Yahoo Lifestyle Stéphane Rolland Was Inspired by Joséphine Baker and Brancusi for Spring 2025 Couture
The idea for Stéphane Rolland’s striking collection this season came first from a charity tie-in he and his business partner Pierre Martinez forged with the Fondation des Hôpitaux, to help teenagers at risk. Half the tickets to the brand’s spring 2025 couture show at the Salle Pleyel were sold to the public, with proceeds going to the foundation. Since September 2024, the pair also held a series of workshops for a dozen girls there aged 13 to 18.
“We tried to open their eyes and to see life differently,” said Rolland, who screened a short movie about the project prior to the runway display’s start. “We wanted a godmother for the show — and she came naturally to our mind.”
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That was Josephine Baker, and the artist Brancusi was selected, too.
Why Baker, the American-born French dancer and singer whose voice recordings of her speaking and singing were heard throughout the runway presentation? It’s partially because she adopted 12 children of different nationalities, making up what she called a “Rainbow Tribe.” Rolland explained he wanted attendees to glean her message of peace, unity, fraternity and respect.
His sculptural dresses and jumpsuits — nodding to Brancusi’s works — were highly structured, with square, high shoulders, rich draping and geometric details. They came in black, ivory, white, brown and silver.
“Josephine was a great dancer, and the way I designed and cut my dresses is all about movement,” said Rolland.
There was a series of black, minimalist looks, like the velvet and black gazar draped jacket and satin crepe sarong skirt. A long brown gauze tunic was overlaid with ebony organza and embroidered with oud and crystal.
The designer uses feather details not in a cabaret-like way, but in a more natural manner mixed with high sophistication. A long white dress came embellished with organza leaves and ivory feather fringes.
Rolland’s jewelry line — with bracelets, rings and sautoirs — was set with squares of synthetic diamonds or zirconium.
Models’ hairstyles became extensions of his fashion, done in sculptural updos by Björn Axén and Johan Hellström. Rolland described the minimalist look “like aliens. Josephine was wearing a lot of headpieces, and I wanted to transform those into something more modern and cross-cultural.”
Launch Gallery: Stephane Rolland Spring 2025 Couture
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