As delighted as we were to call Paris our part-time hometown for half a year, the height of delight was to be invited to Paris Fashion Week! Our very first show of Paris Men’s Fashion Week took place in a concrete underground parking space along the Seine River, with the gritty surroundings reflecting the theme of designer Boris Bidjan Saberi’s SS19 collection “Brutalism” perfectly. The Barcelona based designer with German-Persian roots took inspiration from Brutalist architecture, coal miners’ uniform and the visual disorder named “achromatopsia” which causes colorblindness.
Obviously as this condition prevents those who have it from seeing any other color than black, white and grey, any other colors were excluded from the collection but brought forth a spectacularly broad spectrum of grey nuances and shading. A characterizing element to all of the pieces was the use of seam-taping, with long strands of tape dangling down limbs and trailing behind the models as they treaded down the cement runway. As much as this makes the collection very recognizable, it also fits amazingly with the deconstructed aesthetic of the designer, who gets away with presenting what seem like skirts and sweater/shirt-dresses for men while maintaining a very tough and masculine style. Check out these photos to see for yourself!
The worker elements of coal miners’ attire are also very eminent, sporting trousers and heavy jackets with multiple pockets and overalls with cross body straps as well as some more casual and minimalist looks with t-shirts and long kimono style vests in lightweight materials. With the cool way shirts, sweaters and jackets are layered by Boris, a new length of xxxl t-shirts and men’s skirts are more than welcome in the streetscape of men’s fashion. It should also be noted that the asymmetrical bags and sock sneakers were a great fit to the looks, giving them just a dash of hip hop. And so expectedly our Paris Men’s Week adventure starts with AR planning to make some space in his wardrobe already…
