Welcome back fashion divas! Today, we will be looking at the newest emo-couture house on the block, Matières Fécales (literal translation from french, Fecal Matter). No matter the aesthetic you align with, we all can admit this house has something very unique to offer.
THEIR ORIGIN:
This story begins in La Salle College, Montreal, Quebec, with two fashion students, Hannah and Steven, who initially hated each other, becoming friends over their common distaste for the fashion industry at the time. After finishing school, they then went onto hustle for their brand and identity. Moving to New York, they would become a popular underground brand, selling designs to drag queens from the club they squatted in and on Depop. Before they knew it, they had amassed over 700k followers on Instagram and were in the perfect position to be recognised by larger designers in their field.
Since then, they have scaled their talent, creatively collaborating with Rick Owen’s in his FW19 ‘Larry’ collection and designing the Louboutin X MF heel with Christian Louboutin for their own FW25 ‘The Other’ show.
MATIÈRES FÉCALES ‘HANNAH’ SS26 — LOOK ANALYSIS
Titled ‘Hannah’, this new collection is a love letter from Steven Raj Bhaskaran to his partner Hannah Rose Dalton, in their recent PFW (Paris Fashion Week) SS26 couture collection. With key themes of imperfection, death, life, love, identity and beauty — Bhaskaran takes us on a journey of self-expression.
We can clearly see how he tries to press against conventional beauty, by introducing the inclusivity of different body types, ability, gender and race. The creativity of their niche powdered bald head and bold red lips emphasise a strong boldness, expressed in the MF way.
LOOK 1
Hannah opens for the show for their SS26 PFW collection, wearing a pink duchess satin material with a bold tailoring to it. Almost armor-like at the shoulders and chest region, but shaped with curves at the hips and rough edges at the armholes. This contrast emphasises many features of softness, strength and boldness, marrying the concepts instead of suppressing any one of them.
LOOK 2
In this look we have another pink look but in déchiré tweed material, traditionally seen as a classic fabric, but modelled in a ripped and frayed way, emanating the true Matières Fécales style. The pink resonates with the the view of beauty we all have but the styling still drives home their uniqueness in decay-like powerfulness.
LOOK 27
This look starts with another colour choice, black. Contrasting our prior visuals, but introducing the more emo-couture notes they are used to. The corseted gown in tulle with floral pieces exposes what is usually hidden, combining rawness with vulnerability and provocation.
LOOK 39
This commanding silhouette is made of layered crimson tulle and silk organza. Displaying a beautiful marriage of romance and strength. The cascading train of tulle also introduces movement and velocity, whilst still encouraging emotion and passion. Being the third colour note shown, we are evoked with elements of intimacy and rebirth.
LOOK 40
Black Rose Resurrection. An excellent description of the visual at hand. The swathing layers of sheer black and dusty rose tulle creates a beauty in the form of mourning. The positioning of the roses create structure and the scarlet gloves emphasise life pulsing at the veins. This artistic take also features their signature powdered head and red lip look, stamping this with MF at the helms.
LOOK 42
This look merges funereal with softness and romantic ornamentation. The volume at the train feels historical yet modern with a gothic take. This look also keeps in line with the elements of decay, death to self and rebirth of something more beautiful, but not in a conventional way, but in a MF way.
Across all 45 looks this PFW, Matières Fécales explore transformation with the colour palettes of black, red and pink, emphasising decay and death, rebirth, intimacy and romance and beauty amongst the ashes. This SS26 ready-to-wear collection blurs the lines between RTW and couture — reinforcing MF’s position between artistic venture and apparel. With a luxurious show at Place Vendōme, Paris, the house finished their run with a free afterparty, demonstrating elegance, but with community at their core.
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