Parisian design collective VETEMENTS is one of the biggest fashion success stories in recent years. Made up of seven anonymous designers, all of whom cut their teeth working at Maison Martin Margiela, the brand already attracts the likes of Kanye West to its unconventional presentations. On top of this, the brand’s sole spokesperson Demna Gvasalia made headlines last year when he was announced as Alexander Wang’s replacement as creative director of Balenciaga. Far from anonymous, Gvasalia is now the most-watched man in fashion as press prepare for his debut AW16 showing at the prestigious French house.

However, despite its success, a close network of creatives remains at the heart of the brand, which will tomorrow launch an exclusive photo book in collaboration with IDEA Books. Based in Soho (with a concession at Rei Kawakubo’s Dover Street Market) and known for its fashion credentials, IDEA is no stranger to rare fashion tomes – in the last year alone the company has published rarities for the likes of Gosha Rubchinskiy and 80s subculture photographer Derek Ridgers, both of which sold out at breakneck speed. 

The VETEMENTS photo book is similarly exclusive, released as a limited run of only 500 copies. Made up of candid snapshots taken behind the scenes of SS16, the imagery was shot by Corsican photographer Pierre-Ange Carlotti, a Paris-based designer establishing a reputation for his intimate portraits of the city’s hedonistic nightlife. By day though, he is a casting director, making him uniquely-placed to document the VETEMENTS models which include Dazed’s own contributing fashion editor Lotta Volkova.

The SS16 collection itself was exemplary of the lo-fi aesthetic synonymous with the brand, comprising of recycled jeans spliced together in oversized silhouettes and knee-length teadresses with their hemlines hacked off. It is this DIY ethos and unexpected aesthetic that have placed VETEMENTS uniquely at the heart of a new creative movement rejecting the polished glamour associated with the fashion industry. Far from just a photo book, this unique book documents an important moment in today’s saturated fashion industry and is bound to become an essential collectable for any avid fashion fan.

VETEMENTS is out tdoay and will be available from the Comme des Garçons Trading Museum as well as IDEA at Dover Street Market London, New York and Ginza, Tokyo, at select stores internationally.

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