Paris showcases craftsmanship and innovation at Christopher Esber and CFCL

Paris Fashion Week, dedicated to ready-to-wear, concluded on Tuesday in Paris under radiant sunshine. Designers from all backgrounds set out to rethink the women's wardrobe in a contemporary line, each with their own vision.

Two brands stood out on the final day: Australian brand Christopher Esber, which delights in subverting women's fashion codes with sartorial elements that fuse structured silhouettes and fluid draping, and Japanese brand CFCL, which reinterprets femininity through extraordinary knitwear craftsmanship.

Christopher Esber welcomed guests at the Australian Embassy to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the eponymous brand and presented a compelling collection full of ideas and a genuine exploration of materials. The Lebanese-born Australian designer reveled in reimagining women's wardrobe staples and office uniforms, transporting them to the sunny shores of a distant island.

An austere navy blue coat, buttoned to the neck, is cut sharply from the left leg to the top of the thigh, as if torn. Floating organza panels are spliced ​​over the pants. The straight skirt of a classic suit gains a drawstring waist, while a hood sprouts from the back of the jacket. Another look goes bright red and swaps the skirt for mini shorts.

The wardrobe seemed to set sail with colorful hoodies worn next to the skin, sporting the lapels of a classic jacket on the front, paired with baggy pants and jeweled belts. Shells, buttons, pearls and pieces of wood were inserted into fabrics to create blouses and dresses in textured materials or 3D mosaics. Small wooden tubes were used as closures or fringes on draped costumes. The stretch fabric dotted with buttons or medallions takes on the appearance of a bath towel wrapped around the body like a strapless dress.

Winner of the 2024 ANDAM Grand Prix, Christopher Esber made his official debut on the presentation calendar in September 2023, presenting his first runway show in Paris a year later. Her women's ready-to-wear brand, founded in Sydney in 2010, is distributed through 155 multi-brand retailers, primarily across Europe (in the UK, Italy (including Antonia) and France, where it has been stocked in Printemps and La Samaritaine), as well as in the United States.

Located in the accessible “advanced contemporary” segment, the brand attracts with its creative offerings.

“It's important to have your own point of view, especially in today's highly competitive market. People are mainly looking for statement pieces,” she told FashionNetwork.com.

For chapter 11 of CFCL (Clothing For Contemporary Life), the brand he founded in 2020, Japanese designer Yusuke Takahashi turned to Jean Arp's Art Concret principles, offering a wardrobe that is both beautiful and refined, yet practical, highly comfortable and suitable for everyday wear.

Experimental music trio TLF accompanied the show on piano, guitar and cello, and the show developed in a crescendo from white to black, moving from gauzy suits to more substantial knitted looks. The rounded curves of the first pale green silhouettes, inspired by ceramics and blown glass, came wrapped in transparent nylon-polyester, emitting a soft glow. Other transparent outfits seemed to filter the light.

Reflective sequins appear on chiffon tunics. Voluminous jackets and pants woven in organic cotton and hand-dyed in pale shades of pink and gray, accentuating the visual and tactile sensation of delicate fragility. The collection was completed with trapeze dresses with a flexible and wavy appearance. They were woven continuously, using different stitches with openwork sections and raised stripes.

Knitwear specialist and former Issey Miyake designer Takahashi, who ran Issey Miyake's men's line for seven years, is dedicated to the craft. It has developed a 3D knitting technology that combines traditional technique with digital innovation, using recycled threads to increasingly expand the limits of its experiments.