Americans (re)land in Paris with A$AP Rocky debut

On Friday, June 21, 2024, on the sidelines of Paris Fashion Week, rapper A$AP Rocky, the partner and father of singer Rihanna’s children, organized his first Parisian fashion show in Karl Lagerfeld’s former home. In fact, “American Sabotage,” the show’s name, signifies the attraction of Americans to Paris, as the capital of fashion.

Entering the courtyard of the Hôtel des Maisons (rue de l’Université, Paris 7ᵉ), Karl Lagerfeld’s former home, was a challenge as the crowd pressed against the entrance door to the event. It must be said that, given the celebrities present, there was plenty to attract people. Starting with Pharrell Williams, who quickly made his way through the crowd.

Once inside the courtyard, a glass of champagne was immediately offered to guests, who could then discover models on the steps of the staircase leading to the mansion. All (or almost) were masked, betting here on a trend that was noticed on all the shows of this Parisian fashion week, June 2024.

Then came the arrival of Rihanna, accompanied by Alexandre Arnault (let’s not forget that she is the new face of the LVMH group’s star perfume, “J’adore” by Dior). Let’s skip the photographic harassment that the people at fashion weeks have accustomed us to, and focus on the show.

“It’s a fashion that has a purpose, where art meets activism,” A$AP Rocky

À$AP Rocky, whose real name is Rakim Athelaston Mayers, and his artistic collective Awge (don’t ask what it means since the number one rule is “never reveal what Awge means”), have proposed a show called “American Sabotage” aiming, according to the name and the press release, to present “a thought-provoking fashion world through ghetto expressionism, which questions conventional definitions within various communities and cultures.”

On the program, thirty looks made with fashion designers Joshua Jamal, Bede Marchand, and Coucou Bebe, and a series of disruptive slogans: “Don’t be Dumb” (don’t stay silent), “Political satire,” and, undoubtedly the most transgressive, the word “war,” written under a no parking sign, printed on the invitation card placed on each chair, and which seems to make the pop star smile (in photo).

On the fashion side, Awge by A$AP Rocky celebrates the return of the Bandana, worn under a cap, the fly jackets worn upside down, the clothes unstitched, torn, piled up, in an upcycling spirit, and the tailoring with some citywear silhouettes (suit/tie). The label also celebrates provocation with a passage for which a model wears two transparent plastic bags, filled with dollars (real ones?).

Americans fascinated by Paris, undoubtedly influenced by the wave of US designers who present their collections there

This “American Sabotage” would not have been complete without the flag of the United States, worn intact, because if the Americans can clash with their country, they are no less proud of it. This is what the after-show organized in the garden of the Hôtel des Maisons revealed. While tasting cakes in the shape of guns or packets of cocaine (with hundred-dollar bills to serve as straws), the ultra-stylish guests, most of whom came from the United States, claimed their origins, but also admitted to being fascinated by Paris.

“This is the first time I’ve been to the French capital and I love it,” said influencer Modern Cowboy Stew Caldo to FashionUnited. “There are no cars, you can ride a bike, it’s so cool.” The mayor of Paris (Anne Hidalgo, ed.), so criticized on social networks for her policy towards motorists, would blush like this red panther in the photo.

The fact remains that this fascination perhaps finds its origins in the landing of American stylists on the Parisian fashion planet. Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton (who is also setting up in the capital), or Kid Super. Previously Virgil Abloh, Kanye West, Alexander Wang, etc. And let’s not forget the mega show Vogue France, organized by Anna Wintour (Condé Nast international) on the last day of the men’s fashion week, on the Place Vendôme. Let’s bet that buyers (b2b or b2c) will follow.

This article was translated and previously published by FashionUnited France