Paris Fashion Week’s latest edition, as usual, has left several memorable moments, and among them is the show of the Swiss label PROTOTYPES, founded and creatively directed by Laura Beham and Callum Pigdeon, in which they presented their latest work: “SERIE 07”.
That this is happening with a relatively young company is to be applauded, especially when some of the world’s most important fashion houses are on the same calendar and obviously don’t have the same resources that any of them do.
After multiple trips by van from Zürich to Paris and back, days without sleep, and, of course, a lot of work, the designer duo has finally received the recognition they deserve, and no wonder, because all their designs are not only avant-garde, in terms of silhouette and design, but also sustainable; something that is highly valued nowadays.
Of all of the above and more, we spoke with Laura and Callum. So, read on and find out everything they told us:
Hey guys! Thank you for being here. We understand you have moved to Paris. How is life there so far?
Yes, we are very excited to be here! So far everything has been amazing and we’ve been very busy, but that always happens when you move to a new city and find a new environment full of opportunities, where everything is fresh and inspiring. We are looking forward to having some free time and discovering Paris better, even though we already have our trusty places. It’s going to be good to have moved.
Why did you move?
Moving to Paris was something we had been thinking about for a while. The label was growing and it made sense for us to move to a bigger city that was better connected to the industry. We came from Zürich (Switzerland), where we are still based, and will be going back and forth for a while. We like the city very much.
Would you say it’s determinant for a designer to be in one of the main fashion cities to develop their career?
Not at all! You can be a designer from anywhere. It’s not determinant to be working from a smaller city. There are many interesting cities beyond the main ones (as far as fashion is concerned) such as Paris, Milan, and London. We love Madrid, we think it’s an amazing city to live in. We are looking forward to going back. The same with Marseille.
On a label level, we think the situation changes, because it’s true that we have to stick to one calendar or another. That’s another reason why we decided to move to Paris. From here everything is easier, partly because we are in the EU, which is where we produce and present our collections. No more packing everything in a van and driving for hours, as we used to do when we had a scheduled show or showroom.
Zürich has been your place for years. Do you miss it?
Neither of us is from there, but we do miss Zürich a lot, especially now that it’s summer and it’s hot. We miss going to any of the lakes and swimming while admiring the snow-capped mountains. Everything looks perfect when the sun comes out and the sky is completely blue. The colour palette there is beautiful and suits the city perfectly.
There you worked for one of the most transgressive fashion houses of the last decade: VETEMENTS. How do you remember that time?
We remember it very fondly because that’s where we met while sharing a desk. It was an amazing and crazy time. Being a part of that is something we won’t forget and we will carry it with pride. We respect Demna and Guram a lot and we still keep in touch with them.
It was great to work for a fashion house like VETEMENTS, although when we were there it wasn’t as big as it is now. The team was very small and we think that made it even more special. That’s partly why we learned so much.
GURAM GVASALIA
What did you learn?
Everything, like anyone in any job who is willing to learn.
Back to Paris, you recently held your show during fashion week. How do you feel?
We feel very happy but at the same time quite tired. It’s a lot of emotions together. We honestly want to sleep (laughs). We’ve hardly had time to rest or stop. We moved to Paris a month before the show, so you can imagine how crazy it was. We still don’t know how it was possible.
Some friends attended and told us it was a success. What did you do after the show? Did you celebrate as it deserved?
Actually, we didn’t have a party, on the contrary. When the show was over, we had to pick up everything with the rest of the team and take it to the showroom, where we uncorked a bottle of champagne before preparing everything for the next day, as we started to have visits and calls. So no, we haven’t had time to have a party, but we plan to do something at the end of July.
From our point of view, you are offering a new approach to sporty style. Do you think so?
Thank you! Maybe yes. In the “SERIE 07” collection there are a lot of football references and we wanted to play with the players’ uniforms. We love this sport that has been in our lives for so long, that we feel it as something of our own. We think there is something magical about it because it brings people together, regardless of their socio-economic status.
It’s not the first time we have been inspired by the world of football, we did it in the previous collection, but from a more honest perspective. Now we approach it from the point of view of the audience and the society itself, where the shapes, the proportions, and the colour black stand out.
Can black be a happy color instead of a sad one?
Absolutely! The colour black, at first, is usually associated with sad emotions or with a method to camouflage and become invisible, but it all depends on the way it is worn. If mixed with other colours it can become completely different and that sad emotion can turn into another one.
The colour we are talking about was the most seen in the garments of your last proposal. Let’s talk about them now. Of all these, which were the most complex to produce?
The most complex garments to produce were the latex or handmade ones. The football flag dress was quite difficult; it was all hand-sewn. The liquid latex England T-shirt was also very complex because it is handmade and was custom-made on the model’s body. We finished drying it shortly before the show. It seemed like that moment was never going to come.
Is any of the aforementioned the one you have enjoyed doing the most?
Yes, the flag dress is our favourite and the one we enjoyed doing the most. It felt special to us, also because a friend of ours wore it on the catwalk. We knew we wanted her to wear it.
One of the reasons your designs stand out is that they are made from dead stock. How important is sustainability to you?
Sustainability is very important to us. All our designs are 100% based on this concept and made with upcycling and downcycling techniques. We support the cause, right down to the packaging and labels, made from recycled plastic.
Going back to the clothes, as you say, they are all made from dead stock, either from other brands or suppliers or from different military, public service, or football uniforms. Nothing is new or born from any custom fabric.
Do you think sustainability is getting the importance it deserves?
Fortunately, sustainability is getting more and more attention. From our point of view, we believe that the fashion industry should take more responsibility for the waste that is produced. It’s all about education, and just as people were educated a while ago in terms of food, now it’s time to do the same with clothing. Customers must be aware of how and where the clothes they buy have been produced. Surely, if they knew, many of them would consider whether to buy from that establishment or another.
The conversation about sustainability is not over, we need to keep talking about it. As present as it is, there is still a lot to do. We, as a company, try to contribute to the cause as much as we can and we will continue to do so. Big brands should do the same.
Is the fashion industry a bit fake?
Of course, it is. It’s a fake industry and not transparent at all, and that needs to be talked about and changed, but this is not the moment, because if we were to go into it in depth, this interview could last for hours. Nowadays everything seems to be bought and very few express their true opinion.
For the press, it should be more courageous. If it were, everything would be different.
At the same show, you debuted with footwear. Tell us more!
Yes, indeed, it was our debut in footwear and we presented three different styles, all of them inspired by the world of football. It was something we were looking forward to doing and we think it can be seen in the final product.
Like we said, there are three models, the sock shoe, the football ballerina (which we plan to make in all sizes), and the kitten heels, made so far up to size 43 but in the future we would like to make them up to size 45, to be totally inclusive.
Was it difficult to find the perfect factory for the shoes?
It wasn’t as difficult as we expected, because we were very lucky to have a good contact who put us in touch with a factory in Italy. There they make footwear with quite revolutionary techniques, which can be seen for example in the sock shoe, made with a type of knit that shrinks with heat and is then applied to the determined base. It is like putting a sock on a football boot.
PROTOTYPES has many followers, including several celebrities, some of whom have worn your designs. To what extent does the celebrity factor influence the growth of a brand?
Having celebrities wear a brand’s clothes helps a lot, especially in gaining visibility, and anyone who says otherwise is lying. Visibility is very important at the beginning, but it is not everything. Don’t just focus on celebrities wearing your designs, there are many equally interesting people such as artists, musicians, and athletes, with whom you share values and mentality.
In our case, we feel very loved and supported by the community. Many of them were at our last show and it was great to see them all there.
Who is your favourite artist?
We can’t tell you just one, but the first that comes to mind is Anna Uddenberg. We love her and we need more strong female artists.
And musician?
If we talk about musicians, we have to mention YE. He has been a great mentor for us and has supported us from the beginning, not only ourselves but also many others. He is a visionary and we are very grateful to him.
We also like Nina Hagen very much. She is very inspiring.
BIANCA CENSORI & YE
YE values your work and vision highly. Do you think others do the same?
Hopefully yes! Although you’d have to ask them.
Finally, do you expect anything from the fashion industry?
We expect it to be more transparent, accessible, and to care for and educate the younger generation. The latter is very important because nowadays very few of the younger generation want to work as a seamstress or pattern makers. They all want to be either a creative director or an influencer, and they forget how important factory jobs are.
At the moment, many factories in Europe are closing down because of a lack of people who want to do that. Craftsmanship is very important and we have to try together not to let it die out. That way no more factories will close down.
