Gabrielle Huguenot, the “snake woman” who makes fashion incisive

Published on November 2, 2024 at 9:13 p.m. / Modified on November 2, 2024 at 9:14 p.m.

Model stature, Frida Kahlo look. In the streets of Zurich, Gabrielle Huguenot walks with her head held high in front of the brands of luxury houses, wearing on her chest an imposing necklace which encloses in a metallic tangle soft stones like rose petals. The Swiss designer has a love-hate relationship with fashion. She flirts with her and stands up to her. “I am in constant confrontation. It’s my way of evolving in this universe,” explains this native of Fribourg, established in Zurich, where she performed a few weeks ago as part of Mode Suisse – a sort of Swiss Fashion Week.

Last year, she also captivated the jury of the International Fashion Festival in Hyères with her collection “Artificial flowers need water, again” (Artificial Flowers Need Water, Still), winning the Grand Prix in the “Accessories” category. This work is the fruit of a long reflection on the power and vulnerability of the female body, fantasized, instrumentalized, revolted. A diehard in her approach, she presented her creations herself – “so as not to risk exploiting another person’s body” – in the form of an artistic performance rather than a traditional parade. Imposing necklaces, shoes with incisive spikes, bracelet that looks like a scorpion, oversized rings. An arsenal that flirts with the codes of fetishism to showcase its vision of the femme fatale. Her character, “the snake woman,” expresses the mysteries and contradictions that surround femininity in the mind of the designer. To understand this, we need to go back in time.

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