“If it pops, it pops, right?” This was Kevin Germanier sounding upbeat about the three balloon looks that would appear in his second haute couture show. One of them engulfed a male model in a voluminous, phallic riot of color. Another played with pointy red mylar shapes so that the outcome looked like an exotic, predatory plant. The last was made from a variety of Hello Kitty balloons, as if suggesting that no AI prompt could come up with as kooky a creation.
Fierce, fun, fantastical, and even a bit camp: as the final show on the haute couture calendar, it almost felt like a fever dream. From the model whose nude body, save for a miniskirt of oversized beads (a nod to Germanier’s earliest designs), was covered in silver glitter to the bejeweled motocross getups accessorized with feather-topped helmets, this was the kind of lineup that some people might look at and wonder, “you have got to be kidding me.”
We kid you not, Germanier’s exuberant haute couture is more than meets the eye. Now in its seventh year, the Paris-based label remains sustainability focused, such that these balloons were all sourced from a rejected supply. Melted plastic bottles metamorphosed into the molded shapes extending from some of the dresses, while the bulbous poufs of plastic raffia were overseen by artist Gustavo Silvestre who works with former inmates in Brazil as a social re-entry project via crochet. He received leftover gold feathered fabric from an Oscar de la Renta dress worn by Beyoncé last week on tour and turned it into a men’s top.
Last year, Germanier s successful off-piste collection, Prelude, made from recycled materials provided by seven LVMH houses led to suppliers approaching him with their refuse. “It’s quite funny that I am becoming the bin of the fashion industry,” he said, citing new craft collaborators in Vietnam, the Philippines and India, “I’m using my platform to show beautiful work from all around the world.” He has already committed to turning the iridescent set design of illuminated bubbles into sequins that he will use for the next collection.
Twice, he challenged his technicolor tendencies with an all-black ensemble and a white gown in recycled Japanese paper that was overly dramatic. But this self-professed perfectionist (he credits his Swiss roots) doesn’t use maximalism to hide flaws. It’s an escapism that he undertakes with full awareness. “I asked my grandma, who is 86, ‘Do you think it’s insensitive that I just come with my beaded dresses?’ and she said, ‘I am expecting light from you.’”
There’s a reason why Germanier was selected to outfit this year’s Eurovision finale and that he ended up designing the costumes for the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games. Now, combining those experiences and calling the collection, Les Joueuses, (The Players), the iris-shaped dress, body-clinging beadwork, and metallic assemblages were all giving athlete-meets-diva energy.
Germanier scored Hello Kitty and fellow Sanrio character, Kuromi, as special guests, dressing them in radiant raffia (their likeness appears on embellished bags that will surely delight Kitty stans). It was tempting to ask the plush VIPs how they felt all dolled up. Unable to speak, they shimmied, waved, and ended couture week on a giddy note.
