VTMNTS turns Paris upside down with its long-awaited debut

The 45 minutes we waited inside the former Monoprix supermarket on Boulevard Raspail to discover Guram Gvasalia’s new collection for VTMNTS was worth it and was justified to some extent by the fact that it was the brand’s debut at Paris Fashion Week (PFW). Do you want to know all the details of this show? Read on.

First of all, since we arrived at this location, the first question we asked ourselves was what would have led the brand to hold its first runway show here, well, this was easily answered, as this supermarket in question, which was permanently closed during the pandemic, had something special, symbolic and sentimental to it. Following this, and once the fashion show had started, one of the first thoughts that came to mind was to say Bravo! Why? For the cast of models chosen, given that unlike other brands, the casting team introduced and gave visibility to the non-binary category alongside the typical “boys” and “girls”. The best thing about all of them? Their fast walking, which brought a touch of nervousness but excitement to the event.

But regardless of the way they walked or which category the models belonged to, if there was one thing that was especially clear, it was the gender equality that VTMNTS represented, because for Gvasalia (and for us) the terms “menswear” and “womenswear” are already part of the past and don’t really represent how the world is developing and transforming into a better place for everyone, where many don’t particularly want to identify as either male or female stereotypes.

Leaving all these details aside and focusing on the collection, as Guram said “VTMNTS is about constructing garments using the most advanced technologies mixed with tailoring tricks invented centuries ago”. And “et voilà”, that’s just what we saw, tailoring (with the raised shoulders and the characteristic “frame” piping detail) taken in a way that didn’t look stale and combined with classic trousers with invisible zips that, when opened, transformed the silhouette of these garments, the silhouette of the trousers was transformed into a sportier silhouette and paired with Western-style boots in mirrored leathers and different colours with matching fabrics and neon lycra, embroidered with the brand’s barcode and updated with a rubber sole with spring technology typically unique to performance footwear, making them the most comfortable boots you’ll ever wear.

These boots were also the best allies of double-embroidered hand-embroidered leather jackets (a traditional craft technique used for sports car interiors), boiled wool coats and jeans painted with liquid silver.

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The finishing touch to this brilliant collection was the leather coat printed with a puzzle motif as a nostalgic reminder of a small blue sky puzzle, the first toy Guram received from his parents after the family fled their war-torn homeland of Georgia to Germany, leaving behind everything they knew. The blue sky as a beacon of hope.

What is clear is that “a priori”, if you don’t know much about VTMNTS it may seem a cold and superficial brand (because of the way it communicates), but if you get into its world and vision you will realise that this thought is far from reality.