LA NARCISSE
Laura Gauthier Petit, the brand's founder and artistic director, continues to develop the fundamentals of Fête Impériale's identity.
Fête Impériale is part of an emerging trend of young labels redefining "savoir-faire" and advocating locally manufactured luxury with a slow-fashion approach. The collection entitled La NARCISSE is a celebration of a generational renaissance, striving to remain in the spirit of individuality.
The collection showcases characters who traverse the pitfalls of vanity, occult dress codes, witchcraft and avatars.
"We are like magicians of the moment, we can create these perfect images of ourselves. There are two sides of the mirror rolled into one in our reality, which can be very exciting but also fraught with loneliness."
The collection opens with structured pieces, as if constructed like protective layers, with oversized jackets and Victorian sleeves in a nod to the highly personal style of French writers such as Simone de Beauvoir and Marguerite Duras. Couture techniques such as padding, smocking and draping are used throughout the collection, along with la Maison's signature prints. The fabrics deployed on the collection mix the noble and the synthetic, including wool, silk and a coated vinyl. "I wanted to work with the idea of surfaces, mirrors and shine to reflect the notion of glamour. The word has Celtic origins in essence, meaning to blind or create through light and reflect an opposite reality. Almost making others see the desired side and not the hidden side."