Despite the fact that Paris Fashion Week largely took place digitally
this season, the collections presented in Paris over the weekend did not fail to delight thanks to their diversity and inventiveness. A number of new international brands, as well as some with an already-established reputation, held runway shows in the French capital and gained recognition for the originality of their designs. These brands included Portuguese brand Ernest W. Baker, Berlin-based GmbH, and Danish Henrik Vibskov.
Ernest W. Baker- retro rock
Portuguese brand Ernest W. Baker, launched by Ines Amorim and Reid Baker, made its debut at Paris Fashion Week last summer. The brand continues to establish its niche and travelled back in time this season to a lost masculine elegance which it seeks to restore in the dress-codes of today. This desire was confirmed and illustrated by the brand’s fashion film to accompany its collection which had a nostalgic atmosphere and showed models walking around on a rainy night protected by their umbrella with bouquets of wet roses in their hands.
The result was a collection with a marked freshness where the impeccable retro elegance of the past was invigorated by a rock spirit. In this way, models wore colourful cowboy boots instead of rain boots and these were paired with straight-leg trousers. All manner of accessories and leather details added to the silhouette including black leather driving gloves and matching black leather collars and cuffs to edge some of the jackets.
Impeccably tailored Bermuda-style suits with a black and white check pattern and a red-toned double-breasted jacket contrasted with younger outfits in a style reminiscent of American college campuses with Teddy jackets, button-down shirts, and cardigans with a contrasting button placket. A rose motif also served to soften the mood and appeared on sleeveless vests, shorts, and denim sets.
GmbH- from leather to feathers
At GmbH, the same riding boots made an appearance, paired with white Bermuda shorts or tight fitting trousers in denim or caramel leather. The brand is run by Pakistani-Norwegian photographer Benjamin Alexander Huseby (a regular fixture in Dazed and Purple) and German designer of Turkish origin Serhat Isik.
GmbH’s collection, however, had a thoroughly different aesthetic, oscillating between virility and sensuality. On the one hand, the collection appeared inspired by Hussars with high boots, coats with contrast borders, and structured shirts with button-up pockets and a high neck. Another notable mention is the hammer and sickle emblem which, converted into two crossed hammers, adorned the collection’s sweaters.
On the other hand, the collection featured coats which were low cut to resemble a dress and some of the shirts were styled unbuttoned and tied at the stomach. The colour palette features hues of mauve and bay blue. Sports jerseys were transformed into gathered tops and cardigans were thrown over the shoulders like a shawl. A light feather boa adorns the collar of a denim coat and sits over a denim shirt and fully fluffy coats and a jacket come in white, light pink, and blue sky. Another notable piece was a t-shirt advocating for “Free Palestine” which was created in collaboration with queer Palestinian brand Trashy Clothing.
Henrik Vibskov- graphic and sunny
Danish designer Henrik Vibskov has shown collections at Men’s Fashion Week in Paris since 2003. For spring/ summer 2022, Vibskov presented a joyful menswear and womenswear collection featuring relaxed fits and presented through a playful video titled ‘the sun will shine on the assemble line’.
The film featured a motley crew of characters of all ages who, after stamping their arrival time at the factory, entered a large, bright room in front of an assembly line. There, they created the accessories and white vinyl parts, which will go on to decorate the clothing in the collection and resemble futuristic protuberances of collars, epaulets, and lapels.
Looks were colourful and have pride of place to checks, both large and small as well as geometric patterns and jacquard fabrics. Shirt jackets were worn over floaty cotton shorts and trousers and coats took their inspiration from the kimono. The collection also featured suits split at the calves and hand-knit sweaters in gradient tones.