Jacquemus Hosts Runway Show In Spite of COVID-19 Pandemic
With an outdoor event for the designer’s SS21 collection.
Simon Porte Jacquemus has become known for his romantic, experiential runway shows: in previous seasons, he has presented his collections along the beach or nestled within fields of lavender. So it was, perhaps, inevitable that he would eschew this season’s movement towards digital fashion shows.
Instead, the designer flew an audience of guests to the Vexin National Park, an idyllic natural space northwest of Paris. There, in a barley field, he had set up an outdoor show on a wooden runway 600 meters long. Guests – some masked, others not – were spaced apart from each other during the presentation. The models, however, were not masked.
Speaking to Vogue, the designer said, “For me, the runway can’t be a video. It’s at the heart of what we do; it’s not superficial. It’s important to all of us to continue, just like a restaurant that reopens. It’s like a movie of a summer day. It’s our life.”
In France, lockdown measure have slowly been easing: restaurants and bars began reopening in June, with social distancing rules enforced. However, some northern regions of the country have reported a recent upsurge in cases. At the time of writing, the country had seen 173,000 confirmed cases of the virus with just over 30,000 deaths.
The men’s collection stayed true to the brand’s aesthetic: roomy, airy pieces that recall classic workwear shapes. There was, though, an increased representation of tailoring on offer, including wrap-fronted, unstructured blazers and oversized, slouchy trousers.
The brand will be making the entire collection available for pre-order on its website tomorrow morning. Before then, take a look through the gallery above.
For a closer look at the brand’s steadily-growing stake in menswear, read how Simon Porte Jacquemus remade menswear in his own image.
