying on the floor. The show was inspired by horror movies, the punk era, and skate culture. The designer who became known as a celebrated outsider artist has a tendency to depict idyllic, flowered landscapes in fantastical, sometimes horrific imagery. In this collection, in collaboration with Tom Tosseyn and Ritual Projects Paris, Hiroaki Sueyasu displayed Japanese dyeing techniques used in knits and woven. 

BlueMarble

Paris-based designer Anthony Alvarez founded BlueMarble in 2018. Inspired by urban cultures, subcultures, and the MTV generation, the designer creates ultra-coloured pieces with psychedelic prints and vintage charm, like his show last season, where he took inspiration from New York frenzy and Filipino heat. Anthony Alvarez looked at different wardrobes, from workwear to sportswear, streetwear, and tailoring to create this SS collection, while embedding neon colours, strass, and animal prints, with artisanal details. The fashion brand seduced international artists such as Justine Bieber and rapper Kodak Black present at the show.

^{Isidore Montag / Gorunway.com}

Airei

LVMH Prize 2022 Semi-Finalist, Drew Curry presented his second collection at Paris Fashion Week. The show was quite surprising, it took place in a dormitory setting with pieces hanging from the ceiling and did not include models. The designer revealed a collection made of neutral colors ranging from beige, ochre, and grey, featuring linen and knitweargarments with striking contrasts and fine thread-work. Curry artfully crafts yarns, such as Italian recycled cashmere, and fabrics, like Japanese denim.

^{image via @dfsablon}

Taak 

The Japanese brand TAAKK created in 2013 by Takuya Morikawa, who notably made his mark for eight years at Issey Miyake, returned for Paris Fashion Week yesterday. 

For his second Parisian outing, Takuya Morikawa, who is passionate about the surrealist movement, was inspired by his dreams, the intersection of reality and unreality, and with it, the ambiguity of this intersection. Proposing a collection that mixed fluidity, denim, and bright colours.

Egonlab 

Egonlab has been causing a stir since its launch in 2018 and is establishing itself as one of the most promising talents on the Parisian creative scene. The fashion brand is led by Kévin Nompeix and Florentin Glémarec The collection broke the codes of gender – a recurring theme in the duo’s work – with worn denim, colourful oversized suits, and leather pieces. What really caught the eye, apart from the platform waders and the cartoon characters present at this Alice in Wonderland-inspired show, was a small accessory discreetly attached to the ears of some of the models. A metal cigarette holder that is worn as ear jewellery. A piece that was unanimously approved by the guests at the fashion show and that we are likely to see everywhere very soon…

Etudes 

Founded in 2012 by 2 friends Aurélien and Jérémie, the urban fashion brand highlights art and subcultures through its clothing. The Parisian brand Études Studio continues to seduce the fashion world. Both passionate about graffiti, they offer a vision of fashion that reflects our era, where the boundaries between different artistic fields are becoming increasingly blurred..

The show took place on a disused railway track, with the models walking in the middle of the wild grass. The urban and comfortable style of this collection of men’s clothing features bold designs and loose-fitting cuts.

Words by Melodie Bitala-Samba

The post Paris Fashion Week Kicks Off With Emerging Designers appeared first on Voir Fashion.

From fashion photography to front rows of Fashion Week, London fashion illustrator Scott W Mason talks to Voir about his fashion inspirations, favourite illustrators and fashion week surprises. He describes his creative style, his inspirations and his process.

Scott’s collaborations include brands Apple, Selfridges, Alexander McQueen , Axel Arigato, Ted Baker, Reiss, House of Holland, Danone and SkinnyDip London.

You studied Fashion Photography for your BA degree but went into fashion illustration. How did that story unfold for you?

I’ve drawn a lot longer than I’ve ever taken photos. I used to draw a lot and then I started watching America’s Next Top Model, as embarrassing as it is, and I used to love the photoshoots that were from there because they’re quite extravagant. I was like a 12-year-old kid so I could not afford to do those type of photoshoots, so I started to draw my ideas out instead, and that’s when I sort of took a more fashion approach. I was still quite young, I couldn’t draw as well as a photograph can capture something so I went back to photography and then I went into uni to do fashion photography because I thought it’s easier than drawing in a way. After a while I realised I can’t take photos for shit! So I ended up spending the rest of my three years at uni drawing on my photos just to get a decent mark so that’s kind of how it turned around again. I literally just thought drawing was so much easier and cheaper.

You would say that fashion always was a focus of your work, like it’s always been a calling hasn’t it?

Yeah, I don’t know why but I’m just excited by the structure of clothes and I guess its expression of it. I’d think that when you’re doing a drawing of something that includes fashion it’s more of a purpose to it because you’re illustrating something rather than just making something from the top of your head. People are always like what’s the point in drawing? And I’m like “Argh, there’s a reason behind it!” I mean it’s not really needed but I mean you could say that about a lot of things. It’s just an artistic expression and creativity, it doesn’t have to be, you know for sole purpose of studying something.

Click on image to enlarge

We absolutely love your colourful and creative pieces. How would you describe your own illustrative style?

I’d probably go modern, minimal, maybe abstract because sometimes I show people my work and they’re literally like “what the f*** is that?” Maybe textured. I guess you see it more in person rather than in scans but the paint strokes add a bit of depth to them. We’ll add bold in there for good measure.

What do you enjoy most about being a fashion illustrator?

I still get excited by, it sounds silly, but a blank piece of paper because when you start out you don’t really know what’s gonna happen and what you’re going to end up with so even after drawing for 20 years it’s still exciting to be like “Ah what can happen?” But being a fashion illustrator, I think it’s sort of a cooler illustrator which really isn’t fair or true but because people perceive fashion as being such a cool industry if you do anything to do with that they’re like “Oh my god, so cool!” My favourite thing is it’s not that well known and it’s not quite as mainstream as so many other things so it’s quite a niche.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your new illustrations?

If I’m scrolling through Instagram and I see a pose that sort of captures my eye then I want to draw something similar and inspired by that. Or just watching fashion shows, I was scrolling through Paris Fashion Week today and I saw like 100 looks I want to draw and I’m trying to pick which ones. Because the first and foremost thing that inspires me is obviously the clothes.

Click on image to enlarge

What is the most important aspect for you when creating a new piece? What is the one thing you prioritise the most?

I don’t prioritise getting it that similar to the actual garment. I think I just prioritise having a nice-looking drawing, it’s all quite subliminal and you don’t really think about it. I think I prioritise the pose the most because I think the pose brings emotive or a story to the piece.

What attracts you to a garment? What are the first details you look at?

It used to be hemlines because if someone had a lot of stuff with hemlines and a lot of strong shapes I’d sort of see the black linear line in my work and I’d automatically apply it to that. But that was when I used to work just mainly fineliner and not a lot of colour. But now I think print is what really inspires me because I’m obsessed with drawing floral prints at the moment and I think everyone is getting bored of it on my Instagram. I can’t stop. Yeah, I’d say floral prints I’m obsessed with, and gloves.

Why gloves?

I’m not sure, I think the way you can draw a hand and add in the crease of the glove and then you can add shadows and highlights to it. I think it’s so I can cover up really bad drawn hands because I make it as abstract as possible, but one of my favourite illustrators I think drew a lot of gloves

Who is your favourite illustrator?

Tony Viramontes. His style definitely inspired me a lot and then Egon Schiele I adore as well, so I think if you look at those you can probably see the aspects of stolen. Subconsciously but yeah.

What is the process illustrating for a live show? How quickly do you have to work?

Oh god it’s a nightmare. I gave it a rest for like two years because I was being so socially reclusive and didn’t want to go. And then I went last September for a few shows and I completely forgot how quick it is and how stressful it is. What I tend to do is I like to pick up key details so if it’s just stuff that catches my eye like maybe the hairstyle they’re using and the makeup, little buckles or just little aspects of that it’s sort of like a log for me. I’ll remember when I go home like “Ah, I wanna showcase that detail.” It’s true you can’t end up with a good drawing at the end of a fashion show because it’s just impossible. That’s why presentations are great for illustrators because you know they’re on for like an hour, two hours, you can actually get time to do something.

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So out of the fashion shows you’ve been at, who has approached you that has really surprised you that you didn’t really think you were going to meet?

What’s surprised me most about fashion week is I got recognised a couple times last time and I was like oh my god! It’s so bizarre to have someone come up to you and recognise who you are because you just kind of post online and don’t think about it and you kind of forget that people do see and take note of who and what you are. But no, I haven’t actually met any celebrities or designers as of yet as far as I’m aware. If I have, I’ve forgotten because I was drunk.

Is there a particular brand that you’d love to collaborate with that you haven’t yet?

Kenzo was always one I used to love when I was at uni. That would be so cool. Just a brand that’s slightly out of the box. Kenzo would be a cool fit or there’s Axel Arigato who I’ve done a few events for, but I’d love to do a design for a print for a shoe or something. I’m just fed up of seeing my work just as a piece of paper, so I just want to go and get my work and apply it to something. So, whether that’s clothes or a product or something like that, it’ll just be cool to see it in action rather than just an object.

What piece of advice do you have for Voir readers who are aspiring fashion illustrators?

I would say just draw constantly because the one thing you always fall back on is your ability. Instagram is incredibly important, do it as much as you can. Draw celebrities and tag them to get them to repost you. It’s the best free marketing tool you’ve got and it’s the only way unless you’ve got a million people you know in the industry already, that’s your easiest foot in the door. Your style is incredibly important because that’s how people recognise you. But it’s a tricky one because you can’t actively go out and search for a style so you’ve just got to take inspiration from everything and keep working and then your style will develop over time. Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Stand out from the crowd, baby! Oh, and contact people. Don’t be scared because I’ve always been told that a closed mouth doesn’t always get fed. Literally email anyone and everyone. If you’re approaching any of these big brands, I will definitely say approach with some idea of what you can do for them in mind otherwise they’re probably not going to get back to you.

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The post Scott W Mason, A Revolution In Fashion Illustration appeared first on Voir Fashion.