(Paris) From the Eisenhower khaki jacket to the yellow utility vest worn next to the skin, passing through formal suits or openwork pink sweater: the Givenchy man is ready for anything in a collection presented Thursday in Paris.
Military accents are strong in this multifunction locker room designed by American designer Matthew Williams at Les Invalides, in front of actors Jared Leto and Paul Dano.
It echoes Pharrell Williams’ first collection for Louis Vuitton, which opened Men’s Fashion Week on Tuesday and whose flagship pattern mixes checkerboard and camouflage.
“The military is a natural archetype for men. Military dress is so well thought out, fits everyone and has this idea of strength and elegance,” Matthew Williams told reporters backstage.
“What we do is apply in-house embroideries, sometimes in leather, exaggerating the proportions,” he added.
But it’s just as “natural” to “keep coming back” to other archetypes like sportswear and suits, continued the designer who mixes his streetwear universe with the aristocratic chic of the French fashion house.
A tribute to the brand’s DNA, several well-cut suits in traditional colors mark the collection.
Bombers and parkas in bright colors, long t-shirts with cutouts in the shape of circles with metallic finishes, appeal to a younger clientele.
“At the end of the day, I make clothes that I want people to wear,” the designer explained.
