Ten young design students from Istituto Marangoni France presented their collections at the ‘Back to Couture’ show. It was an opportunity to find out what inspires Gen Z in fashion and what vision drives them.
Organized by Istituto Marangoni France, the show under the glass roof of the Paris Opera Salon at the Hotel Intercontinental offered a foretaste of Paris Fashion Week. The aim here was to unfold new fashion visions in front of a group of invited guests from the fashion industry and their own relatives. And, who knows, whether there will be an echo in the industry? This is the moment when everyone present is wondering who could be at the helm of a prestigious fashion house tomorrow.
10 talents from Istituto Marangoni France
Kim Yanghun’s designs gave a nod to the unexpected and messy by taking inspiration from the image of the Korean worker. It included versatile and adaptable clothing for every occasion, while at the same time hiding unacceptable elements such as wrinkled and stained fabrics, or loose threads.
Samuel Marques Gonçalves told the story of his parents. A father who doesn’t understand his way of ‘being a man’. A loving mother who encourages him to be perfect. The perfection of his couture collection represents these feelings. To create them, he used leftover stock and natural fabrics such as silk and cashmere.
Bohdan Tsyshkovskyi’s models drew inspiration from the October Revolution and the collapse of the Soviet system. “In the past there was only one creator: God. Today we are all creators. In order not to lose yourself in this environment and to be able to define yourself, you have to know your sources,” he explained in the presentation of his work. Remembering that time, in his opinion, is a very topical issue.
“Heart, Body and Soul” by Jeanne Millet referred to Japanese culture and the myth of Yuki Onna, a snow woman “adorned in a long white kimono, with hair as black as ebony and full of resentment against men”. The poetry of her textile vocabulary celebrated the merging of the female body with nature.
Seungyun Cho is a Korean fashion designer who started her career in 2014 by leaving her native country to study abroad in the UK and later in Paris. The young designer pursues a personal creative process. She wants to break down societal norms and promote an ethic that can influence how people perceive the fashion industry.
Strong and powerful women inspired Isabella Diaz Galvez who creates a ‘Divine Woman’ through elevating dress codes. By adopting these codes wholeheartedly, every woman’s inner goddess can express and show herself.
Sara Sowins started with the idea of a perfect beauty, with tailor-made pieces that she then deformed ‘monstrously’. The young designer flaunts unusual parts of the body, such as the stomach. Disappointment is expressed by twisted knitwear and tight-fitting stripes. The textural manipulations convey a sense of imperfection and offer a reconciliation with the true nature of the individual.
The title of Ahmad Rizki’s collection is ‘The Attendants’. Two angels parting, saying goodbye and letting go. A mysterious collection.
Maximilian Engelmann’s collection is reminiscent of his career as a student with German and Japanese roots and his interest in architecture, street art and workwear. The student plays with volumes and cuts, with a clear reference to versatile and changeable clothing.
Antonia Porto drew inspiration from the beauty of her native Colombia, the handicrafts, contemporary architecture, pre-Columbian art (for the ocher colour) and the beliefs her parents instilled in her to design woven clothing that accentuates the female silhouette. Sustainability and ethics played an important role in their collection.
This article was similarly published on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Barbara Russ.