Fashion Week: designer Mossi Traoré meets Paris
Reflective strips, bright green color and combinations: Mossi Traoré’s latest collection borrowed from garbage collectors’ uniforms to transpose them into his Fashion universe. The couturier breaks the codes and pays tribute to those who maintain the capital.
” I want one like this for us too! exclaims one of the washer operators, all smiles. Marie-Lou, model with twisted hair, poses with an Irish green jumpsuit between gear of the same green, at the garage in Ivry-sur-Seine. With her, photographer, make-up artists, stylist, model and artistic director were invited this afternoon to the garage of the mechanical section of the Department of Cleanliness and Water (DPE). After all, what better way to embody the decor of the photos of the spring-summer line of Mossiinspired by the work clothes of garbage collectors?
Presented on Tuesday, October 4 at Printemps Haussmann, the “Hommage aux invisibles” collection takes up the strong elements of the DPE staff uniforms. Namely the jumpsuit, the reflective strips, the pleating of the garbage bag, the bright green or the fluo… The designer’s touch does the rest to transform them into desirable objects.
Uniforms, a wealth for the designer
These pieces came into existence somewhat by chance. “I was in my studio, deep in thought, trace Mossi Traoré. My gaze fell on a garbage bag. Hey, maybe I want to do something with this? And I started unrolling it around mannequins and imagining pieces. »
Between this brilliance and the production, the creator met DPE agents, in particular those of the Functional unit, in charge of cleaning major events. He also meets Ludovic, a star garbage collector on social networks. “Their uniforms with their flashy colors are recognizable at a glance. They have all the ingredients to achieve something creative. It is a wealth, a haven of treasure from which we have drawn. » A few months later, Mossi Traoré and his team finished around thirty pieces unveiled on the last day of Paris Fashion Week.
Pay homage to those who maintain Paris
Through this collection, zipped jumpsuit and reflective bands, silver gray crinkled skirt or branded T-shirt, its message is clear: “I wanted to pay tribute to the garbage collectors of the City of Paris. »His father wore the DPE uniform to clean the streets of Paris, like the fathers of his childhood friends, he who grew up between Villiers-sur-Marne (94) and the 18e.
“Making the city clean is hard work. You have to get up at 5 am, work outside, in the cold, in winter. » Her mother worked as a housekeeper. As “the mothers of his friends in the neighborhood”she shared ” a difficult job“. “I wanted to honor their dedication” Mossi point.
“Made in Grand Paris”, between the 18e and Villiers-sur-Marne
From the streets to Fashion Week, his clothes intend to connect the two worlds. “My vision is that in the metro, a worker and a student ready to have a drink on the terrace or go to an exhibition were the same ripener T-shirt. It makes it possible to raise awareness of the work of those who make Paris clean, to become aware of it. »
The collaboration between Paris Propreté and the Mossi brand also materializes with the “Made in Grand Paris” logo which takes up the emblem of the City of Paris, the boat sailing in the wind. “Our brand is the path between Paris and the suburbs. It advocates ethics, a quality manufacturing process, products made in the 18e or in Villiers-sur-Marne. It will create jobs between Paris and its suburbs, in priority neighborhoods. »
A social commitment through training
A social commitment that he continued with the creation of the haute couture school ” Alix’s workshops in 2015, named after the seamstress Alix Grès. This institution trains young people from the neighborhoods in sewing skills. Its “Ateliers parisiens” association, created in 2016, also trains neighborhood women or unskilled migrants in these trades.
Initiatives to push the walls of fashion, he who says there “breaking in”. high school student “nonsense in department stores”nurtured his attraction to fashion and became “super fashion”. When he entered fashion school in Paris in 2005, Mossi Traoré built his own style “between John Galliano, Jack Sparrow and Gavroche”.
During scenes at the Opéra Garnier as an inhabitant, he was struck by the magic of the place. Mossi Traoré flew to India, where a planetary star wore one of his haute couture dresses, then joined Milan, and won the Pierre Bergé prize in 2020. Wherever his audacity and creativity guided him. What if his next challenge was to redesign the uniforms? Some wouldn’t say no.
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