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Icosae premieres ‘punchy punk’ style at Paris FW
The models walk the length of the runway, standing tall in their piercings and Dr Martens, wearing long black overcoats, barely brightened by metallic buttons, silver zips on the shoulder or white reflective armbands on their sleeves. The classic black pinstripe suit is instead worn with a kilt-style apron.
A few splashes of red are the only colourful note in this wardrobe for 'anti-heroes', as heralded on some of the tee-shirts. Icosae has gone for an all-black look, infused with an underground, post-industrial mood, for its very first show at the Paris Men's Fashion Week.
"It is not dark, nor punk. It's 'punchy punk'," said Valentin Glemarec, 22, who leads the label together with his brother Florentin, 21. The two French designers were students at the Louvre School in Paris. The younger brother, a former model at Elite, then trained at the Ateliers Chardon Savard, while the older brother graduated from Paris' ENSAAMA national arts and design academy, specialising in 3D design and multimedia.
In 2014, together with a friend, Anthony Hor, the brothers founded the Icosae label, inspired by their Breton great-grandfather, a tailor whose archives they kept. The label's name comes from the French word for the icosahedron, a twenty-face geometric figure. The three partners later split up.
"From last season, we introduced a whole new team, in communications, distribution and production. We are notably working with emerging French and Belgian ateliers, regular contractors for major labels such as Saint Laurent or Givenchy," explained Valentin Glemarec.
As a result, the new collection has moved upmarket, introducing destructured, tailored streetwear items in wool, silk satin and cashmere, decorated with embroidered or metallic details.
Icosae is currently available at about ten multi-brand stores, including Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong and ODD in New York.
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