Why will Matières Fécales open Paris Fashion Week? The cult brand joins the ranks of the most important brands on the Paris fashion calendar
Attending Paris Fashion Week is not enough: you need to understand where you stand in the schedule. The position a brand occupies within the calendar is often an indicator of the power that brand holds. So much so that several brands, both in Milan and Paris, enjoy certain unofficial privileges: who opens and who closes certain days, who shows at certain times and on certain days. Chanel, for example, shows on Monday evening, while Miu Miu usually closes the schedule on Tuesday. But that will not be the case at the next Paris Fashion Week.
Just as in Milan, Paris has also seen some shifts in the calendar, which this year will open with Julie Kegels, close with Louis Vuitton, and has seen Miu Miu's show moved earlier. But the most telling calendar repositioning is that of Matières Fécales, which this season will have a highly prominent slot, as we shall see. A change that serves as an excellent starting point for analysing all the new developments in the upcoming Paris calendar.
1. Matières Fécales will close the first day
The final evening show in Paris is, as a rule, a prestigious slot, since every day is always brought to a close in style. This is doubly true when the closing show is that of the first day — certainly less demanding and institutional than closing the entire fashion week, but still a very important "showcase". It is telling that this year it will be Matières Fécales that holds this position. In just a few years, the brand has grown organically, conquering red carpets and swiftly claiming a space once held by McQueen and, above all, by Dilara Findikoglu — that of darkly romantic, symbolism-laden fashion.
2. The new creative directors of Courréges and Carven
Among the new creative director debuts next season will be those of Drew Henry at Courréges and Kai Nesselrath at Carven. Of the two brands, the better known is obviously Courréges, which under Nicholas Di Felice had undergone a glorious revamp that, while successfully modernising the brand's identity, may ultimately have proved a flash in the pan. After Di Felice and his sci-fi minimalism, Drew Henry — a JW Anderson veteran — will take the helm: should we expect a more playful Courréges? The more refined Carven, the brand from which Louise Trotter launched the stellar phase of her career, will instead be in the hands of Kai Nesselrath, who comes from Anthony Vaccarello's Saint Laurent. We don't know what to expect, but we'd be willing to bet on a more classical lens being applied to the brand.
3. The returns: Valentino, Maison Margiela and others
Beyond sacai's return to the women's runway — hardly a major event, given that the brand is a constant presence in Paris — the truly significant comebacks are those of Valentino, from which rumours of turbulence are emerging, and Maison Margiela, which, after the Shanghai show, is only now returning to Paris. Among the returning brands is also Casablanca, which has barely shown for an entire year. Of these, Maison Margiela is certainly the only one that raises no particular concern: long accustomed to an erratic show schedule, the brand currently enjoys considerable stability and a solid reputation. Things are rather different for the others, which remain under close watch. Suffice it to say that both brands need shows that are neither divisive nor open to misinterpretation: more and more, season after season, you either return victorious or not at all.
4. The new arrivals on the calendar
Maxhosa Africa, Alexandra Golovanoff and Fidan Novruzova are the three newcomers to watch on the calendar. Maxhosa Africa, founded in 2010 by South African designer Laduma Ngxokolo, specialises in luxury knitwear rooted in traditional Xhosa aesthetics, expressed through colourful jacquard weaves, geometric motifs and beadwork. With this show, it will be the only African brand on the calendar. Alexandra Golovanoff, launched in 2016 by a former fashion journalist, began as a cashmere line before evolving into a full collection; while Fidan Novruzova, a Moldovan designer trained at Central Saint Martins and nominated for the LVMH Prize, is compelling for her retrofuturist sensibility — all sculptural silhouettes, geometric forms and draping. She already has a hero product: the square-toed Havva boots. It will be fascinating to see what emerges.
5. Many and varied absences
While Alaïa will be off-schedule because, without a designer, it will present in a different format, the absentees this season are certainly not few. On one hand, there are the brands returning home: McQueen heading back to London and Thom Browne to New York. Off-White showed in Paris last season after spending a season in New York, and for the current season appears to be still missing in action. The same goes for Giambattista Valli, currently in a period of reshuffling, and for Nina Ricci, which following Harris Reed's departure has retreated into relative silence. More intriguing is Rabanne's absence, though this is simply preparation for bigger and better things to come: as we already know, Oliver Rousteing is now at the helm of the brand and will make his debut for the next winter season.