Germanier and his “Prelude” collection reinvent fashion through recycling

Last September, the colors and extravagance of Swiss designer Kevin Germanier's eponymous brand made waves at Paris Fashion Week with his collection Les Désastreuses, inspired by the mystical world of zodiac signs, celebrating recycling and young talent. After years in the industry and dressing the biggest pop culture stars—from Lady Gaga to Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Swift—Germanier returns with a new project that remains eco-conscious, a bit less colorful but just as (if not more) intriguing than usual: the collection Prelude, showcasing pieces crafted from recycled materials sourced from several LVMH group maisons. “We didn’t want to do Germanier upcycling, that is, extravagant garments with vibrant colors, but rather more wearable pieces,” explained the designer to Vogue France. Developed in collaboration with Nona Source, a platform for surplus fabric sourcing, and the start-up Weturn, which won the LVMH Innovation Award in 2022, the collection aims for two main goals: offering an attractive yet profitable product range while maintaining the high standards of quality and sophistication that LVMH is known for.

No fewer than seven LVMH group maisons provided Germanier with unsold garments from multiple collections. But that’s not all: he also has access to fabric scraps from a platform created through an LVMH international intrapreneurship program. Some items, like a jacket made from a homogeneous fabric, are crafted from textiles sourced from multiple Maisons, each with its distinct DNA and style, thanks to specific cutting techniques used to weave new fabrics, as well as unraveling and reknitting to produce new items that appear fresh. The project isn’t limited to textiles either: some metallic elements are also repurposed, cast in resin, and colored with leftover materials. The project is, therefore, rooted in a philosophy of “undoing to remake”, proving it’s possible to produce upcycled pieces while respecting the luxury world’s standards of excellence, especially those of large groups like LVMH.

Part of the collection had already been previewed in December 2023 at the LIFE 360 Summit program at the Maison de l'UNESCO in Paris, but was recently fully unveiled at Paris Fashion Week. “My aim is for every woman to be able to see herself in these new, more sober creations, from the bomber to the chartreuse dress made from a lining,” explains Germanier, justifying this somewhat unexpected stylistic shift, but one made for a good cause. A good cause on which the designer has been working for no less than 4 years, closely monitored and supported by Alexandre Capelli, LVMH Group's environmental deputy. It's a project that the fashion industry should welcome with open arms, at a time when fashion - whether fast, assembly-line or slow, artisanal - and everything that surrounds it inevitably causes environmental damage in spite of itself. It only remains to be seen whether this more thoughtful and conscientious approach to design will achieve the success it deserves with the fashion public, in a context where everything is at your fingertips and new can ring your doorbell at the snap of a finger.