Brands at Paris Men’s Fashion Week shared their latest collections for the Spring/Summer 2023 season. Here, you’ll find the latest details from Givenchy, Issey Miyake, Reese Cooper, Sean Suen, and Sulvam.
Courtesy of Givenchy.
For his first standalone ready-to-wear men’s show, Matthew M. Williams, the Creative Director of Givenchy, fused traditional Parisian sartorial traditions with technical possibilities of contemporary arts and subcultures; the Jamaican musician Alkaline scored and influenced the show. Blazers and coats were swelled in volume, trousers were ripped at the knees, blousons and shorts were patchworked, and varsity and shell jackets sported lightweight leather. The classic muted ivories, blacks, and grays were accented with Givenchy logos, printed nylon, camouflage prints, metallic silver and green accessories, and layered pops of mint green. Speaking on the show, Williams has said: “It’s a dialogue with the time and culture that shape the way men dress today and tomorrow: the way new generations embrace and evolve the archetypes and dress codes of the past through their own progressive outlook.”
Courtesy of Issey Miyake.
Issey Miyake’s newest collection, “Flowers and Vases,” took inspiration from these two objects in form, material, and people. Pleated, twisted, and layered silhouettes were alternately straight and swooping, while lightweight allowed for easy folding, rounding, or stark yet subtly curved definition. The show itself was directed by Rachid Ouramdane, the director of Théâtre National de Chaillot, and was cast from the acrobat collective Compagnie XY. The wearers were as dynamic as their clothes, often accented by organic touches like pleats running from sleeve to sleeve in resemblance of leaf veins, or pockets fashioned upside down in resemblance of a budding bloom. Timeless whites and blacks contrasted with rich botanical greens and purples and earthier yellows and browns.
Courtesy of Reese Cooper.
Reese Cooper’s runway show, “Seed and Soil,” fittingly took place at the Jardin des Plantes. Echoing natural growth cycles and the brand’s own “grassroots” evolution, the show occurred over three parts representing soil, water, and light. Classic Reese Cooper silhouettes and hues on suits, trousers, shorts, and jackets were enriched with fine wool, asymmetrical zippers, and modular pockets which were both technically innovative and wholly pragmatic. A cinchable nylon series debuted on bungee-corded trench coats, jackets, and tops. The brand’s signature varsity jacket was accented with chenille patches and intricate embroidery evocative of the Jardin.
Courtesy of Sean Suen.
Through its purely monochromatic tones and nearly sharp lines, the Sean Suen Spring/Summer 2023 collection represented the physical and psychic limbo of discomfort into which people fall during hangovers. At the same time, it was an affirmation of comfort: there is no need to constantly remain so sharp; the brand found its own order in this drunken chaos through unrestrained garments which free the body through fine knits and lace, weightless silks and satins, and flowing cottons and linens which softly wrap around the wearer. These tops, blousons, and pants were so extended in length and interwoven with ribbons and each other that they blurred the line between nightgowns and formal wear, all the while upholding the brand’s commitment to excellence in tailoring.
Courtesy of Sulvam.
For its new collection, Sulvam sought completion in uncompleted design. Designs were made of images drawn to the pattern, and excess fabric cuttings were used as decoration and reinforcement. In signature bright and metallic blue, purple, and gold hues offset by classic blacks and whites, the materials and prints used bestowed all of the pieces with a seamless rhythm: flowing gabardine coats, diagonally lined jacquard jackets and pants, rayon shirts, scarred horse leather vests and shorts, and twill and waterproof nylon outerwear were as neatly tailored as they were yielding, both melding with the body and freeing it to move and feel the breeze, a wasteless sartorial excellence as strong as it was gentle.
