VIDEO: Behind the scenes of the photo shoot of Romain Brau & Kevin Auger’s 2015 Women’s Summer Collection
Créateur Haute Fourrure: Romain Brau, Créateur Haute Coiffure: Kevin Auger, Vidéo: Marianne Dorell, Photographer: Enzo Addi, Make Up: Hugo Villard, Assistant Hair Stylist: Bruno Masferrer, Model: Chloé Bernard
At the foot of Montmartre, in his new studio, in the basement of a Haussmanien building, Romain Brau and his crew are working on his next fashion show. He will present a women’s collection that was envisaged with the help of Kévin Auger, who spearheaded the hat designs. The show will take place on July 5, for the opening of the Fashion week. Surrounded by feathers, wigs, pieces of fur and shimmering fabrics, the two work in a religious silence. Their surroundings, their designs and relationship with clothes are a living testament to the fact that haute couture is alive and well today.
While studying at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, in Antwerp, amongst aspiring fashion creators from all over the world, Romain Brau‘s passions for crafts was able to flourish.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the very hot countries, and the very cold ones. I love fur, embroideries, the natural and rich materials, and all the vintage clothes that needed time and crafts to be made,” Brau said.
Featuring young designers
Inspired by the energy and emulation of his international surroundings, Romain Brau launched a first concept store, RA, in Antwerp and another one in Paris, while studying and starting his own collections. “It was an opportunity to put young talents from everywhere under the spotlight, to give them the opportunity to show what they do. We also acted as an artist residence. I used to go around the world to find the clothes we wanted to feature in our stores and the people that made them. I have extraordinary memories of this adventure.”
But after a while, Romain find himself doing lot of mails, PR, accountancy and was not doing what he loves best: working with his hands and designing.
Showtime
But even before he closed his store, in order to dedicate more time to his own creations, he managed to offer, during each Paris Fashion Week, a unique show for the presentation of his seasonal collection. “Show” is the perfect term, as it is for him, a unique occasion to express his love for art and varied interests. “To present my collection, I work with artists I like and give them « carte blanche » : they can do whatever they want, sing, perform…” As one could have guessed, Romain is not really into runways. “I don’t really like when everybody is seated, and the interest is to comment on this new face or if that model is getting fatter. Actually, I don’t like fashion, I just want to tell my own stories.”
His own stories
Touch the Godess, Delicious Nonsense, The Naked Aphrodite, Faceless are just a few names that appear when you scroll through the list of his past collections. Indeed a deep dive into a parallel universe, full of hybridal beings, half gods, half humans, dressed in a magnificent ways, with feathers and flowery caps. The young dandy invites us on a trip to the far east, the north, the past, mythical movies, according to his inspiration of the moment.
Craftship, a passion, an obsession
“When I arrive the morning to my studio and can work in front of a white page, take care of the feathers I just received, nothing makes me happier,” he explained.
“I know that by doing only what I feel like doing, I will never be rich but craft is a passion, no, an obsession!”
With his craft, Romain Brau express a nostalgia of bygone beauties, and of a period, maybe mythical, when people’s clothes were sometimes masterpieces, and people had time for ceremonial decorum and frivolous ritual.
With this Baroque touch, Brau express a joy of being. When he is not working on his collection, he is planning weddings, doing costumes for theatre artists or fashion photographer, he is organizing parties in Paris that recall another era. His love of celebrating the moment, beauty and people — maybe that’s a good way to start following the thread of the story he has to tell.
ALSO IN THE PARIS ISSUE: Video Special: Romain Brau and Kevin Auger’s Bygone Beauties, Donia Allegue’s House of Turban’s, Ex Nihilo’s Personalized Perfumes, BACO Style: French Blogger Typhaine Augusto, Marian Eeeckhout: Recycling with Style
