As the pandemic plunges the fashion industry into a period of uncertainty, a young stylist, Charles de Vilmorin, is blowing a wind of creativity and freshness on the sector. At the age of 23, he had the audacity to launch his first collection; exuberant, poetic, luminous and colorful, it was immediately noticed. Immersion in the universe of this very promising designer.
Discovered on Instagram, the silhouettes of Charles de Vilmorin have created a visual explosion. Like a psychedelic trip, they plunge us into an ocean of colors in movement, dreamlike and whimsical. In a few photos, he has conquered the fashion planet. Surreal faces, surrealistic, multicolored flowers and hearts sewn or painted on XXL unisex jackets, and coats worn on printed leggings bring out a universe in the crossroads between Alice in Wonderland and Guns ‘N’ Roses. His theatrical aesthetic reflects a sense of dramaturgy that reminds us of John Galliano’s Dior years, combined with the extravagance of the creations of Kansai Yamamoto, a great master of Japanese fashion who recently passed away.
With its oversized and conquering silhouettes, Vilmorin’s collection is a real virtual show that transports us to a free and fantastic world, rich in references and inspirations: Niki de Saint Phalle, Klimt, Chagall and Odilon Redon are among the artists who have inspired this young man at the pace of Yves Saint Laurent. His clothes, beyond their aesthetics and strong identity, carry a message, like an ode to love, to tolerance and openness: “These faces represent ageless beings, without gender, without origin, simply beings who love and kiss each other. I think that today we are a generation that is tending more and more towards this opening. These faces represent the total freedom to be the way we want to be. The colors and volumes come from a desire for light, a desire to have, and to be farsighted, to shout out this freedom through clothing and exuberance.”
Fashion has always flowed in the veins of Charles de Vilmorin, who finds in drawing and clothing the means to express the things that are important to him. Initiated into art by his parents, he was immersed very early in an environment conducive to the development of his art: his mother is a painter like other members of his family. From the age of 10 years old, he composed outfits for his little sister and designed dresses for to dress… bouquets of flowers!
During college, he was interned to Alber Elbaz at Lanvin. Later, over the four years spent at the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne, which he joined at the age of 19, he exhibited his sketches and design prototypes on Instagram, showing a singular aesthetic.
“My inspirations are before all my relatives, my friends, their strong personalities. Painting and cinema are also major inspirations, such as the music that particularly helps me to create. It plunges me into a world of colors and movement,” says the creator. His codes are also marked by the aesthetics of a childhood spent in houses with busy, flowery and colorful décors. His great aunt is none other than writer and screenwriter Louise de Vilmorin, author of Madame de…, who was also known for her famous blue lounge in her castle of Verrières-le-Buisson where she welcomed all the intelligentsia of the time.
However, far from focusing on the past, Charles de Vilmorin’s gaze is that of a young man greedy for the imagery of his time and well anchored in the present. One of his major sources of inspiration is the movement of society. For him, “Clothing only has meaning if it reflects its time, its codes, its debates and its discoveries. Without society and its evolution, fashion would have no interest.” The choice to adopt a responsible approach by proposing his models in is another illustration of his willingness to respond to the needs of his customers and to the challenges of today’s world.
If Charles de Vilmorin can sew a garment in one go, as if it were a drawing, using his favorite techniques of painting on fabric, drawing, painting on canvas, and patchwork and printing, the volumes are obtained thanks to a meticulous work of overstitching that gives relief to the pattern. Having designed and realized his collection before quarantine, on the floor in his small studio in the 17th arrondissement, Charles de Vilmorin took advantage of the weeks of confinement that followed to prepare for its release. Immediately spotted by Jean-Charles of Castelbajac, the collection has aroused the interest of Loïc Prigent and several other influential fashion journalists. The success it has enjoyed has allowed Charles de Vilmorin to move to a more spacious workshop to work on his many upcoming projects. Among these is a small collection that is more visually accessible, scheduled for September, and ongoing collaborations with several artists. As for his new collection, it should be released in January and, if circumstances in the world permit, this will be his first real show! Charles de Vilmorin’s dreams have only just begun, and in these times of uncertainty, they carry within them the promise of dressing the future in color and fantasy.
https://www.charlesdevilmorin.fr/
Icebreaking Questions
The main trait of your character?
Curiosity.
Your main defect?
My lack of organization.
Your motto?
I don’t have a precise motto, or rather, I have one per day, but my watchwords to move forward are: audacity, humility and confidence.
Your idea of elegance?
Elegance is above all personality.
Your current state of mind?
I want to always go further and create more and better.
