Say it isn’t so…latex at Paris Fashion Week?
Ok, this isn’t the first time we saw our favorite textile on the runway at a major fashion show. But at Paris Fashion Week, latex couture was featured in a collection by designer Arthur Avellan and Sextou included latex elements in their wardrobe at a huge party they threw. Plus, celebrity spotters caught Ayra Starr and Emily Ratajkowki attending shows dressed in latex.
In Avellan’s case he teamed up with a research laboratory to reveal a brand-new natural latex. His bold and edgy designs (edgy and bold by usual Fashion Week standards, probably not so much to latex fans) are eco-friendly and luxurious.
In this case of queer collective Sextou, founders Umberto Borraccia and Timothy Wang came to the City of Lights to throw their first party outside of their UK home base. As Borraccia boasted “…Sextou bends it so there’s less polish and more instinct. The style was about attitude, sensuality and individuality.” And at their party they surely showed this style to great aplomb with pieces like their pink latex tank tops paired with corsets. Collaborating with the Paris club Toyz, the event presented an underground of men’s couture leaning heavily on fetish and what was called ‘heavy’ looks.
Even a part-time fashionista is aware of the many times that latex couture has infiltrated granddaddy fashion weeks. Designers Thierry Mugler (taking the blame for Chappell Roan’s nipple reveal at the just-passed Grammy’s, as we saw in our last blog) and Jean Paul Gaultier, are usually referred to as first slipping latex into major runway moments. But lest we forget seeing latex featured in the Saint Laurent latex-heavy Autumn/Winter 2020 collection, Versace’s A/W94, on celebrated Gareth Pugh’s S/S16 model, and Richard Quinn’s skin tight latex bodysuits for A/W19.
There’s much to celebrate and still be thankful for when it comes to seeing latex featured in major fashion shows. This year we thank Arthur Avellan and Sextou specifically for what we saw in Paris.
