Can’t remember a time without some sort of depressing or concerning headline? Neither can EGONLAB – who wanted its SS23 collection to serve as an escape from the rigmarole. Showing on the opening day of Paris Fashion Week, the brand looked to a fictional world as a form of distraction and inspiration: Alice in Wonderland.
Headed up by Florentin Glémarec and Kévin Nompeix, the genderless brand has established itself firmly within the Paris Fashion Week schedule as one to watch – and this collection only proved that point further. Proportions were contrasted: oversized blazers sat atop shorts which varied in length – from micro to macro. Underpinning the collection, the shorts came in leather, pinstripe and denim iterations – often paired with thigh high boots of the same material.
Elsewhere, long white tailored coats added structure and fluidity to the looks, along with flowing chiffon shirts, a pale sequinned tank top, and a sheer two-piece set which looked suspiciously like black bubble wrap. With the shirt worn over the top, and long skirt worn under a denim miniskirt, this look also demonstrated the brand’s clear understanding and command of texture: bringing different materials to the forefront, guiding the eye to certain areas of the body and still pulling off a cohesive look.
If the show and collection were set as an escape from reality, EGONLAB’s printed shirt was maybe the most successful piece in accommodating this – depicting a skiing pig character hugging a toadstool, naturally. Here, EGON’s playful nostalgia-evoking was personified: who cares what’s on the news – here’s a pig skiing – nothing matters anyway.
Other standout looks included a patchwork leather/fabric tracksuit, coming in earthy tones with brighter red piping, alongside slouchy suits. The most appealing? The all-green set, worn alongside a bright pink sheer underlayer, alongside a matching wool coat, which was slung through a hoop bag.
Distressed denim pointed to the distress felt by the wider world at the moment – but EGONLAB’s disruption was multifaceted: the brand will be taking over a part of the Galeries Lafayette website to bring the collection alive digitally, and releasing a series of Instagram filters for those who want to try it on, fresh off the (digital) runway.
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