designers choose lightness for next summer at AZ Factory, Sacai, Quira

Next summer will be hot, judging from the collections presented at Paris Fashion Week. On the eighth day of the women’s ready-to-wear shows in Paris, three names in particular caught the eye. AZ Factory, with a collection celebrating a glamorous yet practical elegance, entirely in synch with the ideas of its founder, the late Alber Elbaz; Japanese designer Chitose Abe, with her Sacai label’s inventive, festive style; and Veronica Leoni’s destructured, lightweight clothes for her Quira label.

In the spirit of Alber Elbaz, by Norman René Devera and Peter Movrin

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On Monday, AZ Factory presented a fresh, vibrant collection that truly resonated with the spirit of Alber Elbaz, through its shimmering colours, silky fabrics, chic, joyful femininity, as well as volumes and asymmetries. This time, the label founded by the late Israeli-American designer with Swiss luxury group Richemont did not invite an external designer to style the collection, but relied on its in-house talent. A wise decision.
 
AZ Factory put the two heads of its design studio, Norman René Devera and Peter Movrin, personally hired by Elbaz when the label was originally founded at the end of 2020, in charge of creating the Spring/Summer 2024 collection. “This collection celebrates life, colour, joy, friendship, family, and above all the strong bond we had with Alber Elbaz, ever since we met. He remains in our hearts, and he still inspires us,” said the two designers, keen to pick up Elbaz’s original thread while laying the foundations for AZ Factory’s future.

The show opened in a good-natured atmosphere, as Mauro Grimaldi, the executive in charge of the label, rushed to throw open the large portal the models had to step through to reach the runway, which was set up outdoors, in the court of the Richemont group’s Parisian headquarters. Some of the young women had pinched their boyfriends’ fine frilled shirts to turn them into summer dresses, complementing them for example with a floral gilet with long twirling ribbons, or enhancing them with pleats. A granny-style strapped lace undershirt was slipped nonchalantly over a turquoise sweater.
 
Other shirts and bomber jackets were made in pretty floral silk, matched with shorts in the same fabric. Devera and Movrin have travelled the length and breadth of Europe, rummaging through a vast amount of dormant textile stock – with which they made 60% of their collection – to find fine fabrics compatible with Elbaz’s style. They notably used them to fashion cocktail dresses in duchess satin, taffeta, silk and muslin, as Elbaz himself would have done. Like the super-slinky draped outfits enveloping the body in a palette of vibrant colours, with puff sleeves, in some cases asymmetrically cut or enhanced with a large bow, or the organza tunics delicately slipped over a dress, adding a transparent layer.
 
A touch of Elbaz humour came into the picture of course, for example the surprising teddy bear outfit consisting of a top, a pair of shorts and a handbag, bristling with shaggy fabric for a plush toy effect, or certain details and accessories, like the pearly tassels decorating some tops, lining the hem of other dresses and featured all over handbags and shoes. The entire collection was deliciously young and feminine, featuring items that are easy to wear and match.

Sacai’s cocoon

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At Sacai, giant spotlights swept across the room with streaks of blinding white light, at times akin to burning sunshine, other times to a scintillating starry night, its gleam reflected in flashes on the clothes. Chitose Abe has created an impeccable collection for next summer, cleverly infusing bold proportions and constructions into easy-to-wear garments. A smart wardrobe comprising all the essentials for a busy life, and for nightlife too, the two genres often blending into one another.
 
Shirts, trousers, jackets, suits, trench coats, dresses, jeans and knitwear: everything looked chic and effortless, with that extra creative twist that made a difference, and an extremely classic colour palette chiefly featuring black, navy blue and white. Even the parka with a gigantic hood gave a majestic feel to the silhouette. The lines were both fitted and floaty, with trousers expanding into large flared bell-bottoms, and generously cut yet lightweight tops.
 
This season, Abe has explored new volumes by means of complex architectural solutions invisible to the naked eye, giving the impression the clothes are constantly puffed up by a breeze. For example, the oversize striped shirts filled with air like sails. This approach led Abe to create oval-shaped, three-dimensional outfits, often in the form of a cocoon. Elsewhere, she used slits to fragment the garments, in some cases allowing glimpses of sparkling underwear.
 
Men’s shirts and jackets reinterpreted in Abe’s new proportions, worn over plain trousers or a black muslin skirt layered over a pleated grey mini skirt, looked ideal for both the day and the evening. Especially when the looks were accented by black glasses, statement jewellery like large chains with a mix of golden and silver rings, wrapped around the neck, wrists or hanging from the ears, and by the rather bold boots with giant platform soles (one model did fall off them), always worn with knee-high nylon socks.

Fluidity and lightness at Quira

 
In her first presentation as part of Paris Fashion Week’s official calendar with her label Quira, Italian designer Veronica Leoni showcased her expertise, ranging from knitwear to fabric innovation, soft-focus work and couture. Leoni, a finalist at the 2023 LVMH Prize, has focused on a deconstructed style this season, jettisoning linings and needless trimmings. “I completely hollowed out my jackets, giving them the substance of a shirt. I wanted to focus on summer lightness, exploring casual wear with an added touch of elegance,” she told FashionNetwork.com.
 
Quira’s blazers and trench coats merely brushed the skin with their wool and linen fabrics, which Leoni occasionally slit to reveal the garment’s inner structure. For example, a slash across the chest lent a bra shape to the blazer of a suit with unstitched hems, and to an overcoat. Elsewhere, Leoni tore out the waist at the back of a pair of trousers to show the inner fabric. The volume was sucked out of some dresses made in three varieties of cotton, turning them into sails. A red velvet dress revealed an airy under-layer on its back.
 
Leoni’s focus on lightness was also evident in patchwork items in ultra-fine wool, or the cotton fabrics immersed in a mineral dye, giving them a washed-out pastel look, which she used to fashion lightweight tunics and suits. In addition to ready-to-wear, she also presented shoes and handbags, which she has been designing from her early days.
 
Leoni, aged 40, has so far enjoyed a remarkable career. She began with iconic German designer Jil Sander, for whom she oversaw knitwear design. She then moved to Céline, in the Phoebe Philo era, where she was in charge of pre-collections, then did stints at Moncler and The Row, where she is still collaborating closely with the Olsen sisters. A rigorous, pared-down style and couture lines characterise the label she founded in 2021. In five seasons, Quira has won over some 30 top multibrand retailers worldwide, including Antonia, 10 Corso Como, Isetan and Bergdorf Goodman, notably in Italy, South Korea, Japan and the USA.