Vuarnet Fall Winter 2023 – 2024 at Paris Men's Fashion Week

Vuarnet Fall Winter 2023 – 2024 at Paris Men’s Fashion Week

Deep roots in mountaineering and legendary eyewear have made Vuarnet one of the main players in Alpinism since it was founded in 1957.

I always keep in mind that Jean Vuarnet was a great innovator and inventor, led by discovering new techniques and technologies, new ways of living, but also constantly nurturing his relationship with nature. His philosophy is what makes the company so unique amongst mountaineering brands. The athlete community of the Vuarnet Fellowship program has also stimulated self reflection about my own relationship to nature. I visit them often and they have helped me develop a more mystic, almost religious, approach to the mountain and nature through their own deep connection with her.

For Vuarnet Fall Winter 2023 season, I wanted to pay homage to what the founder stood for through duality, by blending active silhouettes and hi-tech garments with more artisanal and locally made knitwear and alpinewear. Austere, dark and severe silhouettes in technical three-layered clothes mix with artisanal chunky knit jacquard and heavy cotton parkas, made with the same technique used for alpinism from the 60s. They offer the best comfort for snow, all made in France.

The lookbook edit itself also illustrates this duality, with two contrasting images per look: an analog garment focused photo, without environment or fantasy, is facing an AI generated interpretation of the same image in a “natural” environment.

The keystone of the brand remains in the mineral lens production Vuarnet’s own factory in France, using local sand. All sunglasses are equipped with mineral lenses, a lens technology that provides the ultimate ophthalmic protection. Key pieces this season – Vuarnet Fall Winter 2023 include the Flash Light style that underlines the “retro future” roots of the brand. It comes with nightlynx lenses for night driving, underlining that the Vuarnet DNA has been looking towards future new techniques for equipment and new ideas for lifestyle.

Working closely on this with AI designer Mathieu Missiaen (2mss_w), I thought about the natural versus artificial worlds – discovering the creation of a natural environment by a computer, I was wondering throughout the process if it was unnatural to completely abandon the human touch. It was very scary to see a machine developing such a complex image. But in some ways, I feel Jean Vuarnet would have been interested in such technology.

In the end, Vuarnuet is learning to navigate through changing times. It is less about showing off an extreme approach of mountaineering, and more about connecting with a more sacred, almost transcendental experience that the Mountains procure. That is also, really, what turns me on.

Boramy

ABOUT VUARNET :

Vuarnet is the iconic French eyewear mountaineering brand founded by Jean Vuarnet and optician Roger Pouilloux in 1957.

Jean Vuarnet, a talented French skier, won the Olympic downhill gold medal at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics. A great lover of mountains and nature, he notably created the Avoriaz ski resort in 1966, the first French resort without cars, with an avant-garde vision of eco-responsibility.

Today, Vuarnet produces its mineral glass lenses in its own French factory, using traditional manufacturing methods unchanged since its inception. Vuarnet mineral glasses, 100% natural and recyclable, provide the best protection against sunlight reflection thanks to LynxTM technology. Since 1957, the brand has offered timeless classic iconic frames that are still bestsellers. Vuarnet embraces its roots in 1960s skiing, nostalgia for craftsmanship, and the art of living in the French mountains.