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Like peers unveiling their creations at Paris's
Haute Couture showcase this week - an online-only format -
Mabille began confectioning his looks before restrictions on
movement in much of Europe were lifted.
That derailed everything from the availability of made-to-order
embroideries to the process of casting models who usually fly
around the world for fittings, but provided couturiers with
novel forms of inspiration too.
"I worked in the opposite direction - instead of working on the
design, the material and the colour, I started from the colour
of the fabric and then the collection," Mabille told Reuters,
adding that he had sought to project a "bright view on things"
with dresses that ranged from vivid purple to yellow and
shimmering animal-style prints.
Haute Couture Week features one-of-a-kind outfits stitched by
hand, presented by a select club of designers.
Even for the biggest brands with huge means, however,
Europe-wide lockdowns proved a challenge.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, who designs womenswear for Christian Dior,
owned by the LVMH conglomerate, coordinated her collection from
Rome via video calls with seamstresses and production teams
working at home.
The label also faced some lost or delayed deliveries as it tried
to bring its concept for a collection presented on
mini-mannequins together - and Chiuri said she had had to
readjust to life without office staff.
"I used my daughter a lot," she joked.
Dior's teams of taylors and seamstresses - all wearing face
masks - came together in early July to put the final touches on
looks in the brand's atelier in Paris.
LINGERING UNCERTAINTY
For some designers, the uncertainty is far from over, even as
coronavirus lockdowns ease and Paris prepares to host fashion
shows again from September.
Couture labels, which sell a small number of outfits to the uber-rich,
are unsure when their clients will be able to travel again or
what demand will be as the pandemic rattles economies the world
over.
"We must propose to the buyers a balance, meaning a good price,
good quality and exceptional product and expertise," said
designer Stephane Rolland.
Designing had proved an escape from the stresses of lockdown,
Rolland added, a sentiment shared by many peers, including
Chiuri.
"At one point, I decided to listen to the news for only one hour
a day because the risk was that I would spend a lot of time in
front of the TV," Chiuri said.
"For the other people of the atelier, to work, to have a project
to make together was helpful."
Julien Fournie, a French couturier who spent lockdown largely
centered on his Paris atelier, said he was even relieved to have
a moment to create a collection without distractions.
"For the past decade, I was like a hamster who didn't stop
running," Fournie said, ahead of unveiling his looks, which
include flowing silk gowns with kimono-style sleeves.
"I no longer had the time to enjoy my team, not even to see a
dress being set up or take time to choose an embroidery or to
design a print."
(Reporting by Sarah White, Michaela Cabrera, Melodie Sforza and
Rali Benallou; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
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