YOUNG BLOOD: The Sphere showroom for emerging brands, run by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), opened its doors Wednesday at the Palais de Tokyo with a selection of five brands including two newcomers, French designer Lucille Thièvre and Rolf Ekroth, from Finland, both past finalists for the Hyères Prize.
Thièvre, who hails from France’s Southwest, cut her teeth at Hermès and Givenchy before creating her ultra-feminine namesake label in 2021. Since launching, she has been particularly successful Stateside after being picked up by Moda Operandi, among others, and is now ready to spread her wings.
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Her spring 2024 collection, inspired by the polka-dot dress the designer’s mother wore to get married, was full of rounded shapes or hand knits that contrasted with her slinky body-con aesthetic, adorned with quirky buttons and beads hand-crafted by a glassmaker, for example. “I really want to highlight craftsmanship,” she explained. “It’s been a journey accompanying the artisans to scale up production as demand grows.”
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Rolf Ekroth, for his part, shows in Copenhagen and is known for his multidimensional approach. Already on the opening morning of Sphere, his designs had attracted the attention of a major buying team from China.
The return of Chinese retailers to Paris — and their seeming appetite to spend — saw organizers breathe a sigh of relief, meanwhile.
The other labels participating, all also showing on the official Paris calendar, are Benjamin Benmoyal and Florentina Leitner, whose presentations were held respectively on Monday and Tuesday, and Maitrepierre, with a show and presentation on Friday.
Thanks to a partnership with the FHCM, Sphere is also showcasing FabriX, a digital initiative developed by Hong Kong-based creative hub PMQ, sponsored by the Hong Kong administration and designed to support emerging brands.
The concept involves a kiosk equipped with augmented reality technology allowing guests to “try on” looks from the designers involved — the version set up at Sphere features creations from 12 Hong Kong designers as well as three based in France and supported by the FHCM’s incubator: Florentina Leitner, Ponder.er — itself originally from Hong Kong — and LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi.