Paris’s favorite “house” party – aka the Americans in Paris kick-off cocktail – once again proved to be the one of the best events of the season. Hosts Bella Hadid, Renzo Rosso, and Nicole Phelps were on hand to welcome fashion’s newest fashion expats.
Hadid had familiarized herself with many of the collections pre-event. “I do my homework,” said the model, who had brought along sister Gigi. “I always did in school too. I am so excited to be here to see the clothes up close and touch them, to see what actually goes into the garments. The event brings out so much awareness and exposure to young designers’ work.”
Guests – which included Steven Kolb, Joseph Altuzarra, Hannah Bronfman, Olivia Culpo, Gigi Burris, and more – sipped on Perrier-Jouët and caught up with the new Americans in Paris Telfar Clemens, Ahlem Manai-Platt, Becca McCharen-Tran, Victor Glemaud, Jordan Askill, Matthew Harris, Eli Azran, Sandy Liang, and Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee. Model and Snoop Dog offspring Cordell Broadus received a private tour of the space from Instagram’s Eva Chen. Broadus was particularly impressed by Jordan Askill’s animal-themed pieces and asked the designer if he had a giraffe. “You gotta make a giraffe, they are the coolest,” he said.
Anna Wintour noted how the U.S. currently nurtures some of the word’s best new fashion talents.
“I was so impressed with New York this past season because I felt that the energy and the creativity of the young designers was stronger than it had ever been,” Wintour said. “It reminded me of the old days when people only used to go to London to see young designers for that kind of creativity. It’s almost like they switched cities. London has become a bit more polished with bigger shows and names, and New York is suddenly full of all these young people who are doing things in a different way, disrupting the way we look at fashion shows, and I hope some of that thinking will inspire Europe.”
Diesel’s Renzo Rosso has been a longtime supporter of young talent and just unveiled a Diesel collaboration with Shayne Oliver in Paris. Rosso spoke to the necessity of emerging designers who “bring freshness to the design studio and in turn, learn how to turn a business into a brand by solving commercial, design and production issues that arise. It’s why I am following them and am here tonight to support Americans in Paris. There is a lot of good design energy coming from the U.S. It’s their moment now.”
Tomorrow London Holdings Ltd.’s Stefano Martinetto concurred that nurturing emerging designers is vital. “We support a lot of young talent in other countries, but young talent from the U.S. was the angle we were missing,” he said, adding that in the social media age, “I want young designers to also focus on knowing how to do their own product – mastering the craftsmanship, not just the visual expression. Social media exposure doesn’t replace the need for a great product because if it’s not good, they won’t buy it.”
Vogue’s Nicole Phelps was impressed by the night’s sense of camaraderie. “I love being able to see designers in a social context, talking to each other, having fun, but also helping each other,” she said. “If you are expats in a foreign place, people rally together.”
As the night winded down and guests such as Chloe Gosselin, Devon Windsor, Nicole Colovos, Ramon Martin, and Christian Siriano made their way to the next destination, at least one Americans in Paris designer had made a sale: Bella Hadid placed an order for Mateo New York’s pearl and gold ankle bracelet.
