Paris fashion week fall 2022: sensitivity, sensuality and sustainability
The Parisian fashion week has ended, and with it the long and exciting period from January to now, in which we discover all the future collections.
As happened in Milan, even in Paris the tense air of war poured over all the scheduled events, generating more or less passionate statements.
Undoubtedly, the presentation of the Balenciaga fashion show, entirely dedicated to the refugees fleeing Ukraine, was the most impressive in terms of visibility.
The maison’s own designer, Demnia Gvasalia, fled Georgia with his family when he was 12. Being himself a refugee and having lived the experience on his skin, he could not refrain from creating something ad hoc to make us think a bit. His show under a fake snow was already planned, and had to be dedicated to climate change but because the historical moment Balenciaga preferred to show even more. The models paraded under the elements, not just snow but wind and frost, walked with difficulty and carried their belongings in plastic bags.
Surely an image that was difficult to digest for those attending the show, people very far from these problems, not only at a territorial level. The show has also been criticized by some, for the stark contrast of a brand that sells luxury goods and that seems to exploit the image of war to make people talk about itself. But honestly, knowing the history of Demnia this option seems totally out of the question. The designer himself stated that “fashion have no importance at the moment; the collections mean nothing and can only be used as a message”. A good message, it seems to us, to not forget who is suffering and running away without any fault, except that of living in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Following this trail of thought, we can only look at the rest of the collections with a more moderate and less enthusiastic spirit (even if Balenciaga showed more than late at fashion week).
Even Pier Paolo Piccioli for Valentino was extreme, in his own way, presenting us a future fall winter in the name of love, a concept that is really needed. The entire show was a mono-color situation in fuchsia, interspersed with a few points of solid black. As it turns out, Piccioli worked with Pantone to create his very own full, vibrant pink, the Pink PP. Should we forget the so famous “red Valentino?”
Sensuality with elegance is one of the key parts of the next trends. The progenitor can only be Saint Laurent, with its incredible heels and super realistic ecological furs, worn on nude skin (what can we imagine more sexy than this?). We also find this mood in Lanvin with velvet, vertiginous slits and transparencies.
Younger in their sensuality we find brands like Balmain, Isabel Marant, Hermès. Rich in mini dresses or very short shorts paired with thigh-high boots, leather and transparent fabrics in contrasting games.
Returning to ecological furs, sustainability is certainly another (finally) indispensable topic. Sweaters and skirts in recycled cashmere for Chloé, recycled denim for Acne Studios, a new Monogram bag by Stella McCartney made of grape waste from Italian wineries, as well as obviously the rest of the collection which, with Stella, is always based on sustainability and veganism.
In terms of innovation in fabrics, it is worth mentioning Maria Grazia Chiuri for Dior who, in collaboration with D-Air Lab, has created Bar Jackets that have a special body temperature regulation system.
all images courtesy of the brands. ON COVER from left: Stella McCartney, YSL, Acne Studios
