« With this Spring-Summer 2022 collection, I wanted to be radical, I wanted to come back to the quintessence of XULY.Bët. A quintessence that today has been purified. »
For Lamine Badian Kouyaté, this Spring-Summer 2022 collection is set to initiate an audacious direction for XULY.Bët and its approach to the new gen. In December 2020, Vogue US editor Laird Borrelli-Persson surprised the fashion community by reediting archive photos of one of XULY.Bët’s most emblematic collections: the famous XULY.Bët x PUMA collaboration.
This the first time a sportswear brand and a prêt-à-porter house worked together and was the trigger of today’s new season in Lamine’s mind.
The photos even moved the designer to the point that he again rediscovered the power of his beloved fabric: elastane lycra.
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The collaboration, dating back to 1995, still has much sense today in 2021. Modernity in mobility was then avant-garde. Today it’s essential. By drawing inspiration from the bright colors of the PUMA collection, Lamine Badian Kouyaté has dared to translate them through opaque fabrics this season.
Upcycling still remains a priority for the designer: all the caleçons and cyclist shorts for example are snippets recovered from the floor that have been randomly reassembled and connected with XULY.Bët’s characteristic red stitching.
For XULY.Bët CEO, Rodrigo Martinez, « This season, Lamine has reworked the “rough” look from XULY.Bët’s early days - the idea of exhibiting work that appears to be simple but, in fact, is not. He’s injected a totally fresh and inventive approach to what he has always been known for. It’s definitely innovative ».
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This season also marks a turning point for XULY.Bët’s relaunch, initiated by Lamine Kouyaté and Rodrigo Martinez. For their fourth season on the Parisian Fashion Week calendar, they’ve joined forces with the BOON_PARIS showroom which will be further developing the brand on the European, American and Asian markets.
To reach a new global clientele and further nourish XULY.Bët brand awareness, it was essential to return to XULY.Bët’s roots, the visible stitching that has been the essence of the brand since 1992.
The lookbook was photographed by Ismaël Moumin, Visual Art Director at XULY.Bët, who focused on a curated minimalism to glorify the collection while maintaining the cool & casual attitude of the XULY.Bët woman.
Stylist & creative consultant Dan Sablon join the team and brought his contemporary and functional vision to the SS22 collection.
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When it comes to the film « East Side Story » directed by the brilliant Leïla Sy, produced by Barbara Blanchard and her agency Black Artists Management in collaboration with La Daronne Production, you see the will of the director to concretize her modern version of West Side Story. Her unique point of view of always looking to bring people closer together and fight social disparities is at the heart of XULY.Bët’s values.
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For many years, Lamine Kouyaté and Rodrigo Martinez had been dreaming of working with this unique artist in order to promote a dialogue that is close to all their hearts: the inclusion of the periphery as a creative center and talent pool. Leïla Sy wanted to converse with XULY.Bët by bringing her convictions and her deepness to create an artistic piece that will resonate for years to come.
© XULY.Bët
Ph: Ismaël Moumin
