Paris Fashion Week SS22: Denim Highlights

Paris Fashion Week. Arguably the most anticipated week of the fashion calendar, and the first live shows from the city of love did not disappoint. From the ‘too cool for school’ vibes mastered by Eytys and Balenciaga, the directional and unconventional craftsman ship exemplified by Marine Serre and Lutz Hulle through to the seasons most exciting, new designers to watch, Meryll Rogge and Didu, Paris SS22 was one for the books. The denim of Paris fashion week gave us a little taste of the ‘trend’ and silhouette variety we can look forward to in the coming seasons. Although they’re will always be fads and the seasonal ‘it’ item, we see the days of singular, celebrity or influencer set trends fading to the past now that consumers have the ability to find, support the brands, designers and aesthetics of their choice.

Here’s our round up of the most directional, denim-centric shows from the Paris runways:

While much of fashion week was over run by literal interpretations of the industry’s current oughties infatuation, Eytys founder Max Schiller snuck in elevated nods to the late 90’s and early 2000’s while maintaining the denim-centric brands core aesthetics.

The signature chunky silhouettes were slightly refined, tonal ensembles and neutral acid washes feel more grown up and matured, while spray finishes and scratch-off effects keep the cool and casual vibe of the brand front and center.

With streamlined silhouette and wash combinations, easy knitwear pairings, inventive statement pieces and price points bridging the contemporary to designer market, Eytys is quickly becoming the go to denim brand for millennials and Gen Z alike.

See the full collection here.

“Fashion is like music: You don’t need to know the backstory to be able to enjoy it,” Rogge told Vogue writer Laird Borrelli-Persson. The Belgian Designer hitting all the right notes, from perfectly deconstructed and reconstructed pieces, workwear references, utility detailing and joyful pops of color for a collection that just makes you feel good. It is artfully practical, as she explains “Running this small business and being very active, I like to be able to wear practical things. I need to put my phone somewhere, I need to run around, and in Belgium there’s rain.” And as a woman, you don’t have to run a small business or live in Belgium to really appreciate the amount of pocketing in the collection.

See the full collection here.

Unconventional fabric blocking, ballooning blouses, longline silhouettes and paired back styling are how Lutz Huelle is defining ‘going out’ in our post-pandemic world. Everything from the spliced cargo pants and tanks to reworked denim jackets and trench coats are carefully considered and intricatly constructed, but presented in a way that maintains a very casual, everyday attitude. Vogue writer Nicole Phelps described Huelle’s aesthetic best while covering his show, “Though his patterns are complex, they aren’t complicated.”

See the full collection here.

Marine Serre has always had a knack for taking the concept of “repurposing” to the next level, using even more sustainable content in this collection than she ever has before. 45% of the materials in the collection are regenerated, while another 45% are recycled. She continued to build on the brands signature look of clean, patchwork denim with her iconic lasered moon logo over the top, but this season, with a lot more color. Her innovative approach to garment design and textile use speaks for itself as she continues outpace even the industry’s most seasoned designers when it comes to truly impactful, sustainable design.

Marine Serre is not only one of the industry’s most exciting and notable young designers to have made a name for herself over the last couple of years because of her design aesthetic, but because of her seemly wise and beyond her years ideologies.

“I keep being asked, ‘What’s next for fashion?’ But in real life, you see people making what they have last, sharing it with each other. That’s the approach I want to take with the garments, extending them into life. At some point, we might reach a point where we might not need any more garments. And if that’s the case, I know I would have the energy to do something else. So I think maybe that’s the path for a young, engaged brand to take. Right?”

See the full collection here.

Designer Di Du’s designs have been popping up on celebrities like Ariana Grande since before she even graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and soon after global retailers and celeb stylists came knocking on her door. Du’s designs are “A means of illustrating the female form, using tailoring to strengthen the body by strengthening its lines rather than covering it.” A sense of gender fluidity was tightly woven into the collection by the strengthening the female form while softening traditionally masculine silhouettes. From western nods such as lace up closures and leather like patchwork, to logo embroidered, mini wrap skirts and a mod take on the Canadian tux, Di Du is in a lane all of her own and we can’t wait to see how her career and design aesthetics unfolds.

See the full collection here.

The Ottolinger aesthetic of strappy knitwear, contouring cutouts, seam skewing and skin bearing styles have be come the dress code of Gen Z, however those aesthetics have been part of the Berlin based brand since day one. Designers Christa Bösch and Cosima Gadient are not only dominating the industry but pushing it in new directions, solidifying the popularity of their ideas for the future of fashion.

Askew and asymmetrical denim jackets paired with equally skewed jeans felt almost sculptural, while metallics for spring and athleisure inspired combos in rigid fabrications kept us on our toes and reminded us that when it comes to Ottolinger, expect the unexpected.

See the full collection here.

Ludovic De Saint Serin, the designer known for his ultra sex-positive aesthetic came back to the first live fashion week event since the pandemic with a clear massage “I feel like we were in such a digital world for like a year-and-a-half that it was really critical for me to reconnect with physicality and sensuality, in a way that you could almost grab it.”

The brand known for it’s flared jeans and eyelet-laced flies, is having no trouble fitting into the seasons burgeoning love for Y2K trims, detailing and low rises and skin. Serin had been setting the stage for what’s becoming this decades definition of sexy, long before the explosion of sheer shirtings, cut outs and gender neutral sensuality of the SS22 runway season.

Elongated lengths, hem splits, lace up details, perfectly deconstructed weaves on clean dark denims and lightweight weaves give’s the collection an elevated and considered touch.

See the full collection here.

For Dior’s SS22 collection designer Maria Grazia Chiuri tapped Italian artist Anna Paparatti, for a contemporary interpretation of her board-game-inspired Pop art she’d made in the 1960s, giving the collection a mod-pop art vibe.

Clean and classic silhouettes in raw and color blocked raw denim nod to the brands consistency through the ages while chunky, stark white cargo pants printed with bold pops of color exemplify Chiuri’s ability to carry the brand through the moods of current culture. Describing the collection to Vogue, Chiuri explained her design direction as, “Something graphic and clean, minimal and positive. Because I think we have to give an optimistic outlook to the future.”

See the full collection here.