Young fashionistas crowd the steps of the Palais de Tokyo in the late afternoon of Tuesday, June 20, to show off their quirky looks. Cowboy boots, bermuda shorts and golden jewelry of all kinds, the grunge touch is acclaimed by fashionistas waiting for the start of the Valette Studio show.
However, this style has nothing to do with the atmosphere of the show. Created in 2020, the brand of designer Pierre-François Valette, winner of the Saint Laurent Couture Institute competition, revisits the men’s wardrobe. Valette Studio is part of this continuity with its new spring-summer 2024 collection, presented during Men’s Fashion Week.
Tailor revisited and non-gendered
It is in the middle of the Sphères showroom, which supports young brands selected for their creativity and development potential, that the public waits with the hand-grafted smartphone for the start of the fashion show. The first model rushes into a white striped shirt dress, a huge fabric flower at the collar. The looks follow one another: they are loose, and let the body breathe and move freely. The clothes are deliberately gender neutral. From a technical point of view, these are clothes that can be worn by men and women, explains Pierre-François Valette.
Valette Studio’s new collection presented during Men’s Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2024 (Valette Studio)
I have always worked on the basics of the suit to make it casual, he adds. The main inspiration of his collection remains the liberation of the body and goes through a polymorphic aspect of the garment. The pants become shorts and the sleeves of the shirts are unbuttoned. The great evening looks resemble jumpsuits, so much the jacket and the pants merge. Remember that Pierre-François Valette won the Saint Laurent Couture Institute competition thanks to a jumpsuit.
Tribute to the 30s
The loose cuts of the collection are references to the 1930s and the liberation of the body that marked this era. Suits and large dresses were emancipated from corsets and fitted cuts to let the fabric wander. The patchworks of fabrics and prints with flowers or stripes are references to the constructivist current or to Dadaism that fascinate the creator of Valette Studio. Pretty pieces of metal mesh and hand-assembled holy water beads add a flashy edge.
Valette Studio’s new collection presented during Men’s Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2024 (Valette Studio)
I wanted a spontaneous collection where I had more fun, without losing the quality of the garment, says Pierre-François Valette. The designer likes to work on plain looks in a single pattern or the same material such as satin and cotton. Space-saving and easy to wear, the new collection from Valette Studio fits perfectly into the season. Always in tune with the times, the brand does not abandon its eco-responsible approach by working with unsold fabrics.
