On January 19, 2023, the Louis Vuitton fall-winter 2023-2024 fashion show highlighted the work of Colm Dillane. A great first for the French fashion house that has been inspired by the world of Virgil Abloh until now. Having not yet found a successor, Louis Vuitton decided to involve different designers in the development of several collections. Other major houses have already called on “guests” such as Jean Paul Gaultier and AZ Factory. For Louis Vuitton, the approach echoes the philosophy of its late artistic director. Before his death, Virgil Abloh was working with LVMH to create a platform to launch new labels and form partnerships with various brands.
This year, it was Colm Dillane who initiated the beginning of this creative process. His journey is more than inspiring: “If I did it, anyone can do it too! … I didn’t know anyone in fashion. When I first signed up to participate in Paris Fashion Week, I almost did it as a joke because I was sure it was impossible. I was rejected three times. But as soon as I got rejected, I felt even more motivated because I knew that they had taken the trouble to look at my work. My concern was that I would be invisible and that what I was doing would not be taken into consideration. But I realized that we were in the right place at the right time and that everything would work out in the end. The universe always has a better plan than ours… Today, I’m winning awards and finally participating in Paris Fashion Week.”
A few days after his collaboration with Louis Vuitton, Colm Dillane presented the collection of his label at the Casino de Paris on January 21, 2023. A colorful show combining comedy, stand-up, and fashion. This great master of the show invited many personalities on stage, including actress and ex-model Tyra Banks but also the comedians Yvonne Orji, Jeff Ross, Stavros Halkias and many others. A show between sharp humor and crazy collection. Colm Dillane breaks the rules and imposes his freedom.
We remember his spring-summer 2023 show where the colors flew. Named Superby’s, a nod to the auction house Sotheby’s, he organized an auction live from his show. The silhouettes were inspired by the 23 paintings sold. The bids even went up to 200,000 euros, with all profits donated to an association.
Colm Dillane, the enfant terrible of fashion, continues to believe that everything is possible, and he proved it once again during his last show in Paris. To be continued!
Flora di Carlo