Shein France runway show: Where designer pieces meet everyday wear

What do the looks created by Mathilde Lhomme, Eddie Corps, and Mohammad Hossein Mahjouri – emerging designers showcased at the Shein France runway show last week – look like?

Just days before Paris Fashion Week, the Shein France show took place at the Pavillon Vendôme, once again disrupting industry norms. Ironically, the show was titled 'New Codes'.

New codes, because the concept involved blending original creations with off-the-rack clothing and accessories from Shein. A clever way to fuse designer pieces with fast fashion.

This was exemplified by Mathilde Lhomme, who presented three of the most glamorous silhouettes. Lhomme, a stylist and costume designer for cabaret (she designed the costumes for the Barrière casinos show). For the red total look, she designed the bustier. The rest (skirt, boa, gloves, etc.) is Shein's work. The same goes for the bustier (garter belt look) and the feather trousers, which she designed herself.

As a participant in the Shein X competition, Mathilde Lhomme has a showcase on the platform, visible to 150 international markets. Her total looks include an oversized belted blazer made from polyester/viscose for less than 52 dollars, and an asymmetric dress made from polyester for less than thirteen euros.

Another intriguing case is that of Mexican designer Eddie Corps, who sought to reinterpret French couture heritage, at a time when others were all saying ‘we're not forgetting the heritage of French fashion and we're mixing it with more contemporary, urban pieces’.

His cape coat and two jackets, one with pointed shoulders, evoke the image of a couture-clad woman, a touch of the courtesan, on her way to the Opera. The rest of the outfit is by Shein.

For those interested, Eddie Corps will be showcasing his collection in the town of Asnières- a place seemingly keen on forging links between the fashion world and its residents- on Friday, September 27 2024, at 8 pm, during Paris Fashion Week.

Could it be that Shein's power comes from the fact that the brand now embodies the Vox Populi?

Iranian-born Mohammad Hossein Mahjouri, for his part, turned away from the path laid out by his family to take up fashion. The end result? His cape-coat, adorned with jewels made using 3D, worn over a transparent top from Shein at a time when women in his country are fighting to be able to (just) remove their veils. As for her white jumpsuit, it was inspired by the underground miners of northern France.

What are we to make of a show that uses young designers to showcase pieces that are already on the market (at divisive prices and under divisive conditions)? Perhaps it's a reflection of what the middle and working classes do: mix a high-end accessory (a bag, for example) with cheap pieces from a commercial brand or second-hand finds.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR, translated and edited into English.

It was translated using an AI tool called Gemini 1.5.

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