Andreas Kronthaler offers more than mere theatrics at Paris Fashion Week with a collection that looks at the blurring of history, class and gender roles
‘Sous le Ciel de Paris’
Vivienne Westwood is one of the last remaining independent global fashion companies in the world, and – for his fourteenth collection as creative director of the brand – Andreas Kronthaler invited an audience to join him sous le ciel de Paris for the Spring/Summer 2023 show.
Staged during Paris Fashion Week at La Gaîté Lyrique in the Marais district, ‘Sous le Ciel de Paris’ was also the title for the show, with Kronthaler saying that «this collection is my dream. I couldn’t explain it to Vivienne, she didn’t know, I just had to do it. I walked out of my house and thought I was in Paris: something in the sky made me realize how much I wanted to be there». He’s referring to this summer, which Kronthaler spent in London. During this time, he lost himself in Katharine Rundell’s biography, Super-Infinite: The Transformations of John Donne. Known for being a discerning dresser who understood the power of clothes, John Donne was the poet for James I in the late fifteenth century and became Kronthaler’s central reference point for this show.
The collection of a dream
Consequently, Renaissance extravagance opened the collection of Kronthaler’s dreams: a patent leather dress styled with thigh-high, crystal-encrusted boots. It was both a contemporary and tongue-in-cheek nod to the poet, and set the theatrical scene for the collection. From skirt-hemmed blazers resembling Renaissance-style jackets to sleeved bodices and corsets for men, «John Donne understood that when we get dressed we ask something of the world», the show notes explained.
Asking to be seen, over-the-top footwear and accessories continued the drama of the looks in true Vivienne Westwood style. From dangling Eiffel Tower earrings, metallic masks and oversized headdresses to the vertiginous mock-crocodile platforms that proliferated the catwalk throughout, the collection played with the opulence and exaggeration typical of the Renaissance era and arguably typical of Vivienne Westwood.
When we get dressed we ask something of the world
Despite the histrionic reference point as well as being hosted in an actual theater, the show explored themes deeper than mere theatrics. With both womenswear and menswear looks presented one at a time on a simple, circular stage at the center of the venue, the focus was pulled onto the clothes and what they stand for.
The Vivienne Westwood website states that «we use our collections, collaborations and catwalk shows as a platform to promote awareness and campaign for a better world». As such, only two fabrics were commissioned for this show: the brocades from Stephen Walters, an English silk weaver, and a silk jacquard with stars on, reproduced from a Worth gown. The rest of the collection was made up of deadstock fabrics as well as pieces from Kronthaler’s own wardrobe, an element which he also incorporated into his show the previous season. While some second-hand items were upcycled into new pieces, one holey T-shirt originally printed with a portrait of Donne had been cheekily face swapped to an image of Kronthaler.
«Playing with historical references, looking at the past. Vivienne has always done this», Kronthaler explained. «I have stuff from the Eighties when I was really young. You can’t get this quality any more. They’re falling to pieces but I thought ‘I’m going to put some prints and embroideries on them and just use them’ […] In the end, it looks like the Renaissance». Kronthaler’s old vests, T-shirts, sweaters and even underwear were repaired and reconditioned for this collection. The underwear gave way to knitted jockstraps, risqué chaps and a Renaissance-style cup during the show, adding a subversive undercurrent to a collection that looked back as much as forward.
Where most fashion brands tread cautiously around their sustainability efforts, Kronthaler’s punklike approach not only works to reinforce the historical nature of the collection, but also remains characteristic of the Vivienne Westwood brand’s anarchic roots.
«Campaign for a better world»
As well as sharing a name with her eponymous brand, Dame Vivienne Westwood, is equally synonymous with her activism. So much so that the influential fashion designer did not attend her husband’s Paris Fashion Week show this season. Instead, she opted to stay in London in solidarity with the United Kingdom’s national day of strikes. «When prices are rising faster than wages, food, shelter and clothing costs can become devastating for so many», she said in an email.
«We now have growing numbers of people unable to find affordable housing, we have nurses supplementing their living from food banks, we have ambulances marooned outside hospitals with patients inside – our newspapers are full of a growing fear and desperation in society, normal families worried about the future, unable to afford a decent life. It is in this environment that the Unions across the UK are coordinating a national day of strikes, on the day of our show […] to demonstrate for a fair distribution of wealth. I’m staying in London this season to support them: ‘Enough is Enough’».
Vivienne Westwood has consistently used fashion shows to convey a political message. This time, Kronthaler plays out the fight for a fair distribution of wealth amidst the rising cost of living in the United Kingdom against a pertinent backdrop of blurred history, class and gender roles.
The anarchic spirit of Vivienne Westwood
While older generations are more likely to be familiar with Vivienne Westwood’s punk origins, Kronthaler’s shows are also raising awareness with younger audiences who may be less acquainted with the brand’s countercultural beginnings. From this collection’s literal mix of old and new to giving bygone eras a contemporary reimagining, Kronthaler is displaying the Vivienne Westwood values in a way that resonates with today’s world.
Models, for example, wore bright pink lipstick with hair slicked back into a wet-look update on finger waves; a look destined to be recreated in social media tutorials. Singers such as Halsey and Doja Cat were sat front row, while models including Irina Shayk and Bella Hadid took their turn on the Vivienne Westwood catwalk. Hadid, closed the show dressed in an all-white structured jacket with the sleeves rolled up to show matching boxing gloves. Far from being a random reference, all things considered, this was the show’s coup d’état.
While Kronthaler certainly hinted at a softer side to Vivienne Westwood in this collection with the bodices and full-skirts of the Renaissance period, his subversive take on sustainability and overall sartorial power play highlighted that the brand is still – quite literally – ready to fight. The anarchic spirit that underlines the Vivienne Westwood brand remains the same.
Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood
What began in 1971 as a small London boutique called Let It Rock turned into Vivienne Westwood, one of the last independent yet global fashion companies in the world. Dame Vivienne Westwood is both a fashion designer and activist, and met Andreas Kronthaler while teaching at the Vienna School of Applied Art in 1988. They married in 1992, with Kronthaler also becoming her silent design partner. In 2016, Westwood acknowledged his commitment and influence, and he is now creative director of the label.
