All photos by Sonnyphotos
The 99% Rise Up: Matières Fécales Seizes Place de la République
Last night Matières Fécales did something no one had done before: they staged a fashion show on the Place de la République. Paris’s great square of protest and celebration became a runway. What could be more fitting for a house that has always treated fashion as a political act?
Last season, The One Percent looked at the world through Hannah Rose Dalton’s background. This time the lens turned to the other half of the duo, Steven Raj Bhaskaran, with The Ninety-Nine Percent. It was his story, deeply personal and told with his family beside him: his mother Grace, his sister Shandeal and his niece Vihanna. It was a portrait of the many, set against the few, and it was epic
Act One: The Procession. Steven led the opening himself in a quasi-religious procession of white, black, blush pink and rust. Face veils, monastic robes and kurtas marked with crosses carried echoes of Hindu, Christian and Muslim traditions. Distressed trench coats were bound with bondage straps. Sari-inspired gowns in draped silk taffeta had a haunting beauty that brought McQueen’s Voss to mind. It was sacred and subversive at once.
Act Two: The Street. Then the mood shifted to the barricades. Bomber jackets, crocodile leather suits and hoodies were emblazoned with “RESIST” and “UNCENSORED.” It was urban, defiant and razor-sharp, and it could not have been better placed than on this square.
Act Three: The Noise. The finale was pure punk and metal. Death-metal graphics sat on skinny denim, balaclavas were paired with near-nudity, and models in bodycon dresses carried the French tricolour. That flag has flown over countless demonstrations in this square, and it stopped my heart.
The atmosphere was electric. A crowd of editors, fans and curious passers-by gathered under the Marianne statue, and the energy felt more like a rally than a runway show.
And yes, we waited. Rihanna kept all of us on the square for a full hour. When she finally arrived in a blazing blood-orange co-ord, the crowd erupted. Was it worth it? With a show like this one, I’d say every minute.
Matières Fécales keep proving that beauty and provocation are not opposites. Hannah and Steven have now given us both halves of their story, the one percent and the ninety-nine. I can’t wait to see where they take us next.
Later,
Diane
