Supima Design Lab: Charles de Vilmorin, American talent and new generation Hyères

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Oct 22, 2021

One happy biproduct of the gradual end of the global lockdown was the chance to witness this week in Paris the latest ideas at Supima Design Lab with almost a score of talented designers.

 
Many of the designers were initially presented the previous weekend at Hyeres, the international fashion, accessories and photography festival that is Europe’s most important award for graduate design talent.
 
Thought the star of the tri-part presentation was very much Charles de Vilmorin, one of six creators in a leading designers and brands section. All participants in Supima Design Lab produce their looks exclusively in this rare cotton.

Wunderkind de Vilmorin showed a black and white hand-printed explosion of hearts, cruciform and lotus flowers in an enveloping and multi-bow dress that was marvelous. And highlighted the flexibility of Supima, the cashmere of cotton, grown in the southwestern states of the United States. Standing alongside a great mock futurist all-white clubber ensemble by Jordan Bowen & Luca Marchetto of the brand JordanLuca with a flight jacket laced up at the back, plaid skirt with a pleated back and sewn up pants. Also impressing was Tom Van Der Borght with a layered ceremonial dress with repetitive sequined blob patterns.
 

“It’s magical how many ideas designers can come with ideas of how to use Supima, in terms of finish, construction and innovation. We could not be prouder than to see our fabrics used so inventively by this new generation of designers,” commented Supima Vice President Buxton Midyette.
 
Staged inside the historic Hôtel de La Salle, a historic mansion in Paris' Saint-Germain district, the display also featured eight finalists from Hyeres, including the eventual Grand Prize winner Ifeanyi Okwuadi, who made an intriguing mock military jacket in black cable knit of Supima, as well as three other prize winners: Elina Silina, Rukpong Raimaturapong and Sofia Ilmonen, winners of the Chloe Prize, Le 19M Metiers d’Arts Chanel Prize and Mercedes-Benz Sustainability Prize respectively.
 
Though the most remarkable creation was a combination between a designer and fine artist - Laima Jurca & Marta Veinberga – who jointly whipped up a fantastic patchwork puffer and matching skirt featuring mashed up supermarket product images and farm animals. Even had a pair of matching boots – in Supima of course.
 
There was also a display by six finalists of the latest Supima Design Competition for emerging talents from America’s top design schools, led by the 2021 winner Yuki Xu of Rhode Island School of Design, and five other young hopefuls: Alana Tolliver, Bora Kim, Cat Pfingst, Jiarui Cai and Yitao Li.
 
Allied with video screens showing the recent Hyères combined show, and a cartoon retouched display of a video showing the Fifth Avenue site of Supima’s US final, and it all made for a fresh take of fashion using a first-rate fabric.