Paris in 50 shades of gray with Ssstein and Valette Studio

Paris Men's Fashion Week started on Tuesday, buoyed by great energy. Alongside Louis Vuitton's star fashion show and the very popular one from the Auralee label, this busy first day also allowed us to highlight lesser-known, but just as interesting, realities. Projects led by talented and motivated young designers, to discover without further delay. In particular, the Japanese brand Ssstein and the Parisian brand Valette Studio worked, each in their own way, on all shades of gray, while the Londoner Paolina Russo highlighted her streetwear artisanal.

Beautiful clothes, comfortable but elegant, which immediately give you an allure… Ssstein has everything it takes to become the next Japanese gem. Still little known to the general public, its name is already circulating in well-informed networks, and attracted a small crowd of curious people and listeners on Tuesday at the Palais de Tokyo, where the label, founded in 2016 by Kiichiro Asakawa, paraded on the sidelines of the official calendar.

For fall-winter 2025/26, the 38-year-old self-taught designer is focusing on super light, but cozy materials, with all kinds of wool and cashmere. He uses these precious materials wonderfully to create sumptuous coats, which slip over the body like bathrobes, and ultra-soft dripping pants, or to knit soft sweaters and cardigans. The development of fabrics is, in fact, at the heart of the creation of Kiichiro Asakawa, who in this collection offers a dozen shades of gray, such as taupe, greige and charcoal, making them play with each other, as in this double-sided coat light gray on one side and dark gray on the other.

Everything is superimposed in this collection, worn indifferently by men or women, as if to better protect and warm, with a spirit somewhat reminiscent of that of Lemaire. Thus, a cardigan is worn double over a round-neck sweater, itself slipped over another turtleneck sweater, a loose denim Bermuda shorts is worn over pants in navy wool cloth. Elsewhere, the turtleneck rears its head under a shirt, a jacket, an overcoat and a coat. The pieces fit together naturally, always finding the right place.

Kiichiro Asakawa, who also manages Carol, one of Tokyo's coolest multi-brand boutiques, knows the market and consumers well. With its beautiful materials, well-chosen colors and good cuts, it hits the mark. Especially since it also offers very good value for money. The man who started by designing pants because he couldn't find the right model for his store quickly found success. It now has 50 multi-brand resellers in Japan and 35 internationally, including L'Eclaireur and Rendez-vous in Paris, H Lorenzo in Los Angeles, Très Bien in Sweden.

Valette Studio, included with a show in the presentation calendar, is also playing the remake of “50 shades of gray” focusing above all, as is customary with Pierre-François Valette's brand, on the tailoring wardrobe, which it declines in turn in tones smokystormy, metal, powder, zinc, etc. Inspired by David Bowie's years in Berlin, he imagined his parade as a walk, at night, in the fog. A night streaked by the red glow of a clutch or the sole of a shoe signed Christian Louboutin, who collaborated on the shoes and bags section.

These “Men in Black” couture version slip into the urban jungle hidden under their black glasses and their dark uniform. Tone-on-tone sets punctuate the collection, like this pocketed shirt, these pants and this tie cut in the same tone-on-tone gray fabric. Or like this shirt worn with this tie in the same white poplin. Further out, a work suit made from an all-gray flannel looks great.

The jacket plays the stars of this winter wardrobe. It is reworked with marked shoulders, but is then refined in proportions. Impeccably cut, it is available in tennis-striped gabardines, wrinkle-resistant technical wools and even a houndstooth fabric. Most of the time it is paired with tight pants. Great attention is paid to details. Like these black lacquered cotton inserts which are sometimes inserted into the top of the pants or the bottom of the legs with a “boot” effect. Elsewhere, cowboy details add a rock spirit to the wardrobe.

Everything is made in Paris by this sewing enthusiast, attentive to details and finishes, who likes to rework classics by promoting traditional techniques and the artisans with whom he collaborates. This year, Pierre-François is taking a further step in this direction with the opening of Atelier Valette, a workshop specializing in prototypes and product development, hosted on the Maison du savoir-faire et de la Création platform. “This allows me to finance my brand and at the same time I bring my expertise to other creators,” he says.

Change of scenery at Paolina Russo’s. The feminine brand of streetwear evolved, which is also aimed at men, is taking advantage of Men's Fashion Week to launch its sales campaign in the heart of the Marais, in a showroom at 50 rue Notre-Dame de Nazareth. Canadian with Filipino and Italian origins, the eponymous designer launched her label in 2021, joined in 2022 by Frenchwoman Lucile Guilmard. The two met at Central Saint Martins College, the first majoring in knitwear, the second in women's ready-to-wear.

From the beginning, they have adopted an eco-responsible approach, putting technology at the service of craftsmanship, which constitutes the cornerstone of the brand. “We start the season each time by going to our manufacturers, who are all focused on technological innovations. At the same time, we promote these ancient artisanal techniques. For certain knitting techniques, particularly crochet, we rely, for example, on a community of women in Peru”, Lucile Guilmard tells us.