The point of departure at Études Studio tends to be a person, a current, or an artistic practice, and fall was no exception—but it was all of that and then some.
As its title, Résonances, suggests, this collectsion’s inspiration was sound makers. Backstage, Jérémie Egry described their process as “a way of talking about music, but not only that,” explaining that they wanted to cast wider to “talk about artists who work with sound as a medium.” Inspirations spanned decades, added Aurélien Arbet, from John Cage in the early ’70s to the 2000s’ intelligent dance music, Richard David James (a.k.a. Aphex Twin), and meditation music by Lamon Tai Yang. “It’s a large spectrum that touches on how music can influence people generation after generation, as well as the effect sound has on the body,” he said. To underscore that point, the show took place many levels underground at IRCAM—the Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music—in the shadow of the Centre Pompidou.
As for the clothes, the duo said they focused on “creating a dialogue between different eras and influences in terms of materials, fit, and fabrication.”
Put another way, they took their game up a notch or two. Unexpectedly structured, tailored pieces included new coat propositions in wool, leather, or puffer—a winning lineup styled on both men and women. Knits brought some added fun, from trailing striped scarves to trippy camo motifs and a showpiece of a handmade striped, fringed sweater that topped out at more than six kilos. Further along, a nicely cut burgundy velvet suit showed the duo at ease in a more formal register one wouldn’t ordinarily expect from Études.
Not that the brand has abandoned its workwear roots: There was layer upon layer of laid-back options, not to mention homewear-adjacent numbers. Spliced among those came riffs courtesy of this season’s collaborating artists: Black-and-white stills from videos by the Berlin-based Canadian artist Jeremy Shaw cropped up throughout. One, on a message tee, came with the caption “I feel the need to believe.” Amid appealing neutrals—browns, khaki, gray, and black—shots of purple carried a message too; the show notes described them as “altered perception spaces” tied to Dream House, the sound installation by La Monte Young and Marian Zazeela.
On the subject of altered perceptions, the brand today revealed its first proprietary bag design, a crossbody messenger style called Studio. It was shown in two sizes, in leather with or without canvas. If that’s any indication of where things are going, it looks like they’ve found the right track.
