With homelands as diverse as Finland and Japan, these labels are the ones to watch in the City of Light
Paris may not be burning just yet, but in the first few days of Fashion Week you can definitely feel something heating up. With the likes of Jacquemus and VETEMENTS paving the way, younger designers are slowly but surely making their presence known through an energy that can be felt not just in clothes but in specific casting, unique presentation styles and lookbook imagery. They follow in those aforementioned designers’ wake, where it’s the anarchic, deliberately raw and anti-chic feeling that a young Parisian style crowd are vibing off of. Similar to the young designer scene happening in New York, these up-and-comers are speaking to a younger generation that are sick of a bon chic, bon genre or bobo/boho point of view in French fashion, and instead are looking for clothes that reflect their reality. In amongst the best maisons in the world, it’s an uphill battle to make yourself be heard – but these three young designers in their various stages of development are succeeding.
WANDA NYLON
Primarily known for its imaginative take on waterproof outerwear, like a signature clear PVC trenchcoat, designer and founder Joanna Senyk decided to broaden the Wanda Nylon wardrobe out and give it a real punchy identity. Their first show on schedule at Paris was held in a construction site up in the vaguely seedy Pigalle area. Senyk put her former life as a casting director to good use as a diverse mix of “strong girls – every age, powerful, intelligent and contemporary” stomped out in a mix of deconstructed sportswear, hacked up trenchcoats and plenty of plastic hooded pieces with a touch of metallic foiling. It was a catwalk of characters with Tamy Glauser and a pink-haired Cheyenne walking alongside older French actresses like Joana Preiss and Aurore Lagache.
“I don’t make these kind of clothes and put them on a petite Parisienne, with her perfect coiffure and stupid boyfriend jacket. I just want to express myself” – Joanna Senyk
“I was always looking at the faces with a strong attitude, said Senyk. “It’s not just about them doing one show and that’s it. I want to grow up with them!” When asked whether it felt strange to do a show like this in Paris, Senyk was forthright about who Wanda Nylon is intended for. “It’s the only way I could do this show. I don’t make these kind of clothes and put them on a petite Parisienne, with her perfect coiffure and stupid boyfriend jacket. I just want to express myself and do the clothes that I feel are real.”
AALTO
The designer Tuomas Merikoski may be Finnish but his brand Aalto is firmly based in Paris. In a sea of fashion labels in the city of light, Merikoski’s exploration of Finnish subcultures is making its mark. “It’s like a social jungle here in Paris which demands a lot to survive and to create something great,” says the designer. “In a way we bring a piece of Finland to Paris during the shows which is always very emotional and personal.”
“It’s like a social jungle here in Paris which demands a lot to survive and to create something great” – Tuomas Merikoski
Their latest collection was inspired by epic midsummer lakeside raves in Finland and was presented in the Finnish Institute surrounded by a built up bonfire of vintage sound systems playing electronica by Finnish artist Jaako Eino Kalevi. It was a collection tinged with 90s nostalgia and flecks of the 70s but more importantly, felt personal to Merikoski, which is already garnering Aalto attention. “Aalto’s inspiration and philosophy in general has a big contrast to what Paris is in daily life which is not a easy thing to handle. It is a challenge and I do want to create our little ‘universe’ to protect it somehow.”
NATTOFRANCO
Nattofranco is the name designer Noemie Aiko Sebayashi chose to represent her French and Japanese heritage. Her surroundings are Parisian but her process are definitely inspired by her Japanese roots. After interning for legendary blogger Diane Pernet, Sebayashi started her label at the beginning of last year and presented her fourth collection “Yon” (four in Japanese) in Paris this week, inspired by day to-day advertising and everyday sportswear uniforms.
“It’s about reinterpreting these seemingly insignificant symbols like cigarette packaging or beer logos...diverting their purpose to project the object in another context” – Noemie Aiko Sebayashi
“My generation and I witness and are living in its density,” says Sebayashi. “It’s about reinterpreting these seemingly insignificant symbols like cigarette packaging or beer logos and finding harmony in primitive colorimetric range and diverting their purpose to project the object in another context.” Sebayashi isn’t showing her collection as a show or presentation yet, but she’s working her way up to it. “We don’t have this great support like in London,” says Sebyashi. “We can’t really do shows. It’s slowly changing and it’s just about creation in response. I’m happy to be a part of something – whatever it is.”