Whether featured on the official calendar or shown on the fringe, some brands are choosing to go against the grain. In Paris, Jah Jah Studio, System, and Ziggy Chen each reinterpret the codes of tailoring in their own way, offering a new vision of sophistication. Let’s take a closer look.
Jah Jah Studio: The Deconstructed Suit
Founded by Daquilisine Gomis, co-founder of the Afro-vegan restaurant Jah Jah, Jah Jah Studio unveiled its debut collection on the fringes of the official Paris Fashion Week calendar.
Since opening the restaurant in Paris, Gomis has continually expanded his creative reach, first through multidisciplinary events, notably during the Fête de la Musique, which has become a key moment on the cultural calendar, and now through the launch of his own clothing brand.
Titled First Light of the Morning, this debut fashion statement aims to capture the dawn of a new era. On the styling side, influential stylist and Zomer co-founder Imruh Asha created the looks, striking a smooth balance between tailoring and ease.
At the heart of the collection: the suit, reimagined and reworked.
Out with stiff trousers and welcome pleated shorts, worn low with hands in pockets. A single-button blazer, left open at the chest with a folded-back lapel, breaks away from formality. The choice of a blended wool both fluid and structured, perfectly completes this new, freer attitude.
Another variation: a patchwork blazer blending charcoal grey with bold prints. Pushing the boundaries further, an inside-out jacket reveals its checkered lining. A way to subvert traditional tailoring while showcasing clear textile mastery.
To round out the collection, two collaborations stand out: one with adidas on the Megaride 2, revisited in the colors of the Ethiopian flag, and another with Comme des Garçons Shirt.
System SS26: “Office daydream” or rethinking the uniform through a dreamer’s lens
With “Office Daydream”, System blurs the lines and subverts expectations. Rather than fully embracing the office siren trend, the South Korean label takes a more poetic route, sidestepping a literal take on corporate dressing to offer an ethereal, dreamlike vision of the workplace.
Set against a pristine, almost weightless backdrop, System sets the tone for a collection that feels like a waking dream. Throughout the show’s ten or so looks, there’s not a single trace of the suit, the very symbol one might expect from the theme.
The first silhouettes embrace restraint. Shirts tucked into raw denim, layered vests, buttery yellow paired with chocolate tones, sheer fabrics brushing the skin. System expands the realm of possibilities by reimagining the office as a space for sensory projection rather than one of power.
When the suit finally appears, it doesn’t assert its authority, it steps away from it. Crafted from a fluid fabric with an almost pearlescent sheen, it drapes lightly over the body. Worn over a sheer black top, it brings sensuality into a space typically defined by rigidity. Another reversal: this tailored suit, seemingly designed for a woman, is worn by a man, as if to underline that authority, here, is not conveyed through gender or cut, but through attitude.
Final point in this progression: an ensemble so fluid it evokes the image of a tracksuit. The suit is no longer a symbol of power but of embraced comfort. It floats, just like the rest of the collection, between dream and reality, between structured norms and a beautiful escape.
Ziggy Chen: the suit as a poetic amour
With its weathered fabrics and signature fluidity, Ziggy Chen delivers a new collection that blends dandyism with a post-apocalyptic aesthetic reminiscent of Hunger Games. This season, the Shanghai-based designer crafts a sartorial narrative where elegance is, above all, a matter of resilience. Linen and cotton, house favorites unfold in dusty tones of khaki, brown, and earthy grey, blurring the line between refinement and utility.
The suit appears in several variations: a loose jacket worn over shorts or fluid trousers, often paired with a retro cap à la Oliver Twist and a profusion of scarves tied like long necklaces. From the front, the silhouette seems almost classic, but the back reveals surprises: a gathered elastic waistband reminiscent of a technical jacket, or a canvas belt with built-in pockets. Then comes the final look in raw linen, resembling burlap, where the suit becomes almost a shell. With Ziggy Chen, tailoring breaks free from rigidity to become the canvas for a sensitive narrative.
Together, these three brands question the suit, shifting it away from its traditional markers to better reframe it within our contemporary narratives.
Article by Julie Boone.
