In the weekly column "New Brand" Wonderzine introduces young designers and tells you where and how you can buy their clothes. Our hero on this
week - Jean-Paul Lespaniard, Belgian designer, artist and stylist who presented his first collection in 2011.
text: Ekaterina Artsibasheva
Jean-Paul Lespanard was born in 1979 in the city of Liege, where he received his
design education. He graduated from the IFAPME de Liège University in
specialty "fine arts and fashion design", trained in Luxembourg. In 2005, Lespaniard worked as an assistant to the owner of the Belgian
brand Annemie Verbeke, and a little later participated in the development of two collections
New York brand Anna Sui. Jean-Paul showed himself as talented
costume designer. He has designed clothing for several theater and dance performances. Meg Stewart, an American choreographer and one of the key figures in the world of contemporary dance, appreciated Lespagnard's unusual approach to design - they now collaborate on a regular basis.
In 2008, Jean-Paul received two awards at the 23rd Hyères International Fashion and Photography Festival, where he presented his collection Ich will 'nen Cowboy als Mann (title of the 1963 Gitte Hænning hit song). The victory in the competition gave the young designer an opportunity to create a capsule collection for the French brand 1.2.3. The Jean-Paul Lespagnard Fall / Winter 2011/12 collection was first presented at Paris Fashion Week.
To create his products, the designer uses a wide variety of materials: silk, brocade, wool, plastic, neoprene, etc. The signature elements of Lespagnard include original prints and fabric textures. Accessories deserve special attention, such as hand-made iPhone cases or silk scarves with fun designs. There is a certain amount of irony in each designer's collection. According to Lespaniard, he is inspired by pop culture, theater, dance, painting - art in general.
It is worth noting that Jean-Paul Lespaniard received financial support from Anne Chapelle, head of BVBA 32, best known for her work with Anne
Demelmeister and Haider Ackermann.
In 2011, the designer and artist founded a personalized brand. In December 2013, the Artist Studio division of the renowned backpack and bag manufacturer Eastpak presented a collection in collaboration with Jean-Paul Lespagnard. The limited edition, designed by Lespaniard, consists of two backpacks in two colors. During the Spring / Summer 2014 show, models took to the runway with Eastpak by Lespagnard.
From January to April 2014, an exhibition was held at the Parisian Galeries Lafayette
Jean-Paul Lespagnard: Till we drop, which talked about the process of creating the Spring-Summer 2014 collection. Its theme is mass tourism in Mexico. The collection includes caps embroidered with beads, loose-fitting clothes with prints, skirts reminiscent of tourists' towels, and overalls. At Galeries Lafayette, Lespaniard presented photographs, drawings and installations that complement the conceptual picture of the new collection.
On April 14, 2014, Woolmark selected the Jean-Paul Lespagnard brand as one of 19 grant bidders. The first stage will take place on July 8 in Paris, the task of the designers will be to present capsule collections from merino wool.
Jean-Paul Lespaniard
designer
I have always wanted to work in fashion and it never raised questions. I understood that it could be difficult, but for me everything went instinctively. I think a lot of things come from within. I'm sure fashion is something based on intuition. During my studies, I made a collection called "Virgin Mary - Football Player", where I compared hooliganism and religious fanaticism. These are the things that make me say. Clothes should speak. Of the classic brands, my favorite is Lanvin, a fashion house with a sense of humor. I love Alber Elbaz, although his style is not mine.
Where to buy things
Jean-paul lespagnard
Jean-Paul Lespagnard clothing and accessories are available at STJL (Brussels), Galeries Lafayette (Paris), 10 Corso Como (Milan), and SVMoscow (Moscow).
