Veilance staged its most ambitious presentation to date, transforming an art gallery in the Marais into a magical forest of dried amaranth vines designed by Berlin-based artist Lilo Klinkenberg.
It was the Arc’teryx offshoot’s first large-scale, solo showing in Paris and the brand wanted to create a meditative, muted space as it seeks to transcend its roots. The collection softened its performance-wear edges through generous, rounded cuts while maintaining its technical expertise.
“We are creating solutions, taking the technology [and] information that we have on the mountainside and bringing that in with product that looks like it was designed for the city,” said creative director Ben Stubbington.
Jackets and coats remained sharply engineered, but silhouettes were looser and calmer, with design elements such as seamless panel sleeves that allow for ease of movement.
Material innovation is at the center of the brand. With a “yarn-up” approach to sustainability, Veilance expanded its use of natural fibers with this collection, including wool overcoats, as well as machine-washable wool knits engineered on Japanese Shima Seiki machines to allow for all-way stretch.
One standout fabric blended recycled nylon with 20 percent paper, creating a matte, cotton-like feel without sacrificing durability. Elsewhere, Gore-Tex shells were softened with pillow-like puffy linings, while sonic bonding and seam-taping replaced visible stitching, on the belief that construction is what makes the brand stand out in an increasingly crowded field.
“We’re not about big logos,” said Stubbington. “The detailing is our logo, because you can tell it’s Veilance from seeing the seaming and detailing that goes into the garments.” That includes subtle Vs below the shoulders on the backs of jackets which read like a secret code.
The palette stayed soft and neutral in dusty grays, slate blues and soft sage. Stubbington’s philosophy of restraint carried through to design and shape — sleek jackets, well-cut trousers and coats with asymmetric envelope pleats come to mind — making the collection simple but effective against the elements.
A coed collection, the pieces are designed in parallel, so they are gender-neutral in design but adjusted in fit. Accessories cleverly include touches such as rock climbing harness technology as straps.
Despite the expanded presentation format and evening concert event, Veilance is not looking to expand its wholesale footprint, Stubbington said. Instead it hopes to become “more meaningful” to current top-tier accounts across North America, Europe and Asia. “Broadly, we want to stay exclusive and just be in the right stores in the right cities,” he said.
