Charles de Vilmorin
The new name to watch in fashion is bringing his futuristic vision to couture and Rochas
It’s not only his resemblance to the legendary designer that has the industry calling Charles de Vilmorin “the next Yves Saint Laurent”. Like that trailblazer, the fast-rising French star—who has been given an updated version of Saint Laurent’s soubriquet “le petit prince de la mode”—was put at the helm of a heritage fashion house while in his early 20s, leading creative direction at Rochas for the past year.
De Vilmorin graduated from the École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne and launched his eponymous couture label on Instagram during the pandemic. Nobody could have foreseen the speed at which his career would take off: iconic designers Jeancharles de Castelbajac and Christian Lacroix praised his designs which included psychedelic bomber jackets resembling the sculptures of French artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Another legend, Jean Paul Gaultier decided to sponsor him as an on-schedule guest at haute couture week in January 2021. “It was a big surprise that I received
[a] letter from Jean Paul Gaultier”, says de Vilmorin. “He wanted to see me on the calendar. It was, of course, a huge honour—a lot of pressure—but it was amazing.” Two weeks after the show, he was appointed creative director at Rochas, aged just 24.
The creative director role had been empty for a year before de Vilmorin joined. A bold hire at a historical house often indicates the urge for new image, but he is honest about the challenges. “There are a lot of [creative] and commercial expectations. I get to play with the [brand’s] codes and history but also create something new,” he explains. And the
role is certainly a work in progress: looking back, he feels his first show featured too many of his own drawings. “I have to find a good mix between me and the brand; we cannot totally break everything and show something totally different.” he says. “We need to add a bit of me but stay Rochas. And I think it’s [headed in] a good direction.”
De Vilmorin’s autumnwinter 2022 creations for Rochas showed a balance of neutral colours and prints, pleated dresses and classic silhouettes, silky fabrics and leather accents—a blend that displayed his capacity for prêt-à-porter. The springsummer 2023 line was an ode to a garden that is
“super pure and poetic”.
Meanwhile, the approach to his own line is totally different: while at Rochas, he works with a full team, he works alone on Charles de Vilmorin designs, making everything himself on the floors of his Paris studio. His inspiration comes from painters Marc Chagall and Salvador Dalí and designers Alexander Mcqueen and John Galliano, and are channelled into exaggerated silhouettes, presented in a Tim Burton-worthy nightmare.
His online presence is strong too—his Instagram feed showcases his wild illustrations, photos of him working in his artsy apartment and his own considered OOTD posts have gained him a loyal following of more than 145,000 followers.
Another key influence on the Gen Z designer’s work is his love for the city he grew up in. “I think Parisian fashion has this charm, poetry and energy, and is very personal,” he explains. “There is a lot of drama. It’s my favourite city and it’s very inspiring.”
This love of drama extends to his creative routine when starting a new collection: he listens to a lot of music and imagines it playing at a show. And then he lets his imagination run riot. “I imagine the decor, the light, the atmosphere, the history and the characters. After that, I dress the characters and they become the collection.”
In an era when digital wearables are becoming de rigueur and new-gen designers have a wealth of technology to assist them, de Vilmorin keeps things old-school. He says it’s important that he feel a connection between art and fashion, and that he use his hands to create— from drawing sketches to choosing fabrics to fitting on real people and seeing the movement. “I’m very much about looking into the future, but I also have this quite classic way of working,” says de Vilmorin.
Almost all hand-painted, the Charles de Vilmorin fall 2022 couture collection tells a story which takes inspiration from the Italian tradition of Commedia dell’ Arte, about a planet that loses all its colours in an explosion. The frequent appearance of marauding aliens in his work also reflects the designer’s imaginative approach: “I love this aesthetic: futuristic aliens and mass attacks.” He also enjoyed the creative freedom afforded to him by the aliens, saying, “They have no sex, no nationality … we can imagine a lot of things; it’s just a body.”
Now that he has the fashion world’s attention and the endorsement of a storied maison, the designer is ready to take his own label to new heights. “For next year, I really want to develop the strengths to form a brand—this is one of my most important projects,” says de Vilmorin.
Despite the pressure that would overwhelm many in his position, de Vilmorin seems to be taking the world’s expectations in his stride, citing creative peers in the city, such as designer Victor Weinsanto, as an essential support network and source of momentum. In his words, “Me and my friends: we are all very intense and living life to the fullest.”