FRANCEKISS sets the Dress Code: Blue Jeans and White T-shirt. by Eliya Weinstein

Dear Shaded viewers,

Crossing the seine on Pont des Arts in a white t-shirt and blue jeans on any other day would be mundane, certainly not a notably fashionable event. But on the 20th of September, FRANCEKISS, the emerging Parisian brand founded by Andreas F., welcomed the public on the bridge into a fashion show slash performance that focused on this casual uniform of the modern day.

The collection explored the possibilities of expressing individuality through clothing in the context of the world around us, reinstating a founding principle of FRANCEKISS: to love ourselves and to love something bigger than ourselves. Each look told its own story through carefully crafted elements like bold graphics, reimagined t-shirt silhouettes, and styling that emphasized the uniqueness of each model. “Pont des Arts” represents cross-cultural unity and collaboration and was repeated as a central theme in the collection, sometimes shortened to the flirty “PDA”. The landmark itself and the focus on wardrobe staples underscored the communal spirit central to FRANCEKISS by making the spectacle accessible for all on the bridge. Models walked 7 tours of the bridge, making the show last between 30 to 40 minutes allowing time for the spectacle to become noticeable and fully immerse the public.

Ending on the 30th of September, Andreas committed himself to a nine-month performance wearing only blue jeans and white shirts. As he produced the collection, this deepened his connection to the symbolism behind each garment. White has long been a symbol of purity and blue of peace, inside and outside of the realm of fashion. Its use in clothing therefore communicates the wearer’s openness towards others, new relationships, and beginnings. While Andreas refers to Raf Simons SS99 show Kinetic Youth as inspiration for the line-up of all-white shirts, and certainly FRANCEKISS maintains anarchist elements its approach is much more accessible, easy-going, and universal. The iconic typography of Ann Demeuelemeester’s SS98 Corps Humain was a detail reinterpreted and reimagined in the Pont Des Arts collection. While the show was guerrilla, it was a joyful event made engaging by the number of passers-by coincidentally prepared for the dress code.

Andreas concentrated on blue in the form of denim as a tribute to its invention in France. However, while trompe l’œil evoked the look of jeans, the unexpectedly skin-tight silhouettes made it instantly noticeable that no denim was used in the collection. The choice to source second-hand ‘jeggings’, customizing their shape and adding the FRANCEKISS logo patch, was not a proposal of something new but his latest form of fashion recycling. Furthermore, it celebrates the rise in popularity of vintage shopping in cities like Paris with vibrant youth culture. In each step forward for FRANCEKISS, he’s proud to take in what no other brand would and give garments new meaning rather than continue the cycle of overproduction.

Andreas’ girlfriend inspired him to become curious about the concept of presenting his collection as a performance, from there the idea of people wearing white shirts saying ‘Pont des Arts’ while walking on the famous bridge came to life. FRANCEKISS provided no background music for the show, so the regular accordion player of Pont des Arts to set the tone while tourists murmured excitedly as they became aware of the show. Other than welcoming the public, the show attracted other young designers and other aspiring fashion professionals to support Andreas, as well as designers Julien EA and Theotim Tastet who have been major contributors to the collection. The casual setting of the show allowed them to connect as each look passed by, a manifestation of FRANCEKISS’ goal to celebrate and unite youth culture. Days before SS25 Paris Fashion Week begins, the presentation proposes a new direction for the next generation of the fashion industry, one that centres around community and inclusivity.

Later,

Eliya

Photo credits: Mathéo, Sleeper, Sebastián, Jozue Anthony, Wissam, Yacine Ouelhadj