The undimmed city of light flexes its talent with an exciting new generation of designers.
Carven
by Emma Elwick-Bates
“We say méduse, you say jellyfish,” says Alexis Martial, pointing to the aquatic-themed mood board in his Saint-Germain-des-Prés office. And although jellyfish may have roamed the seas for 500 million years, while Martial and his co–artistic director at Carven, Adrien Caillaudaud, have barely been in situ for one, they are already electrifying the label’s legacy of pacy, accessible French style.
Though they were friends since their days at the Atelier Chardon Savard fashion school, they joined forces only after Martial was at Iceberg, Paco Rabanne, andGivenchy (where Caillaudaud was working on shoes and accessories). While their aesthetic is Paris-honed, “a Parisian girl today is not necessarily French,” says Martial. “She’s spirited and global and an explorer—like Zale Parry, who was one of the first women scuba divers,” finishes Caillaudaud, bringing us back to a nautical narrative that includes a skipper’s A-line shorts, a captain’s mess jacket (now a deftly cut blazer), and a boyishly boxy surfer’s rash vest in woven crepe. “Our girl is leaving town, jumping on a boat, and looking for freedom,” adds Martial.
The duo understand that the Carven ingénue’s calling card has always been her coltish legs—and for spring they’re dressing them in sleek, elongating, high-waisted pants with a neoprene gleam, along with elegant scuba-inspired cropped jackets. “Evening and red carpet are where we want to expand,” says Caillaudaud. Judging from their kicky play on le smoking, we’d say that plan is going swimmingly
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