At the Palais de Tokyo, a building that has witnessed decades of cultural transformation, Études Studio presented Short Term Eternity, its Spring/Summer 2027 collection. Staged within the Galerie Basse and framed by artist David Douard’s installation of shifting screen-printed blinds, the show unfolded as a meditation on urban mutation, fragility, and the traces we leave behind.
For Collection No. 29, founders Jérémie Egry and Aurélien Arbet continued the label’s long-standing dialogue between fashion, art, and architecture through a collaboration with the estate of artist Gordon Matta-Clark. The American artist, known for his radical interventions into abandoned buildings during the 1970s, became the conceptual foundation of the season. “We always start with the figure of an artist or a movement that inspires us,” explained the designers backstage following the show. “This season, we wanted to work around the idea of the city and its evolution. That’s why we thought about Gordon Matta-Clark.”
Matta-Clark’s practice challenged conventional notions of permanence by physically cutting into structures destined for demolition, revealing hidden layers within the urban fabric. His influence could be felt throughout the collection, not only through direct references to his “Art Cards” but also through the garments themselves, which appeared marked by time, transformation, and use. The title Short Term Eternity, borrowed from one of Matta-Clark’s notes, feels particularly resonant today. Reflecting on its relevance, Egry and Arbet described it as a phrase that captures the contradictions of contemporary life. “It was written in the 1970s, but it’s still very relevant,” they said. “We are all in a moment where time feels uncertain. Things move very quickly, but at the same time we’re constantly questioning what the future will be.”Rather than offering nostalgia or certainty, the collection proposed a more optimistic response to instability. Through their collaboration with Matta-Clark’s estate, the designers sought to channel an energy rooted in creativity and collective possibility.
“We don’t have a lot of time here,” they reflected. “So let’s make it something interesting, creative, and positive.” That tension between permanence and transience was echoed in the clothes. Études has long operated in the space between tailoring and utility, and this season sharpened that conversation. Structured outerwear sat alongside softened jackets and workwear-inspired separates. Technical zippers, removable elements, and functional pockets introduced adaptability, while precise cuts maintained a sense of refinement.
“All our work is about tension between two things,” said the duo. “Duality is the way we work.” It is a duality that feels embedded in the DNA of the brand. Workwear and tailoring, durability and elegance, structure and ease coexist without cancelling one another out. Instead, they create garments that respond to the realities of contemporary life.
“We want to create a wardrobe that is relevant today,” they explained. “It should be durable and functional, but also elegant and something you genuinely want to wear.”The collection’s materials reinforced this layered approach. Tailoring appeared in textured wool-viscose blends, linen, and washed silk, while denim underwent overdyeing, acid washes, resin treatments, and spray applications that evoked weathered city walls. Knitwear explored texture through bouclé wool, jacquards, and open-knit constructions, creating surfaces that felt both lived-in and evolving.
The setting itself became an extension of the narrative. Douard’s installation continuously altered the audience’s perspective, opening and closing sightlines as models moved through the space. Like Matta-Clark’s architectural interventions, the installation challenged assumptions about solidity and permanence. When asked what feeling they hoped audiences would leave with, the designers initially resisted reducing the collection to a single word. They spoke instead about the fragility of architecture, the importance of time, and the significance of the choices we make within it.Yet after a moment of reflection, one word emerged. “Mutation.” It is perhaps the most fitting conclusion to Short Term Eternity. Not destruction, not preservation, but transformation. In a moment when cities, identities, and cultural landscapes seem to be constantly shifting, Études Studio proposes a wardrobe that embraces change rather than resists it. Through Matta-Clark’s enduring influence, the collection reminds us that beauty often lies not in permanence, but in the ongoing process of becoming.
