New designer Alain Paul unveils his first collection at Paris Fashion Week
Alain Paul has collaborated with designers Demna Gvasalia and Virgil Abloh , founded his own brand, and participated in Paris Fashion Week.
Fashion is also a design language. Designers use clothing to express their own ideas and aesthetics. Designer Alain Paul founded a fashion brand, joined Joyce, and came to Hong Kong to share his journey as a fashion designer with everyone.
You may not know that Alain Paul was born in Hong Kong and has a special deep affection for this place. He moved to France with his family at the age of nine, and then enrolled in the Opéra École National Supérieur de Danse de Marseille , where he began his ballet career. His identity and experience as a dancer gave him a deep and personal understanding of the ballet style, which he then incorporated into his fashion brand.
After graduation, Alain joined the newly established fashion brand Vetements and worked under the guidance of Demna Gvasalia, co-founder of the brand and chief designer of Balenciaga. After that, he also collaborated with Virgil Abloh and implemented his design philosophy in the Louis Vuitton studio. Collaborating with these heavyweights in the fashion industry has broadened Alain's design vision and given him a deeper understanding and interpretation of fashion.
The core of the ALAINPAUL brand revolves around a conceptual approach that aims to choreograph clothing around the body to evoke emotions. The designer's personal relationship with the art of dance, deeply rooted in the world of dance, becomes a strong inspiration for his creative expression. This childhood dream of becoming a choreographer not only influences his approach to clothing and styling, but also shapes his perspective on stage settings. This vision goes beyond a simple theme - it forms one of the brand's fundamental principles.
This aesthetic approach is very personal to Alain Paul. Dance is not just about movement, but also about gesture, artistic expression, discipline, elegance and rigor. These elements have become the cornerstones of the brand’s approach and vocabulary.
ALAINPAUL explores contemporary wardrobes, interpreting them with fine fabrics – wool tweed for tailoring, cotton suede, silk, nylon, organic amber cotton, tulle, leather – combined with dancers’ wardrobes. “For my first collection, I tried to reveal the nuances of a dancer working in the studio. I researched classic uniforms, warm-up suits, rehearsal outfits, as well as the layered garments and stage costumes worn by contemporary dancers,” says Alain .
After seven years of reflection, conceptualization, drawing and dreaming, ALAINPAUL debuted his collection, titled " La Première ", at the 2023 fashion show at the Théâtre du Châtelet during Paris Fashion Week. For his first collection for Spring/Summer 2024 , Alain Paul approaches costume design through the fundamental principles of ballet that form the basis of his understanding of clothing. Staged at the Théâtre du Châtelet , the collection was structured according to the institution's three dress codes - Arrival, Rehearsal, Premiere - as a technical exploration that transforms the ballet wardrobe from rigorous to spectacular.
