Ludovic de Saint Sernin FW24: A first heated encounter with New York City

By the grace of Marc Jacobs, the first show of Ludovic de Saint Sernin in New York City was everything we could ask for. Across 38 looks, they expand the universe of the brand by recreating their infamous eyelet briefs into every piece of clothing imaginable. The reasoning behind that is that the show was in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, an association that keeps the work of one of the most relevant American photographers alive these days. Their union happened because since the start of his career, Ludovic de Saint Sernin has been inspired by the work of the artist, who appeared in the memoirs of Patti Smith, where the designer discovered his persona and through him started a process of self discovery.

The queer scene of New York City has been always in the center of the eyes for everyone in the collective. With this collection, the designer wants to explore the oeuvre of the artist by translating it into different stages of the life of a queer person, from innocence and sheer pieces with flower artwork printed all over them, to the BDSM outfits that close the show on high intensity level of sexuality, just as some of the work of Mapplethorpe.

Simple but effective cuts were the main theme of the show. Pieces that created a fragile duality, where innocence mixed with erotic in a pleasant way. They revolve around the idea of masculine self-expression, going back to the core of the brand, that was lost in the last collections. They made sure that a musical progression accompanied the concept of treating sexuality as an evolution. One of my favorite moments was the leather outfits inspired by the office wear of the 80s and 90s in the city that never sleeps. Also, sharing his obscured fantasies just as Mapplethorpe did, the bumpster inspired eyelet brief was an unforgettable moment, playing with the idea of a push up butt.

Along with the clothing pieces of the show, the brand collaborated with TOUS to create their first fine jewelry collection where they worked with the letter x, doing it in an organic way and easy to wear pieces. Mixing black with some gold, the bracelets and necklaces were made to feel something and feel alive, to express the unconformity of living in the shadows just to belong to the queer community.

For this season, the work of Ignacio Muñoz as an image director was to ensure that the array of collaborations was working well between them. The art direction was granted to Jacob & Talbourdet-Napoleone Studio, who were in charge of curating the Mapplethorne imaginary. Flawless makeup was made by Karine Westerlund with the sponsor of Byredo and impeccable hair was made by the talented Guido Palau. They managed to collaborate with Louboutin custom shoes that elevated the feeling of the show. To conclude, they made metallic horns with Vagujhelyi for the last looks to give the feeling of danger and risk.

We want to see more of this Ludovic, one that plays with an existing imaginary and that created a full concept with a lot of references. Referential work is so sexy that it hurts. It gives the possibility to people to encounter the work of others in an easy and iconic way. Always rooting for the possibility to open the mind of queer kids that sometimes are treated as weird in their own spaces, let’s give them freedom and aesthetics to support their lives. 

Words: @alraco43