‘Back To Couture’: Istituto Marangoni Paris fashion students present collections

Ten young designers from Istituto Marangoni Paris presented their designs during the ‘Back to Couture’ fashion show. It was an opportunity to discover what inspires Gen Z in terms of fashion and to hear what they have to say in order to better understand their approach.

The "Back to Couture" fashion show organised by Istituto Marangoni France took place under the beautiful glass roof of the Intercontinental Hotel's Opera Room in Paris, on Thursday 22 September 2022. The show gave a preview of Paris Fashion Week with the aim to bring to life new inspirational universes in front of an audience of fashion industry professionals and friends. It really is a delightful moment when the whole audience wonders who could be the head of a renowned fashion house tomorrow.

Kim Yanghungives the unexpected and the messy back its dignity by invoking the image of the Korean worker, who arranges his clothes so they are versatile and can be adapted for any occasion, while at the same time concealing unwanted elements such as crumpled and stained fabrics or loose threads.

Samuel Marques Gonçalves tells his family story. A father who does not understand his way of "being a man". A loving mother who pushes him to be perfect. The Couture finishing of his collection reflects these feelings through the use of deadstock materials and natural fabrics such as silk and cashmere.

Bohdan Tsyshkovskyi's designs were born out of the October Revolution and the collapse of the Soviet system. "In the past, there was only one creator: God. Today, we are all creators. In order not to get lost in this context and to be able to define oneself, one must know one's roots", he explains in the presentation of his work. Remembering this time is, according to him, a very relevant question today.

Jeanne Millet's "Heart, Body and Soul" refers to Japanese culture and the myth of Yuki Onna, the snow woman, "adorned in a long white kimono, her hair as black as ebony and full of resentment towards men". The poetry of her textile vocabulary celebrates the fusion of the female body with nature.

Seungyun Cho is a Korean fashion designer who left her home in 2014 to pursue her career, leaving her home country to study abroad in the UK and then in Paris. The young designer is going through a personal creative process. She wants to shake up societal norms and promote an ethos that is capable of influencing people's view of the fashion industry.

Strong and powerful women inspire Isabella Diaz Galvez to create a "Divine Woman" through empowering dress codes. Through the unreserved adoption of these dress codes,she believes the inner goddess of every woman can express herself and be seen.

Sara Sowins starts with the idea of perfect beauty, with custom-made pieces, and then proceeds to "monstrously" deform them. The young designer exposes parts of the skin not usually on display, such as the abdomen. The concept of deception is expressed in her collection through twisted knits and fitted stripes. The textural manipulations convey a sense of imperfection and offer a reconciliation with the true nature of the individual.

The title of Ahmad Rizki's collection is "The Attendants". Two angels who part, say goodbye and let go...That’s all we know.

Maximilian Engelmann's collection reflects his background as a student of German and Japanese descent and his interest in architecture, street art and workwear. The student plays with volumes and cuts in his collection, making a clear reference to versatile and evolving utilitarian clothing.

Antonia Porto is inspired by the beauty of her native Colombia, craftsmanship, contemporary architecture, pre-Columbian art (which explains her choice of the color ochre) and the traditions her parents taught her when it comes to creating woven garments that accentuate the female figure. Sustainability and ethics play an important part in her collection.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.FR and has been translated and edited into English by Veerle Versteeg.