introducing ludovic de saint sernin: a surrealist subversion of human sexuality

jockstraps, lace-up ballet slippers and silhouettes only inches away from replicating the leotard of a wrestler: these pieces are the most likely to provoke commentary on 26-year-old french designer ludovic de saint sernin’s fall collection. put them together, and they are signifiers within a much larger narrative; a celebration of the male body that acknowledges a recent awakening in human sexuality.

 

 

A post shared by Ludovic de Saint Sernin (@ludovicdesaintsernin) on Jan 22, 2018 at 10:53am PST

surrealist with a heavily charged dose of homoeroticism might be the best way to explain the collection, which paints a picture of the ludovic de saint sernin man celebrating the very prevalent theme of nudity. signifying the discovery of the male body, the designer heavily references american photographer robert mapplethorpe, known for his celebration of the body, sex and gay culture. his pushing boundaries in relation to the male gaze upon the body and the kinky subversiveness of a designer such as helmut lang are clear inspirations.

ludovic de saint sernin’s AW18 collection (read more on vogue.com)
photo © ludovic de saint sernin

de saint sernin riffs off of the growing phenomenon that is genderless clothing and although he shows on male models, desaint sernin hopes to create pieces a girl could wear too. and whilst offering androgynous shapes that call on this all-for-one-and-one-type-of-clothing-for-all-era, together they complete the designer’s vision of modern day-surrealism. soft blue corduroy gives a tactile entrance on popper trousers revealing collared undergarments, combatting a matte leather trench in darker hues and elsewhere japanese ceramic discs adjoined by metallic rings. elsewhere, an egg cup adorns the soldier of another model wearing flairs akin to one large wool scarf fashioned into trousers.

leather trench coat and lace-up jockstrap from his first collection debuted in june (read more on vogue.fr)
photo © ludovic de saint sernin

this is not the first we’ve heard of de saint sernin. in june he presented his first collection, an autobiographical introduction into his brand he called ‘a coming of age story’. the collection borrowed and repurposed pieces from his boyfriends wardrobe, imbuing it with a sense of intimacy. it was a far cry from his heavily decorated time at balmain under the then newly appointed creative director, olivier rousteing, first as an intern and then part of the design team, after graduating in 2013.

de saint sernin’s collections celebrates the male body (read more on new york times)
photo © kira bunse

de saint sernin offers androgynous shapes (read more on wwd.com)
photo © ludovic de saint sernin