Paris Fashion Week for Men kicked off with a bang on Tuesday, with the eagerly-awaited Louis Vuitton show. But alongside this heavyweight, the first day was also an opportunity to discover a number of smaller brands, including Japanese label Auralee, making its second appearance on the Paris calendar, and young French fashion house Valette Studio, which was part of the presentation programme. Both presented their collections for Spring/Summer 2025, for both men and women. The day also saw the return of the Etudes Studio trio, who presented at the Palais de Tokyo after taking a break last season.
Auralee: simple and in the right place
This second show in Paris showcased the talent of Ryota Iwai, whose brand is fast becoming one of the coolest on the Paris scene. Elegant or relaxed, utilitarian or formal, essential and sophisticated at the same time, Auralee’s clothes always seem to be in the right place at the right time, perfect in their simplicity.
To unveil his new opus, the Japanese designer invited the public to a private mansion in the 7th arrondissement, where Karl Lagerfeld once lived. A string of lounges complete with chandeliers and gilded furnishings, overlooking a verdant garden. The glass doors opened to reveal a maple tree, its bright green leaves trembling in the gentle breeze. The perfect backdrop for this collection, inspired by all the different types of people you might meet in a park.
As the first models passed in front of this poetic landscape, it’s as if we had been transported back to the film Perfects days, shot by Wim Wenders in Tokyo, where the protagonist, playing an ordinary man, often stops off in the city’s urban parks to savour the beauty, sometimes taking a photo, sometimes picking a flower. It’s this same praise of everyday life and its beauty that was also on the runway.
In this park, we came across the dreamer, who looked like he’s just rolled out of bed, with his large coat pulled over his pyjamas in soft, small-checked wool, the businessman in a blue shirt and black suit, pen in pocket, newspapers under his arm, and his female counterpart in a strict trouser suit, tie and patchwork striped shirt. The sportsman in shorts and a water-green nylon windbreaker or a bright red parka. The student in Bermuda shorts and a checked shirt, with a ribbed jumper draped around his neck, was clutching a book in his hand, while the young romantic wore a thick cotton knit and chino trousers, one of the collection’s key pieces.
A number of leather pieces made an appearance this season, such as baggy shorts, a small suede jacket worn over a classic suit, comfortable chocolate leather jackets with large pockets, and, above all, these superb, loose, virtually seamless bags, worn slung over the back or carried by hand.
“To cycle to work, I pass through Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, and as I was taking note of the people who frequented it, I had the idea of exploring all these personalities, each one different, yet all gathered in the same place. I tried to find the right balance between the businessman’s uniform and a more relaxed attitude, and I was quite influenced by the preppy, vintage style,” explains Ryota Iwai, who, as always, pushed the textile research very far.
The company, which makes its own fabrics by sourcing yarns and fibres from the best suppliers in the world, from Peru for alpaca, to New Zealand and Scotland for wool, and Mongolia for cashmere, wanted to challenge the fibres it usually works with to find ways of using them in its summer wardrobe. The result is a series of ultra-soft, fine wool garments that look almost like cotton from a distance.
The Spencer by Valette Studio
Valette Studio also hosted an elegant salon at the Normandy Hotel, but in a different vein. The brand is returning to its fundamentals, namely casual tailoring. Designer Pierre-François Valette focused on an iconic piece of menswear, the spencer, and more broadly the jacket, which he reinvented through a host of details and inventions.
The black tuxedo jacket was shortened and paired with damask-effect printed velvet trousers. The white spencer was played down, with no buttons, worn with cotton voile cropped trousers. There was also a metallic jacket, as if dipped in liquid silver, light and fluid in jersey. And let’s not forget the navy blazer, with new proportions. All these chic jackets from the traditional men’s wardrobe can be worn over a tank top or shirt for next summer. T-shirts are out this season.
A wrinkle-free wool spencer extended into two long panels that tied or crossed majestically at the waist, or rode up over the shoulders like a stole, redefining the silhouette. Other jackets were available as waistcoats, sleeveless or with shortened sleeves. The short spencer highlighted high-waisted trousers. In particular, the designer offered a new take on the sailor’s bridge trouser, with the front folded down, while keeping the trousers closed at the waist.
There were also double-breasted jackets in an oversized version for women, worn over draped dresses. Women did not hesitate to steal their man’s dinner jacket belt and wear it as a top. A chic and easy piece, which should be all the rage next summer. “This season, men and women are different,” explains Pierre-François Valette. “I’ve brought out all the volumes in the Valette jackets and defined them well, by modernising the tailoring fabrics. Making something beautiful but simple is the most complicated part,” he says.
Etudes Studio’s New York inspirations
Etudes is back in business at Paris Fashion Week. After a hiatus last season, the French label, led by the trio of Jérémie Egry, Aurélien Arbet and José Lamali, presented a double bill at the Palais de Tokyo on Tuesday. After a break, during which the brand’s universe and some of its identity codes were revised, and its name affirmed as Etudes Studio, the label unveiled its collections N°24 and N°25 in a performance combining live music (performed by Pierre Brujeau Megabasse), a fashion show and dance. “We’re affirming our practice of being multidisciplinary, using several media and collaborating with other entities, brands and creatives. In the end, affirming this name is the right way to define ourselves,” explains Aurélien Arbet, who points out that the pause was necessary to take the time to do things properly. What’s specific about this presentation is the idea of offering an artist’s garment. To offer a wardrobe that a creative person might want to wear on a daily basis.”
For this collection, the fruit of two seasons of exploration, the trio, who have been playing with different creative universes since their beginnings, are proposing a wardrobe for artists. The collection is largely inspired by American references, both in the silhouettes that clearly play with the codes of American streetwear, and through two collaborations. The first is with The Kitchen, a place for artistic experimentation in New York, expressed in prints of frosted images and details of black and white artworks. The second is an exploitation of Andy Wharhol’s iconography. Half a dozen pieces feature reproductions of polaroids made by the pop-art genius. “For us, the Factory has always been a reference point and an inspiration in our creative approach, bringing together several media. It also inspired us to mix art and commerce.” It’s a fitting tribute to Etudes Studio’s role as a dresser for artists.
The label explores the boundaries between tailoring inspirations and utilitarian garments. Classic workwear pieces have been crafted in noble materials, blurring the boundaries between formal and artistic wear. Some pieces, such as a sleeveless jumper and cargo trousers, have had the collar removed or the legs marked, as if they had been subjected to artistic experimentation.
The creatives dressed in Etudes Studio choose everything from satin bombers and long woollen coats worn with a huge scarf, to large sleeveless down jackets worn over a hoodie and flared trousers, flocked with the Etudes E and paired with a pair of Keen hiking boots. The play of dyes and washes, in browns, greys, blues and blacks, and the layering, give the collection a strong streetwear connotation, counterbalanced by a few button-down shirts under the denim jackets.
Denim is an essential part of this collection. Etudes Studio is at pains to avoid the classics: jackets worn over hoodies have been approached with wide cuts, and practical pockets in original locations add an interesting detail to the construction of the silhouette. Meanwhile, the cut and construction of the bottoms (again using cut-outs and layering) explored the possibilities, far from the 5-pocket. At the end of an elliptical collective dance, the only person left in the large open studio was a young man, wearing a pink over-dyed jacket and jeans. It’s a powerful piece that could easily be seen on a hip-hop star.
Still majority-owned by its management trio, the French brand founded in 2012 boasts over a hundred retailers worldwide, particularly in Europe but also in Asia. In China, after opening two shops with its partner DF360, Etudes Studio is set to inaugurate a number of new boutiques between now and the end of the year, and will have half a dozen points of sale within a year. The brand is also looking to South Korea to speed up its international expansion. The collection unveiled on Tuesday should appeal to South Korean customers.
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