Emeric Tchatchoua paid tribute to memories of loved ones gone too soon with his spring collection. “They are no longer with us, but they still live somewhere in our mind,” he said backstage before the show. The inspiration provided ample source material for a collection nodding to influences from a funeral procession to a party, complete with a booming soundtrack and an elevated streetwise edge.
The designer honored his late brother, his face featuring in a framed photo print as a repeat motif, and Amy Winehouse, rendering the singer’s face on a collage print shirt or on a patchwork leather bomber with appliqué details, where her effigy was painted on by hand. A collaboration with Ugg made for footwear pieces featuring the brand’s signature dove.
Black was dominant, from the opening look with two models in dark suits and ties, hand-in-hand and sporting umbrellas, to suits, ties and flat caps in allover leather. Blue, which represents messages from the dead in certain cultures, Tchatchoua said, and burgundy, a reference to Jesus’ association with wine and the designer’s faith, provided depth and contrast on straight-leg pants, suit jackets and sporty separates.
Tailoring was central, and given rounded waists or draped details to envelop the body. Soft fabrications in mohair and boiled wool evoked comfort like remembering the embrace of a loved one lost, and made for a number of stylish outerwear options.
References to ceremonial attire from different doctrines included skirts layered over pants, and looked cozy in fluffy wool. Sweatshirts were worn with ties over the top, painted with matching designs. “Oh my Lord,” read one. Giant photo-frame brooches nodded to mourning jewelry, and slogans said in unison, “Rest in Paradis.”
The outdoor setting — the Parc Georges Brassens on the outer edge of the 15th arrondissement —was close to home, literally: Tchatchoua played there as a child, and the apartment block where he once lived could be seen in the background.
