Sarah Burton unveils her first menswear collection for Givenchy, Issey Miyake celebrates bamboo

Paris - British designer Sarah Burton presented her first-ever menswear collection for Givenchy on Thursday, during Paris Fashion Week Men's.

Blending her mastery of tailoring with the history of the French luxury house, the 52-year-old designer made her debut on the official schedule of the capital's menswear Fashion Week.

Three distinct worlds

At the brand's premises, where the presentation took place, the collection was divided into three spaces.

The first space featured perfectly cut double-breasted suits, wide-leg trousers and shirts with detachable collars. These were complemented by bomber jackets, biker jackets and coats adorned with floral embroidery on denim looks.

One of these outfits was accessorised with a pendant featuring three figures. One of them referenced the house's founder, Hubert de Givenchy, who was recognisable by his white coat and the glasses in his pocket.

The second space showcased all-leather tracksuits, available in intense shades of blue, yellow and candy pink.

In the haute couture section, the immaculate white suit worn by French-American actor Timothée Chalamet at the last Oscars ceremony was notably on display.

Issey Miyake pays homage to bamboo

Japanese house Issey Miyake unveiled the latest collection from its IM MEN label, titled “In Praise of Bamboo Shadows”. The collection is an ode to the lightness and shadows of bamboo foliage.

At the Césure cultural centre, around 40 models walked the runway in very fluid, oversized ensembles. The collection featured mostly muted tones, such as white, black, brown, sage green, aniseed and fir green, before a few appearances of royal blue and fuchsia pink.

The bamboo theme runs through the collection's techniques and patterns. These included a long white coat with black shadows and tops reminiscent of assembled bamboo leaves that revealed the body. The collection also featured trousers with a woven pattern in shades of brown and two long, openwork coats with interwoven horizontal and vertical stripes.

“The silhouettes ripple like waves. The lines overlap and merge. Figure and ground intertwine. A flickering presence between absence and reality,” explained a statement from the line. The collection is directed by Sen Kawahara, Yuki Itakura and Nobutaka Kobayashi, three members of the Miyake Design Studio.

The headwear included newsboy caps and conical hats that fell to eye level. There were also stems resembling bamboo, which were assembled to form wide-brimmed hats.