HIGHLIGHTS FROM PFW24 PART TWO

Paloma Wool

The best Spanish knit over the last decade, presented a new collection in Paris in a performative way. Art directed by Carlota Guerrero, she got us immersed in a pétanque game that is famous to be played by elders and people to understand the cost and time of things. Paloma also presented a defined silhouette and a seamless blend of effortless style and luxury. Sophisticated and elevated streetwear through the lense of womanhood.

Issey Miyake

The work of Satoshi Kondo for the brand is a deep and intuitive study of the human bodies. In this time, he presented a 46 looks collection called What Has Always Been, which through carefully draped ensembles and pieces spontaneously wrapped around the body created a romantic vibe. The color curation and the technical aspects were outstanding, all of it surrounded by the frescous by Pierre-Henri Ducos de la Haille.

Duran Lantink

The LVMH Prize finalist of 2024 (and 2019) explored shape through an array of garments with extreme proportions. Across 40 looks, padding has never been this cozy before. He infused the ideas presented last season into winter clothing and some powerful tailoring. There is sort of a strength and humor, but also a desire to see a change in fashion.

Junya Watanabe

Sculpture as public art was the first start of this collection, the Japanese designer is trying to curate daily garments with non-ergonomic abstract forms on them. Triangular prisms were the main irregularities on the pieces, while belts and straps made a stellar apparition, radicalizing the silhouette. This is an open conversation about how we can wear our own art, without any restriction and taking the collapsed and irregular world into our wardrobe.

Abra

This collection is about his childhood and the way he perceived the 90s, a disruptive and personal vision in a fashion world that needs narratives that come from the ordinary and elevate this experience to the extraordinary. A beauty salon revamp that focused on wearable makeup products. It evokes a mixture of nostalgia and irony which is how the work of Abraham Ortuño can be defined.

Noir Kei Ninomiya

Announcing each look by number, the new collection of the creative Rei Kawakubo’s protégé is called Iridescence and it was a playful class on color and texture. The exploration of reflection was the starting point of the designer and through surrealist punk codes he mesmerized the watchers with aesthetically vandalized pieces. Visually savage as always, this time shows a colorful twistedness never on previous shows.

Zomer

Imruh Asha and Danial Aitouganov have made their sophomore runway in Paris. Zomer is summer in Dutch and we can feel that season in every garment they put out, mainly because of the incredible color palette. They experiment and sophisticate our preconceived idea about color and they integrate this element of design into conceptual clothing. It feels light but impactful, at the same time. They are presenting promising ideas for a potential future in this industry.

Sacai

47 was the number of looks that Chitose Abe worked on for FW24. Her main take was the reformulation of dress, playing with multilayered looks as singular garments. She also presented her own take on the pantaboots, while referencing military and preppy references with trapeze shapes. The collection is all about trying to convince people to dress up more and to express your creativity through the clothing you wear, even if it is the most basic element of a wardrobe.

Kiko Kostadinov

After graduating at CSM, Laura and Deanna Fanning have been killing it in the womenswear department of the brand. Throughout the 40 looks they presented last week, we could see how they played on dichotomies and contrasts. Rooting for a modular wardrobe and a color-blocking system, the creative duo showed an alternance between sheer and opaque to create an uneven but relatable collection.

Comme des Garcons

Through a very concise collection, Rei Kawakubo expressed her anger with the current world we are living in. The terribleness of it all and the frustration she is feeling was expressed in 17 looks that exuded rage of powerlessness in a black and white color palette. The show was an extreme performance of femininity and sarcastic self-parody, it was the first time in years that the models expressed more than a walk. It felt a sense of freedom and raw honesty that just goes to admire and thank the work of this woman and the legacy she is leaving behind.

Words: @alraco43