Ester Manas RTW Spring 2022
Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre made their runway debut at Paris Fashion Week with a collection that did not just pay lip service to body positivity, but truly celebrated women of all shapes.
After several seasons of digital presentations, the duo were raring to show their size-inclusive designs in front of a physical audience.
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The theme was sensuality and empowerment, with a mix of lingerie-inspired sheer dresses, peephole knit pieces and Americana print T-shirts. The brand’s signature ruched dresses were slit to the thigh, open at the back, or cut away at the shoulders and hips to flash a maximum of skin.
Delepierre said the duo were inspired by U.S. artist John Kacere’s sensual paintings of women. “It is above all a question of accompanying shapes, all shapes — exclusion is not part of Ester Manas’ vocabulary,” the show notes said.
“Dress different,” read the slogan on a black drawstring top, underneath the brand logo, which symbolizes sorority. The soundtrack, featuring Billie Eilish’s spoken-word track “Not My Responsibility,” made clear this show was also a manifesto.
With the exception of some trousers and tops, the clothes are designed in a single size, which can be adapted to fit the wearer — a concept that took the brand to the semifinals of last year’s LVMH Prize for Young Designers. Items this season included asymmetric wrap tops and split skirts with scalloped seams, as well as draped skirts with adjustable waistbands.
Half the models were professionals, while half were new faces.
“I think some of them felt quite emotional to finally be invited to participate in this fashion week,” Delepierre said. “It was truly incredible to see how happy they were — it gave us goosebumps. It’s really beautiful, and it gives us energy to explore many other collection themes.”
Having gained visibility by winning the Galeries Lafayette Prize at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography in 2018, the fledgling brand must now scale up its business. The added exposure of a runway show in Paris will hopefully bring their trailblazing work to a larger public’s attention.
See also:
Ester Manas Aims to Bust Fashion’s Size Ceiling
Galeries Lafayette and Ester Manas to Offer One-Size-Fits-All Fashion
Ester Manas’ Fall Collection Was Inspired by Kamala Harris’ Sorority
Launch Gallery: Ester Manas RTW Spring 2022
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