Lisaa Mode fashion show or are the homeless talked about in fashion?

At the end of its 2024 fashion show, French fashion school Lisaa Mode awarded three prizes, including a special prize to Eugène Larée for a collection created in collaboration with homeless people.

The homeless are everywhere, slumped on chairs in the metro, sprawled out in the street under moribund blankets, housed in makeshift tents just a stone’s throw from pedestrians. And yet, apart from the few coins we are willing to give them every now and then, who is watching them? Who really cares? For the most part, we are faced with a helplessness that verges on blindness.

That’s why the Special Prize for Responsible Fashion, awarded by Lisaa Mode and Nelly Rodi to Eugène Larée on the occasion of the institute’s final fashion show entitled “The future is now”, has its place in a world where fashion is looking to become increasingly inclusive.

With his collection entitled “Vieilles cloches” (“Old Bells”), Lisaa Mode student Eugène Larée takes fashion where it never goes: to the homeless, to those “who are nothing now” but whose presence is nonetheless increasingly perceptible.

FashionUnited met Eugène Larée at a showroom organised by Lisaa Mode on the eve of its end-of-year fashion show on 10 June 2024. A number of students had decorated their stands to reflect their collections, giving the concept of a stand a less standardised, i.e. more personal, dimension than the one found at trade fairs.

Eugène Larée lifts the veil on the “old bells and whistles” with its street stalls and garment workshops.

Eugène Larée’s ‘Huge’ stand stood out from the crowd. The young student explained that he had worked with Emmaüs Paris (for the fabrics) and homeless people who had sewn clothes. And to imagine men’s hands, blackened by the dust of the cities, delicately sewing his white fabrics, his golden pieces on a bustier (pictured), restoring a little happiness to torn and torn fabrics.

As well as being eco-responsible, this approach has a societal dimension that cannot leave anyone indifferent. And even this coat in recycled fur suggests that these old skins are, like the “Vieilles cloches” (the name of the collection, given to each other by the tramps), capable of restoring their image.

Young people bring a breath of fresh air and awareness to a society that is being urged to get out of its rut. The Pro Jury prize went to Adrien Walz for “Théâtre Magique”, a contemporary collection that bridges the gap between men’s and women’s wardrobes, giving the word gender its modern edge.

The People’s Choice Award went to Timothée Decamps. With ‘Bien à vous’, the student brings together wood and textile in a masterly demonstration of cabinet-making.

Through these awards and the other collections presented at the 2024 show, Lisaa Mode is demonstrating its relevance on the fashion scene, at a time when many fashion houses are turning to young designers who have embraced the notions of circularity/sustainability and social awareness. And young artists are no exception.

“For the past few weeks, the web has been abuzz with the creations of our students, thanks to the support of pop music stars such as Slimane and Aya Nakamura and the curiosity of their respective designers,” points out the Lisaa Mode press release. Léo Lemée, Bachelor in Fashion Design and winner of the Pro 2023 Jury Prize, dressed Slimane for his performance at Eurovision 2024. Raphael Algieri, class of 2021, dressed Slimane for the after-party. Georgie Salama, class of 2020, and his house Gigie Couture created the looks for Aya Nakamura’s performance at Flammes 2024. A trend we’re sure to be following.

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.FR. Translation and edit from French into English by Veerle Versteeg.