Walking into the Vautrait Autumn/Winter 2025 presentation during Paris Fashion Week, I was immediately struck by the collection’s philosophical underpinnings. The designer’s approach revealed a profound understanding that in fashion, there is never truly closure.
I found myself contemplating how one collection naturally flows into the next—there is never a definitive endpoint, never a conclusive answer, only persistent questions. The questions may shift in their framing or narrative, but at their core, they remain unchanged—inquiries that will forever resist resolution.
What fascinates me about Vautrait’s approach is how it positions fashion in contrast to technological or scientific pursuits. While those disciplines tend to move beyond unanswerable questions in favor of measurable outcomes, this collection embraces the mystery—a secret space beyond logic and language. It evoked the image of an agent carrying a secret in a suitcase, one they themselves cannot access. Perhaps this inaccessibility is precisely the point: some things must remain concealed, never fully revealed.
Beyond Function: The Revelation of Mistakes
The collection stands outside utilitarian thinking, where items are typically directed toward specific ends and contained within predetermined functions. Instead, I noticed how the designer embraced the concept of the “mistake” not as a mere error but as a rupture—an opening where something unexpected emerges. These disruptions weren’t accidents but revelations, demonstrating that creation isn’t simply executing a plan but an event occurring in the space between intention and resistance, between concept and handiwork.
What resonated with me throughout the presentation was the embodied knowledge evident in each piece. When skilled hands work—whether tailoring, carving, or weaving—they don’t rigidly follow prescribed steps; they listen. This tacit knowledge resists complete verbalization, as language always arrives after the fact, attempting to capture what was already understood through the making. The hand possesses wisdom the mind cannot anticipate, maintaining a lineage of gestures transmitted across generations.
Archival Continuity
In this collection, Vautrait reworked numerous archival pieces, focusing solely on continuing this ongoing question rather than pursuing novelty for its own sake. The designer also deconstructed vintage discoveries, providing them a platform for reemergence. The result was a thoughtful meditation on fashion’s cyclical nature and the value of questioning over answering.
