When Florentin Grémarec and Kévin Nompeix began thinking about their fall lineup, they realized that the time had come for a resurrection.
“Commercial pressures had forced us to lose sight of creativity and take fewer risks,” the duo explained during a preview. “The way we see our industry is kind of like a tree: the young brands nourish the roots which then inspire bigger brands up higher,” Nompeix explained, adding that they wanted to get back to those roots.
They recentered by incorporating new materials and more artisanal techniques while also aiming to make fewer compromises. To symbolize their return to the brand’s origin story, they named the collection Lazarus.
The show opened with a manifesto narrated in voiceover by the British actress Jameela Jamil. “The true monsters do not lurk in the dark,” she intoned. “They walk in daylight, smiling as they drain the world of wonder and call it efficiency.”
What followed looked mostly sophisticated and mature, with a clear focus on tailoring and commitment to craft. Fortunately, it wasn’t self-serious: A red and burgundy check coat and jacket, cut in tweed produced by the same ateliers that work for a certain doyenne over on the rue Cambon, appeared with swingy cord fringes or, in one instance, as a whimsical scarf-as-pantleg. Dramatic feathered tops in moody petrol, white, or electric blue were the result of a collaboration with the nearly 100-year-old specialist house Maison Février. Hybrid suiting included a jacket and a trompe l’oeil white shirt that, on closer inspection, turned out to be removable trim. Another sleight of hand was a dramatic black gown that seemed to defy gravity, with a curtain-like panel over one breast, a navel-grazing V, and a scarf-slash-train. It will be interesting to see who dares that one during awards season. Elsewhere, oversized knitwear with intentional imperfections were meant to evoke healing.
Between the feathers, studs, shine, shearling, and a segue into “scarred” suits made of pleated, printed polyamide, there was lots of texture and visual interest here. But it was the tailoring that carried the show, with highly covetable coats and jackets in wool or leather and well-cut trousers both wide and slim—the fluid black ones with the cargo pockets looked convincing on both genders.
At a time when even love is ever-more politicized, the brand seized on its ongoing collaboration with Tinder to unveil “Love will not tear us apart,” a capsule of t-shirts, hoodies, and a heart ring, plus a tartan couture piece also made with Maison Février. Thirty percent of profits from those pieces will benefit the feminist association Safe Place.
But the overall message, the duo noted, is not one of anger or despair but of hope. “We keep the faith, and we also have a lot of hope for the industry because I think we can get major messages across,” Nompeix offered. More importantly, with this outing Egonlab landed its own point—and in all likelihood without sacrificing commerciality.
