Fall 2021 Couture; Major Moment | Pyer Moss | LOOKBOOK
Kirby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss made history this season.
Becoming the first African-American to appear on the couture calendar in the Chambre Syndicale’s 150-year plus history, Jean-Raymond understood the significance of this achievement.
Jean-Raymond has always championed black creativity, and for his foray into couture, this collection was no different.
In conceptualising this collection, he researched 25 black inventions from the Library of Congress. This included objects like the AC unit (Frederick M. Jones), the three-light traffic light (Garrett Morgan), and the folding chair (John Purdy). But these weren’t necessarily a random collection of objects – some are ones that Jean-Raymond felt spoke to his lived experiences; a fire escape (J. B. Winters) reminiscent of his childhood flat in Flatbush, the cellphone (Henry Sampson) he remembers his father carrying, and childhood treats like ice cream (Augustus Jackson)(the ice cream scoop invented by Alfred L. Cralle) and peanut butter (George Washington Carver).
And while the inspiration came from very real places, many of the looks were whimsical and tongue-in-cheek.
“I didn’t want to do this like a regular collection, I wanted to do this like Sesame Street and Pixar.”
But despite the fantastic, larger-than-life aspect of this collection, Jean-Raymond hopes that the message isn’t lost.
“[Pyer Moss is] a platform [for black empowerment]. That’s what we do well, not just the clothes but the message, the story, and the whole community around it;” – a strong statement in a week usually reserved for European conventions.
See the rest of the collection here.
Enjoy!
xx
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