The style brigade congregates at Paris fashion week to worship cult label Vetements in a show that was anything but orthodox

Gvasalia and his gang chose to show men's alongside womenswear, with most pieces unisex
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Emma McCarthy4 March 2016

You can tell a lot about the influence of a fashion label by the clothes people are wearing on the front row of its show. So it's revealing that at the latest presentation of Vetements - a brand generating major buzz right now - there were as many items by the label on the audience as there were on the catwalk.

The fact that the crowd also included Kanye West is further proof of its influence.

But Vetements is no international superbrand with multi-million pound backing, but a young label run by a pool of talent which counts a democratic approach to fashion as its USP.

Since bursting on to the scene 18 months ago, the label, which is masterminded by a 16-strong design team led by founder Demna Gvasalia and his brother Guram, has served as fashion catnip for Paris's notoriously elitist fashion scene thanks to its seasonless and street-wise approach to creating clothes.

Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty

As a select group of industry insiders congregated in a Parisian church clutching single red roses - the show invitation - it was clear that yesterday's production would be anything but orthodox.

For one, Gvasalia and his gang chose to show men's alongside womenswear, with most pieces unisex.

For another, many of the models were cast from the designers' friends and Instagram and not agencies as is standard practice.

As for the clothes, things were equally off-kilter. Tartan clashed with velvet, coats hung from belt loops and suits with exaggerated shoulder pads were layered over slogan hoodies. This was bad taste in the best possible way.

Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty

As an homage to the trend-weary consumer, many of the clothes were not new but a continuation of cult items from the past few collections. The floral print dresses and sawn-off jeans were all familiar territory, as were the thigh-high cowboy boots - of which Rihanna is a fan.

An air of purposefully unfinished construction also permeated the collection, with labels sown onto the back of suit jackets and shirts with missing sleeves.

It was bonkers in places. But pick apart the collection and this isn't an offering reserved only for the adventurous dresser. A frilled polka dot chiffon dress and a series of mannish trench coats will appeal to more conventional shoppers looking to inject some edge to their wardrobes.

Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty

The show comes at the beginning of the most important week in Gvasalia's career.

On Sunday, the 34-year-old wunderkind will unveil his debut collection for Balenciaga. After eight years at Margiela, along with a stint as head womenswear designer for Louis Vuitton, Gvasalia replaces Alexander Wang who quit the prestigious French fashion house to return to his own label in New York at the end of last year.

But while Gvasalia is busy making waves across Paris, his influence is felt nowhere more so than in London where key pieces from Vetements's spring collection, including its cropped jeans and a DHL print t-shirt, have waiting lists.

Only time will tell if the branded nylon tracksuits and tartan kilts from this collection will generate the same buzz. Judging by the reaction at yesterday's show, it's looking like a safe bet.

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