These are the highlights of the emerging brands at Paris Fashion Week

Last month’s SS25 fashion spectacle concluded with Paris Fashion Week. The French capital put on one last all-in-one show that met all the expectations of fashion week visitors. Highlights included Alessandro Michele’s first Valentino show, JW Anderson’s tenth anniversary at Loewe, and a literal fireworks show during Coperni’s presentation at Disneyland theme park.

But Fashion Week also had a lot to offer outside the big stages. Relatively young brands in particular – some already quite well-known, others complete newcomers – are trying to step out of the shadows of the big names.

Physical digitalization

As the world becomes increasingly faster and, above all, more digital, some designers in Paris have incorporated this component into their collections. Instead of 3D designs, they put the hardware itself in the spotlight.

Duran Lantink, who won the Karl Lagerfeld Prize from the French luxury goods group LVMH last month, sent a fairly simple white, sleeveless dress down the catwalk. The standout feature of this look, however, was the circular screen at stomach level, showing the catwalk and front row guests. It was reminiscent of the British children’s series Teletubbies, in which the main characters of the same name also had a screen on their stomach.

But it was not just the Dutch designer who put his audience in front of a screen. Designer Alphonse Maitrepierre, known for his game-oriented collections and upcycling approach, showed a top in the shape of a computer screen from the early 2000s. He also used elements of a game controller, incorporated in the form of a bracelet or by adding button details on a top and shoes.

Zwemplézier

From those at home we moved on to the active beach girls and boys, who had dressed in their best swimwear. Abra swam at the very front. The brand, which originally started as a Spanish accessories label, was inspired by Hawaii for SS25. The popular sport of surfing on the American island state was reflected in prints and looks reminiscent of wetsuits. Of course the classic Hawaiian flower could not be missing. Swimwear was only seen sporadically, mainly in print.

Duran Lantink now seems to have delved into historical swimwear. He was inspired by the striped swimsuits of the 1920s, which were incorporated into various pieces – from complete outfits to bikinis. In addition, some models wore swimming goggles.

Maitrepierre made just a small foray to the nearby pool, presenting a look that consisted of loose-fitting swim trunks and a dolphin-print T-shirt.

Transparency!

While swimmers were more likely to stay covered, other brands provided a deeper look. The play with transparent fabrics such as tulle and lace could be seen at several young brands.

While brands like Kiko Kostadinov and Luis De Javier mainly used white looks, Florentina Leitner brought color into the game. The Austrian showed a turquoise dress with a wide skirt and bow details in her mystically inspired collection. In the styling, some designers, such as Leitner and Lantink, opted for contrasts and combined transparent pieces with dark trousers.

Pointless!

As seen during Seoul Fashion Week in early September, some of the more experimental brands played with dimensions and recontextualized clothing.

The reinterpretation of trousers was especially popular. Lantink turned jeans into a skirt, while Swedish designer Ellen Hodakova Larsson, who won the LVMH Grand Prize in September, turned suit pants into a dress. The pieces from both brands appeared two-dimensional.

With Ottolinger, meanwhile, it was all about head and collar. The Berlin label played with the placement of collars, which gave the silhouettes a certain asymmetry.

More is more!

Brands also recontextualized clothes by multiplying them and turning them into new pieces. Tokyo-based label Noir Kei Ninomiya played with various objects and accessories such as belts and suspenders, which were transformed into a jacket and used as part of a blazer.

Lùchen mainly used multiplication as an application. The New York label, founded in 2021 by Lu Chen, applied a mix of paperclips and feathers to a loose-fitting top. Hodakova took this trend to the next level and used all kinds of pieces, such as leather boots, pants, belts, fur hats and buttons, to create different dresses.

Inflated

The collections of the younger brands proved that not only traditional fashion houses can put on a big show. They showed that they could also literally “blow things up,” as Ester Manas and Ottolinger showed.

The inclusive label, founded in 2019 by Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, placed a giant inflatable elephant at the start of the catwalk, matching the collection title “The Elephant In The Room”. Ottolinger (see cover photo) had the models for her “Shark” collection enter through the mouth of a gigantic inflatable shark.

Anrealage designer Kunihiko Morinaga saved the air for his “Wind” collection, as the pieces were filled with air. The different shapes and fillings created a wide variety of large silhouettes.