LOU DE BÈTOLY reigns supreme as the Queen of Berlin Fashion Week! In the ever-evolving narrative of Berlin’s fashion scene, one voice rises distinctly above the rest, echoing through the avant-garde alleyways and the halls of sartorial innovation. “I found my voice in Berlin,” declares the French phenomenon, LOU DE BÈTOLY, and Berlin is transfixed, listening intently.
On the frost-tinged evening of February 6th, 2024, the queen herself presented her Autumn/Winter ’24 collection to the expectant crowd of Berlin Fashion Week. Nestled amidst the urban spirits of a transformed office edifice, de Bètoly unveiled a realm where whimsical darkness plays the lead.
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Photos by James Cochrane @jamescochranephoto
It was a stage set with black foil finery, reminiscent of a dystopia sprung from the designer’s deep well of inventiveness—a stark departure from her previously lighter expressions. This new collection toys with illusions distorts expected realities, and defies the conventional.
The fashion cognoscenti were met with skirts metamorphosed from brassieres, and leather jackets reimagined as luxury carryalls—artful embodiments of LOU DE BÈTOLY’s commitment to sustainability and the art of upcycling. Woven stories tell of fabrics handcrafted from dissected underwear and heritage stockings, with one ensemble presenting the mirage of denim, cleverly concocted from threads and shimmering sequins.
In this tactile theatre, vintage intersects with vitality; leather and mohair dance with newfound partners—upcycled nylon and local wool spun whimsically from recycled canine fur. The handcrafted ethos of LOU DE BÈTOLY stitches these reclaimed materials into a mosaic of luxury wear, each piece a testament to idiosyncrasy.
The collection’s textural tableau sees fabrics in a balletic push and pull, “trapping” one another to sculpt innovative textures and shapes. The silhouettes are an odyssey through delicately laced fittings to voluminous, fluffy dresses, and on to coats cunningly contorted.
As is the signature of LOU DE BÈTOLY, the collection doesn’t merely dress but provokes the senses, with its alchemy of extraordinary material unions and the boldness of tailoring that borders on the sculptural. The AW24 collection is not just a display but an immersive narrative, strengthening the lore of the Maison de Bètoly.
Embodying a narrative where fashion traverses into contemporary art and traditional craftsmanship, LOU DE BÈTOLY stands as a beacon of ingenuity. Designed for women across the spectrum of ages, the brand is a symphony of grace and audacity, stability amidst chaos, and a pilgrimage of nostalgia morphing into innovation.
Crafted purely from the soul of repurposed relics and dead stock’s silhouette, the garments favour natural textures—wool and silk whispered together with the ageless grace of leather. Each piece is a manual masterpiece, emerging through the labour-intensive love of knitting, crochet, embroidery, and weaving.
And so, under the watchful gaze of Berlin’s restless skyline, LOU DE BÈTOLY cements her reign not just in the annals of Berlin Fashion Week, but in the palpitating heart of the city that listens to her every creation: the queen has spoken, and her kingdom awaits.
