After the dreamy jaunt in Wonderland for their spring collection, Florentin Glémarec and Kévin Nompeix believe it’s time to wake up and face reality.
“We are back in the real world and we have to fight now,” said Nompeix, deeming the vibe of the season “grunge heroes because [that’s what] we are all together to survive in this world.”
That said, in the EgonLab universe, reality is every bit as surreal as any dreamscape.
Dedicating the collection to Vivienne Westwood and René Glémarec, the pair riffed on the idea that the subconscious structures a person’s identity, so they distorted proportions or used trompe-l’oeil layering.
Out came new iterations on their tailoring, this time cut close to the body and with oversize, high-shouldered sleeves. More feminine looks also made their appearance, like floor-length slipdresses with deep V necklines or leggings with chubby faux-fur or tinsel jackets, worn by models of any gender, congruent with the duo’s intentions for a genderless brand.
This made for a preppy punk vibe, helped along by floor-trailing scarves in maroon and golden yellow, ratty sweaters with a large initial on the front or double-G belts. It nodded to their generation’s appetite for mixing it up — a form of stylistic fluidity.
Elsewhere, the pair served up new twists on their skirt-and-trousers silhouette, adding garter details to hemlines, or a pair of nonfunctional sleeves to mini-kilts.
Bumsters were cut so low on the hips that they looked almost like thigh high boots connected at the crotch and had to be held in place by bodysuits or high-waisted briefs. How effortless — and oddly attractive — the ensemble looked spoke volumes on the pair’s dab technical hand. Come fall, they will no doubt be among the most sought-after items on the pair’s recently launched e-commerce platform.
