EXCLUSIVE: AZ Factory to feature young designer Tennessy Thoreson at Couture Week in Paris
PARIS — AZ Factory is stepping up its efforts to support emerging talent by organizing an event during Paris Couture Semaine as a showcase for the work of Tennessy Thoreson, a young fashion school graduate taking her first steps into the industry.
Having pivoted to a collaboration platform with guest creatives, or "amigos", following the founder Alber Elbaz's untimely passing in 2021, AZ Factory is set to stage what it considers a "theatrical show" on January 23 featuring 12 looks by Thoreson inspired by the concept of "super heroines and their powers. exceptional,” the house revealed exclusively to WWD.
Richemont executive Mauro Grimaldi met the French designer at his end-of-year exhibition studies at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD) in November 2021, where Thoreson won both the Eyes on Talents award and the Bachelor Bongénie award with her sharp fantasy silhouettes with pops of acid color and fake fur.
Related GalleriesGrimaldi said he was impressed with Thoreson's technical skill and distinctive aesthetic, as well only through her talent for storytelling, rooted in female and queer empowerment, inclusivity and joy.
“His vision of fashion and society was very clear and very current, and at the same time , he has an amazing, super emotional way of communicating,” he recalled. "When you meet a designer who has technical skills, a very sharp aesthetic, a strong storytelling and the ability to communicate it - in my view, that designer has most of the elements that can lead them to success."
With strong ties to the drag community, Thoreson embodies AZ Factory's philosophy of "smart fashion who cares,” says the executive.
"We thought this heroine idea really resonated with one of the pillars of the philosophy of 'Alber, that was the idea that clothes can give you some sort of protection from the outside world," Grimaldi said. "As kind of an extension of that idea, we like this idea of a collection of 12 looks , each of them with a super power."
Designs will be available for custom order, with adjustments taking place at the studio. AZ Factory located at the Fondation Cartier in Paris.
"It will work as a real sewing experience for a new generation, for people who are probably today now a lot more into streetwear or a different approach to fashion," Grimaldi said. "It's a product, but it's also going to be an experience."
As noted, AZ Factory plans six presentations per year with guest creatives. While couture week is reserved for emerging talents, the ready-to-wear shows will be an opportunity to unveil collaborations with more established designers who have the potential to become permanent, such as Lutz Huelle, who has brought his expertise in the spring 2023 collection.
The brand will feature confirmed or in-house projects on the pre-collections calendar, with renewed collaboration at from 2022 scheduled for next May or June. AZ Factory's initial list of partnerships also included Thebe Magugu, Ester Manas, Cyril Bourez, Sheltersuit and Italian DJ collective Club Domani.
After hosting a first pop-up store in Paris during the ...
PARIS — AZ Factory is stepping up its efforts to support emerging talent by organizing an event during Paris Couture Semaine as a showcase for the work of Tennessy Thoreson, a young fashion school graduate taking her first steps into the industry.
Having pivoted to a collaboration platform with guest creatives, or "amigos", following the founder Alber Elbaz's untimely passing in 2021, AZ Factory is set to stage what it considers a "theatrical show" on January 23 featuring 12 looks by Thoreson inspired by the concept of "super heroines and their powers. exceptional,” the house revealed exclusively to WWD.
Richemont executive Mauro Grimaldi met the French designer at his end-of-year exhibition studies at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD) in November 2021, where Thoreson won both the Eyes on Talents award and the Bachelor Bongénie award with her sharp fantasy silhouettes with pops of acid color and fake fur.
Related GalleriesGrimaldi said he was impressed with Thoreson's technical skill and distinctive aesthetic, as well only through her talent for storytelling, rooted in female and queer empowerment, inclusivity and joy.
“His vision of fashion and society was very clear and very current, and at the same time , he has an amazing, super emotional way of communicating,” he recalled. "When you meet a designer who has technical skills, a very sharp aesthetic, a strong storytelling and the ability to communicate it - in my view, that designer has most of the elements that can lead them to success."
With strong ties to the drag community, Thoreson embodies AZ Factory's philosophy of "smart fashion who cares,” says the executive.
"We thought this heroine idea really resonated with one of the pillars of the philosophy of 'Alber, that was the idea that clothes can give you some sort of protection from the outside world," Grimaldi said. "As kind of an extension of that idea, we like this idea of a collection of 12 looks , each of them with a super power."
Designs will be available for custom order, with adjustments taking place at the studio. AZ Factory located at the Fondation Cartier in Paris.
"It will work as a real sewing experience for a new generation, for people who are probably today now a lot more into streetwear or a different approach to fashion," Grimaldi said. "It's a product, but it's also going to be an experience."
As noted, AZ Factory plans six presentations per year with guest creatives. While couture week is reserved for emerging talents, the ready-to-wear shows will be an opportunity to unveil collaborations with more established designers who have the potential to become permanent, such as Lutz Huelle, who has brought his expertise in the spring 2023 collection.
The brand will feature confirmed or in-house projects on the pre-collections calendar, with renewed collaboration at from 2022 scheduled for next May or June. AZ Factory's initial list of partnerships also included Thebe Magugu, Ester Manas, Cyril Bourez, Sheltersuit and Italian DJ collective Club Domani.
After hosting a first pop-up store in Paris during the ...
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