The 15 floors of a car park complex in a concrete jungle in Paris became home to Ètudes’ Fall/Winter 2023 fashion show. Shimmering music contrasted against a stark gray backdrop, while the buzz of projector lights filled the air. This is a tough texture for Ètudes, who for this season continues to examine urban life in his hometown of Paris; and it’s far from a brand known for its branded essentials.
Such sharpness is, of course, reflected in the collection. Industrial brutalist palettes of rust, dusty rose, concrete, beige, white, black and dark green take the form of clothing that, like the environment, reflects the harsh realities of city life.
A live performance by French musician Koudlam marked the beginning of the concert, and his singing vocals were the perfect addition to the eerie atmosphere of Ètudes. Here we got a glimpse of what’s to come, as the singer’s outfit looked like a man in a suit – only now he’s expressing his emotions through his voice, which is reflected in the disheveled outfit.
The tailoring is not perfect with raw and untidy edges. The denim is ruined. Padlocks, like those found to symbolize love on a Paris bridge, are engraved with the brand’s logo and join other street finds like coins, both transformed into 3D artefacts on knits and cuts, both relaxed as each other. And in a true ode to our country, we find necklaces charmed with metallic pink statues of the Eiffel Tower, like those that line the streets near the national landmark.
But, apart from references to everything near and dear, Ètudes also served brutalism in a more direct form. From jackets that cut out beautiful graphics of buildings on them to suits and sweaters covered in graffiti symbols, or even zip-up sweaters that are frayed, frayed, looking almost burnt, everything Ètudes touched was a nod to shake up the system.
This was made more apparent as formal outerwear, such as a rather contradictory well-tailored coat, was styled over jersey tracksuit bottoms that trailed across the floor, trampled and torn more and more as the models exited the car park.
Unifying the collection was an underlying indie sleaze aesthetic, similar to what we recently saw on Our Legacy. Like its Swedish counterpart, scarves were tight, multi-piece silhouettes were cinched in all the right places, and sweaters were fuzzy.
You can see Ètudes’ FW23 collection in the gallery above, captured exclusively backstage by Hypebeast. Stay tuned to Hypebeast for more Paris Fashion Week FW23 content as the days go by.
In other news, VTMNTS served up your new wardrobe.