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PABLO ‘HOMME’ ROUSSON - 2020

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SKETCHES & GRAPHICS BY ROUSSON

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PABLO ROUSSON - SKETCHES 2020

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Homme Rousson

Meet Pablo Rousson: The Love Child of Gaultier and Givenchy

An article written by Amelia Baldwin and Ore Ajala

Pablo Rousson is an up and coming menswear designer combining fashion with fun and sex. Born into an artistic family of graphic designers, in Hackney, East London, Rousson is now establishing himself as an outgoing creator. His inspirations stem from his graphics background, and favourite designers such as Gaultier, Givenchy and Galliano, who have influenced Rousson to form his own brand of feminine masculinity. Although he is a fan of the ever-growing gender neutral movement, he’s also firm on portraying himself and his brand in the most authentic way. He states “That’s not at all me, I don’t want to call myself feminine because that’s not me at all, that’s not what I look like, even the way I dress”, Rousson wants his final collection at Central Saint Martins to be free of any stereotypes or “tacky expectations”.

Rousson’s higher education at Central Saint Martins has pushed him to be more extroverted and fully immerse himself into the arts world, which he was first introduced to at 14 by a friend in fashion. The designer’s fashion icons include “Pre 2000’s Jean Paul Gautier and Post 2000’s Miuccia Prada but sadly not what she’s been doing these current seasons.” Rousson has a deep appreciation for past fashion eras, but it’s very apparent that the present commercialised world of fashion isn’t igniting him. So it’s no surprise Nigerian-British designer, Mowalola has caught his eye. A designer using fierce forceful colour palletes such as reds, greens and yellows alongside tight graphic leather skirts and trousers, that encourages her customers to be sexy and free.

This designer takes aid from music whilst he is working, mainly “Techno and house, it makes me into a machine… someone could be dying next to me and I wouldn’t even notice.” However out of all the elements in Rousson’s life, people and sex inspire his work the most, he describes “I’m kind of obsessed with what makes a man sexy and how to redirect that or emphasise it.” He chose Eroticism as a main reference within his research, and he’s determined to “create a romance to men to which everyone would open their legs without a dickpic or tinder profile but purely through attitude and what they’re wearing.” Rousson is less influenced by political and societal issues, admitting he doesn’t feel knowledgeable enough to have a valid opinion, but claims there is “always a subconscious rebellion to social issues in work.”

For the designer’s final collection, he has decided to mix the elements of “Chalet boy, 70’s and 80’s cuts and eroticism”. This results in a conceptual collection full of sophisticated grey tailored one-sleeved jackets and trousers made of wools, leathers and suedes, as well as boned waist-cinching corsets. Although he is only in the beginning stages of creating his final project, it is clear to see that he has put a hundred percent thought and focus into the strong statements he will make about men being fun and sexy whilst being tasteful and sophsitcated.

Rousson’s work focuses on femininity and masculinity, referencing and appropriation, but he ensures “not the bad kind, the good kind.” Rousson wants to subvert the current fashion norms, finding the ever present gender neutral stance “tacky” and “overdone”, streetwear losing it’s value with the main focus centered around the hype then the final outcome, as well as stressing that the fashion world is becoming extremely commercial. Throughout the conversation it’s apparent that this designer feels jaded by the current fashion industry, with a main aim to “reinvent” and “ignore” what we are currently being exposed to. Rousson wants to make fashion “fun” and bring it back to more of an art than it is currently. He is resisting this cynical commercial business which fashion has manifested into, explaining “Everyone has too much pride these days and commercial viewpoints, kills any kind of creativity, excitement and risk which I think makes anything visually exciting.”

Rousson, himself has already appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia, and those within and outside the industry have a lot more to see from this designer. He wants to revert “People caring too much” and restore “Humour, no one is funny anymore - it’s boring.”

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AUTHENTIC REPRESENTATION OR JUST “TACKY”

By Amelia Baldwin

From Pablo Rousson’s concerns of “tacky” gender neutral fashion, to the designers who come from a place of authenticity and a brand who has just carelessly strung along with a growing trend.

Central Saint Martin’s menswear designer Pablo Rousson is determined to redefine femininity and masculinity in his final collection before he graduates and continue this through his work in the industry. His definition of tacky is “Anything that is forced or done with bad taste. Taste is probably the soul thing someone needs in this industry which is lacking the most.” Rousson applies this term to the gender-neutral fashion that is continuing to consume the industry, he states “the over saturated use of it in fashion to the point where it’s not the discussion or point of view on it that counts, it’s just the fact that someone is labelling it for the sole purpose of being cool.”

One brand that embodies Rousson’s point of gender neutral ‘tackiness’ is high street brand H&M, who last year partnered with Swedish label ‘Eytys’. This brand was. Founded by two childhood friends, Max Schiller and Jonathan Hirschfeld, their clothes have a traditional workwear aesthetic and unisex designs are at the forefront of this collection.

This sudden launch from H&M, who normally stick to separate menswear and womenswear, very stereotypically, it seems like they are just joining late onto a trend. How can the LGBTQ community be represented fairly if the brand directors don’t personally resonate with the values or understand it themselves, in this case it’s solely a commercial attempt to lure in younger consumers.

With designs mainly featuring 90’s graphic t-shirts with a masculine feel, chunky boots, usual colours such as white, black and beige with some standard snakeskin print incorporated, where is the gender-neutral ideology behind this? The creative director at ‘Eytys’ said “We hope to introduce the H&M customer to our design philosophy of robust and fuss-free design where function triumphs embellishment and styles span genders.”- it just seems an ingenuous and unthoughtful attempt to represent and support this growing community.

However, two designers who aren’t making gender neutral fashion “tacky” are

Eden Loweth and his partner Tom Barratt who formed the label “Art School” in 2016. Creating a brand which is close to the heart, both designers have drawn inspiration from their non-binary identities. Every little detail from their extensive castings to ensuring models are representative of their queer collective, the asexual and fluid nature of their designs, and their inspiration from New Romantics fashion encapsulates their sensitivity and thoughtfulness to the LGBTQ community.

In a 2017 interview with Dazed, Loweth explained “We’re not just trying to jump on a queer bandwagon, this is how we live and see the world.” He reiterated this point recently, after their AW20 show – stating “It’s easy for a brand to say, ‘we’re queer’, but unless you’re considering the day-to-day life of these people, it doesn’t really matter.” Loweth only reinforces design student Rousson’s concerns for how this current trend is being used within fashion, too often, designers are exploiting a raw gender community for the use of commercial purposes.

Their work is successful because the designers aren’t just trying to incorporate current ideas in an impersonal manner, instead their upholding their own personal values of the LGBTQ Community and incorporating it into the brand, making the designs and image of the brand more authentic and genuine. From their first theatrical debut in 2017 with the support of Fashion East, to their recent AW20 show entitled “Fearless Love” it’s clear to see that these two designers aren’t just meaninglessly imposing on a mainstream commercial trend.

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PABLO ROUSSON - 21/02/20 - WORKING IN MENSWEAR STUDIOS

Captured by Ore Ajala

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PABLO ROUSSON - MENSWEAR FINAL COLLECTION TOILES. AW2020

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ITALIAN VOGUE, AUGUST 2019

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DIOR - GALLIANO A/W 2007

Blending Androgynous Tailoring with Glamour

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3 Things Related To Fashion, Pablo Rousson Loves To Hate.

A listicle written by Ore Ajala

In an industry where many are opinionated, Pablo Rousson does not shy away from letting the world know what he loves and what he hates.

“Boring clothes”

From Charlse Jeffery’s ‘Loverboy’ to Art School, it is no secret that the industry is on a 'gender fluid movement'. However, Pablo Rousson definitly has a love/hate relationship with not the clothes, but the industries approach towards the movement. Although he “respects and gets it'', he cannot help but cognise the idea that it is “being overdone and it's over-saturated use [within] fashion, [has propelled it] to the point where it's not the discussion anymore ”. As much as Rousson loves this new fashion age, he also wants people to see it as more than another business opportunity. For communities such as Gender Non Conforming and Trans, “gender bending fashion” is a huge part of their identitiy and not another superficial, quote on quote `cool’ trend.

“Boring people”

Rousson has mentioned that the fashion industry is too uptight, focusing constantly on trends, fast fashion and consummerism, as often seen on highstreet brands such as ‘Zara’ and ‘H&M’. This has pushed Rousson to acknowledge that “Everyone has too much pride and commercial viewpoints'' , which he later explains and describes it to “kill any kind of creativity, excitement [or any sense of] risktaking.”

“Boring Sex”

With an attitude oozing complete confidence, Pablo states “I wanna portray a man that purely cares about looking hot. Sex is dead I wanna try bring it back.” It may be argued that the importance of feeling and dressing sexy is always directed at the female population, but there are so many ways a man can also feel and dress sexy too. And if Rousson is going to bring it back, his final menswear collection will prove so. Whllst this collection is full of intricate grey corsets, tailored jackets and trousers, Rousson takes a full twist where some of his garments either miss an arm or leg, which show Rousson playing with bold stereotypes of what a man should be and feel.

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PABLO ROUSSON - 21/02/20

Captured by Ore Ajala

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Margiela - Galliano SS19

first couture menswear show for Margiela