阿尔方斯·麦可皮埃尔，Alphonse Maitrepierre has dabbled in such a broad panoply of interests that he almost seems to have lived many different lives. After graduating from La Cambre in 2016, he completed an internship at Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture and stayed on there as artistic director. Then he met the immensely talented filmmaker Yann Gonzalez, who offered him a part in his short film Islands. That would turn out to be an important stepping stone for the budding designer, who wet his feet as a costume designer on Knife + Heart, Gonzalez’s latest film mixing giallo, splatter and queer eroticism. Next, Maitrepierre split his time between Paris and Stockholm while working as an assistant stylist at Acne Studios and consulting for Neith Nyer. Still just twenty-four, Maitrepierre has refused to rest on his laurels. Alongside his growing list of achievements, he has also continued developing his own brand with input from an illustrious group of co-conspirators who help design his collections, from planning a line of leather goods to fine-tuning its visual identity. Jean-Paul Gaultier notably brought three key connections: Alice Watier, who now manages his brand’s handbag collections, illustrator Sara Vercheval, who creates custom prints, and Emile de Gorce Dumas, who lends her expertise in ceramic jewelry. By relying on artisanal crafts and expertise, the designer offers a diverse collection of finished looks. His aesthetic evades any easy description with its eclectic blend of various eras, subcultures and trends, playfully pairing the extravagance of 90s club kids with the elegant futurism of the 60s. Sometimes surrealist or even childlike, his creative vision conveys a relaxed take on haute couture that is perfectly suited to today’s ultra-connected youth culture. His Fall-Winter 2019 collection combines oddities like a grandmother’s vintage suitcase with psychedelic digital prints and deconstructed cuts.