INSTITUT FRANÇAIS DE LA MODE: BACHELOR CLASS 2025

There is always so much hype about the first show of Paris Fashion Week, specially in March and June, because IFM (better known as Institut Français de la Mode) opens its doors to present the work of the future talent that is going to run the industry in a few years. Their academic paths are desired by every fashion enthusiast: a bachelor degree where fashion design students can experiment by draping scarfs, creating new bodies out of foam and then creating a garment into that shape, designing bags out of waste and getting to know the art of pattern making by getting inspiration by packaging boxes; or a masters degree were you can specialize in accessory design, fashion design, knitwear design and fashion image. There are unlimited pathways you can take to become an important figure of this industry through a project-based methodology. 

IFM is a renowned global leader in fashion and luxury education, deeply grounded in research, interdisciplinary practice, and industry collaboration where masters students might collaborate with Givenchy, Kenzo or Dior; and bachelor students might intern on all of these brands and beyond. 

The next list is a selection of 10 collections out of the bachelor graduate show back in June, that have become my obsession over the summer (not putting my Spaniards over here because interviews are coming, stay tuned). There is a heritage/family inspiration in all of them that hits my heart and really inspired me to write this words for them.

(P.S.: A bunch of these alumni, that I’m about to mention, had the opportunity to show their work at Dover Street Market Paris the first days of Paris Fashion Week in an exhibition open to the public, a perfect space for upcoming designers where you can find at the store from Bottega Veneta or Prada products to Johanna Parv, ERL or Edward Cumming creations.)

Tidjanne Tall (@tidjjane)

Opening the graduate show with “Resonance in the Room” was an incredible choice, due to the personal urge for expression that this collection is trying to put out into the world, that is needed in today’s society. Empowering the black community and getting us, the audience, engaged in the family history of the designer: a world-building story where cabarets in West Africa are spaces marked by binaries and nuances. An army of elegance and individuality, enhanced by hats made by Incubateur Studio and shoes sponsored by Puma, where the looks are implicit details and references that rethink what contemporary clothing are. Redefining the idea of effortlessness, where personal perspectives and references are infused into the pieces that you wear. A compelling way to excite an audience hungry for crazy looks, but managed to tone down the expectation of the class by bringing a dialogue between heritage and individuality, the new realm of elegance.

Goun Jeong (@gounlj)

In a fashion industry where the Asian market is having the power to position certain brands as the “it” moments, it is always interesting to search through the propositions that the Asian students are making in each of the most renowned fashion schools of the world. In this case, “JJAKKUNG” is a collection that speaks volumes about the spaces that the designer has passed through quietly, but clinged to her the most. Revisiting her grandmother’s room, she has created from memories and tradition, modest coats and bold-patterned garments. An examination of different times overlapped in a collection of six looks that were defined by forms, created by the reinterpretation of “bottari”, a Korean traditional wrapping technique, to unfold the emotions that remained in her by all the spaces she has inhabited.

Victoire Pédron (@victoire.pedron)

Playing to dress up with the clothes of people that surround us is quite a common thing, but becoming inspired by your grandmother’s house and doing a whole collection with it that would be posted on Vogue Runway is another thing. “Dressing the Room” is an expressive experiment in which strange and wonderful objects live in coherence, treating someone’s house as a personal museum, as a playground from which to get inspiration out of it. A moment of reflection of what her child’s gaze thought of the elegance of a home from another time. Unbothered to mix comfort and excess, tenderness and irony, the designer constructs a world between nostalgia and whimsical invention where she evokes her most personal and deepest memories. Playfully making garments-scultures under the idea of domestic objects, bringing a mundane feeling to craftsmanship.

Ahimsa Arce (@ahimsa_arce)

When a New Yorker confronts the reality of a big European city like Paris, we get this class of streetwear inspired by the chaos that a romantic place really has on a daily basis. “Fly away from the dirty boulevard” is a reflection on youthful articulations through styling the diverse wardrobe of a city kid. Unconscious styling that reminds me of the different social classes that live in Paris and how the absurd can clash with comfort and chic. A nostalgic attempt to bring the essence of NYC to the city that viewed him become a designer and that expand on the idea of displaying our lifestyle via our clothing, letting them tell our tale to society. Rooted from the grunge and club scene, there is a revision of what Timberlands can be and how impersonating the wardrobe of another individual can become your signature brand.

Erwan L’Héron (@erwan.lhr)

“André, Line, Jacques” is an exploration of the once-vibrant past that can be viewed in old family photographs. Discovering our ancestors’ way of living and embodying in our current society, making clothes that have a strong sense of community, even in a deserted place like the saturated system. Each look marks a transition between the kid that live in a village full of life and the decline of the rural culture and how passage of time is affecting living conditions for the youth in these environments. A contrast of memories expressed through minimalist garments stripped of distinguishing features, where only traces of absence and nostalgia remain. Getting to know oneself from freely deliberating what to wear and how to wear it, and composing an individual dress code.

Assoké Félix Loadjro (@loadjro)

Representing a whole city or a country can be misinterpreted by a whole part of the people watching the show, but in this case it was so mesmerizing and spectacular that I think it is such a wonderful way to discover other cultures from outside the European circle. “BABI” is a collection that reinterprets the eccentricity of Abidjan, the vibrant capital of the Ivory Coast; where the street is conceived as a runway on the day to day. The designer could find so many archetypes there that the collections established the Ivorian people as a creative powerhouse, enhancing the spontaneous creativity that moves that city. Another main theme of the collection is the understanding of sport as a universal language and how raw/instinctive can feel when you watch it on a runway, you can relate and you can reflect the look with your own wardrobe. Like the first look, where can you relate with the idea of creating an outfit out of the daily objects you use, such as a plastic chair where normally clothes hang to dry after washing them. Outstanding is also the color palette that evokes the warmth and light of the capital, with saturated hues that speaks about the plurality and intensity of the place. An energetic shot that fuels his imagination every day since he was born.

Rosalie Bernard (@rosalie_brnd)

“There should be beauty contests for the inside of bodies” is an open letter to the fashion industry. A collection that narrates the oppression that still operates silently in every room of the Paris Fashion Week, because of the body, genre or race. Looks that enhance women’s bodies through craftsmanship techniques used on garments that reflects the sense of beauty of the designer. We are living in an era trapped in increasingly subtle and intrusive forms of control, and she is trying to talk to us about through impactful research that made tactile and visual standout pieces. Intrusive and warm at the same time, she was looking back at herself, at a time she was free and from there constructed this story-telling. From her chilling observation of David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers to the visceral work of Julia Ducournau, she is referencing the 1940s to bring up the political oppression we are living under right now.

Amandine Leost (@amandine_leost)

There is always a place for people in this industry that understand craftsmanship and woven clothes, putting emphasis in the process and less in the final product, producing an overwhelming sensation in the viewer because of the richness of their pieces. This is the case with this designer and “PAGAILLE” her graduate collection that encapsulates the spirit of the 60s to 80s and the world of second-hand/flea market hunting. The care and love for vintage patterns and the reinterpretations of this to create contemporary pieces that speaks to someones in this current society through bright colors and quirky shapes, bringing kitsch and fun to a stoic time in fashion due to the recession we are facing. Stereotyping grandmothers, enhancing their eccentric and tender figures that seem frozen in another time. The idea of always looking put-together and the affectionate vision of the world create elegant and timeless garments. An exploration of a reinvented past that navigates parts of her personal story and reminiscences of a time not lived but deeply rooted in our collective imagination.

Lyrone Journo (@lyronejourno)

We have always dreamed of creating clothing from everyday elements, wrapping around us with curtains or towels, expressing our feminine side that way as little boys. I feel so connected to this idea, that is why “Perfect Everyday” is a stand-out collection for me. Mixing up his imagination with objects we always have around, enhancing his unique perception of this world and translating the ordinary into a couture dimension. We are talking about even reinterpreting hangers and taps into jewelry that help the clothing items to stand up by the talented Jean Brunet, a designer specialized in working with metal to create structures for outfits. Instinctive drape is shown through the way fabric falls into the model and how you can descontextualize the emotions attached to something you know that well. An ode to movement, gesture and intimate environments. The fun that children have is reinterpreted through a sophisticated and precise lens where banality becomes precious.

Raphaël Ignazi (@raphaelgnazi)

From being inspired by the art of stealing to pieces becoming stolen by someone, the temporary line of this graduate collection is one of my fav ever. “LES VOLEUSES” is the result of getting into lives sculpted in the marble of luxury where deep boredom makes you steal the most insignificant things ever. An ode to wealthy women that wear their luxurious belongings to express status through clothing, but this time, they claim a kind of freedom by showing what they steal not out of need, but for amusement. Sponsored by Swarovski, the designer created some intricate pieces covered in these precious gems to contrast with the theme of it all. The real question of this collection is, who hasn’t stolen something from a souvenir shop in an art museum? Don’t you think they earn enough off tourists, that we city dwellers also have to pay for pieces of paper that cost them 0.01 cents? It is a forbidden gesture in a world that’s too polite that everyone, one time at least, has experienced. Stealing to feel alive, a way of claiming a kind of freedom even though outlines of hidden objects can be seen beneath the fabric in some of the looks. An examination on security in crowded places, a new understanding of pickpocketing to giant platforms and organisations.

Words: @alraco43