Paris Fashion Week brings a viral moment every season (Coperni Fabrican dress, anyone?), and this time the accolade might just go to Julius and Victor Juul’s Danish label HELIOT EMIL. Why; Because he sent a model on fire down the runway.
This look was a staple of HELIOT EMIL. Covered in head-to-toe black fireproof tech gear, the look was anything but simple, instead a bold statement that set Paris Fashion Week on fire, quite literally. Clutching a toolbox-style bag in hand, the outfit was complete with zips, metal cap laces and large trim, highlighting the silhouettes, textures and patterns that frequented HELIOT EMIL’s Fall/Winter 2023 ‘Connected Forms’ runway collection.
This season was inspired by the architectural, abstract sculptures of Henry Moore. The British artist is known for his work in bronze, and as such, many of his sculptures live on in the open as public art. In turn, the sculptures have developed a natural patina, seeing the irregular shapes become part of the land around them.
Similarly, HELIOT EMIL creates wearable sculptures and also sees the body as sculpture. Silhouettes manipulate skin. A belted opening around the chest and an upper arm cuff distorts natural shapes, while the uber-padding of a jacket piece in the second look (and treated with patina spots) takes a different approach to reshaping our proportions.
Fabric manipulation using heat, water and extended tears echoes Moore’s work once again, while various HELIOT EMIL signatures such as ropes, metallic embellishments, liquid metal effects, zips, buckles and wadding brought the collection together. Sculptural details include curved zippers or the ability to move them over the body. One dress in particular highlights how a double-ended zipper can create a dress that can be worn multiple ways, while ripping and riffing on Moore’s influence.
As expected from the design duo, compression knits comprised of fluid shapes in highlights of grey, tubular linings that wrap around the torso, distressed knits and an ultra-futuristic aesthetic prevailed. Check out the gallery above and find more Paris Fashion Week FW23 content on Hypebeast.
Elsewhere, ZEGNA and The Elder Statesman have officially debuted their Winter 2023 collaboration.