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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 21 June 2018
Paris Fashion Week menswear shows kick off

By THOMAS ADAMSON aesthetic is inclusive, and
PARIS (AP) — Fashion edi- added it's a good direction
tors, bloggers, photogra- for fashion to have an Afri-
phers and buyers cried can-American at the helm
"Bonjour Paris" Wednesday of the major brand.
as the first full day of mens- "It's much more democrat-
wear fashion shows kicked ic so young people can get
off in the French capital. involved more and more,"
Edgy brand Off-White drew he said.
renewed attention at its ___
show, thanks to the mete- FACETASM'S BRIDAL WORK-
oric rise of its African-Ameri- MAN
can designer Virgil Abloh — Designer Hiromichi Ochiai
now chief of Louis Vuitton didn't disappoint those ex-
menswear. pecting the wackily-cre-
Some highlights of the ative from Japanese house
spring and summer mens- Facetasm.
wear shows: The fashion-forward de-
PROUD FAMILY AT OFF- signer's touchstone of work-
WHITE man's clothes was given
The parents of American- an unusual bridal twist
Ghanaian designer Virgil in Wednesday's collec-
Abloh were the image of tion that mixed mens' and
pride as they sat front row A model wears a creation for Off-White Men's Spring-Summer 2019 fashion collection presented women's styles, as well as
at Off-White — the Milan- in Paris, Wednesday June 20, 2018. punk, preppy and eclectic
based house their son Associated Press aesthetics.q
founded in 2013 — in the an on-trend whiff of the '80s
sweltering Palace of Chail- in the collection that never
lol that overlooks the Eiffel forgot to have fun.
Tower. White confetti fell from
They had jetted to Paris for snow machines at one
the first time from Rockford, point to a slurred remix of
Illinois to support their son, Bing Crosby's "I'm Dream-
who on Thursday debuts his ing of a White Christmas,"
wares at the Louis Vuitton prompting chuckles from
show. He's the first African- front row attendees who
American to head up a saw irony at the snowfall
major global design house. during a spring-summer
"It's unbelievable. We're so collection, in the sweltering
proud of him. Very incred- Paris heat, in which many
ible," said his mother Eunice of the models were topless.
Abloh, who sat next to her The collection stood out for
husband Nee. using models from differ-
"We flew in. We're being ent ethnic backgrounds —
treated very well. It's my sadly, a rarity for many Paris
first time in Paris — and it's shows.
beautiful," she added. ___
___ TAKASHI MURAKAMI
OFF-WHITE'S BLUE DENIM The edgy styles of Off-White
Denim, denim and then that have garnered Abloh
more denim. a cult-like following attract
That was the formula em- diverse guests.
ployed at the Milan-based Japanese contemporary
house for spring-summer artist Takashi Murakami —
to produce a hip, urban, who's famed for blurring
loose and highly masculine the lines between high-
aesthetic. and low-art and whom
Steel-blue denim opened Christie's ranks as the sixth
the show. A denim shirt highest-selling living artist —
with frayed sleeve edges said he attended the show
sported utilitarian metal to support his friend.
zippers and was acces- "Virgil and I we've got a re-
sorized with a jangling key ally good friendship. That's
chain, while the hem down why I'm here. But I'm very
denim pants curved round, much excited about Vuit-
instead of vertically down, ton," he said from beneath
in a hip-hop style. an oversize silver toggle
Oversize white T-shirts with hat.
logos, retro sneakers and Murakami said that Abloh's
an oversize color-blocked, appointment will be posi-
tie-dye style coat added tive for the industry as his