La Cambre 2025: Small Cohort, Strong Voice

Jessica Cotte, Paris

“The Mask, with a Black Curtain”

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

This collection draws on a range of visual and emotional references: Charles James’ Four Leaf Clover evening dress from 1953, especially a top-down image from the V&A archive; Alberto Burri’s Legno P1 (1958); Truman Capote’s legendary Black and White Ball; Fernand Khnopff’s paintings The Portrait of Marguerite Khnopff (1887) and The Mask, with a Black Curtain (1909); and surreal flash photographs of trees at night. Each reference added to a layered, dreamlike mood that explores elegance, artifice, and mystery.

What materials, colours and techniques did you use?

I used noble materials typical of eveningwear – silk crêpes, silk satins, and loaf leather – combined with more contemporary elements like nylon and bonded waterproof seams. Embroidered feathers add a surreal, couture-like dimension. The palette is inspired by night photography: trees turned white by flash, deep navy skies, and vivid saturated contrasts. I wanted every silhouette to reflect this tension between old-world refinement and stark, modern clarity.

What’s next?

I’m looking for a place where I can offer something honest and continue to grow.

@jessica.cotte

Lilas Descoubes-Bruneau, Paris

“Altitude 57”

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

This collection stems from the confrontation of three distinct images: Walter Niedermayr’s photographs of decommissioned snow cannons, a Radi Designers bench shaped like a greyhound in profile, and an asymmetric house captured by Bernd & Hilla Becher. Niedermayr’s alpine stillness informed the cuts and finishes, while the Bechers’ tilted architecture inspired reversals – sleeves and trousers turned inside out, pocket bags erupting and held by cords. The Radi bench sharpened my attention to side profiles. I built half-garments, compressed them flat, and extended them into sculptural silhouettes that stabilise and define each look.

What materials, colours and techniques did you use?

I explored the alpine wardrobe – technical outerwear and thermal base layers – through the lens of material transformation. Transparent nylons reveal underlayers of jersey, connected with suit tanks and waterproof zips. Finishes include seam-sealed waterproof ribbons, typically hidden in raincoats, now made visible. The colour palette combines natural tones drawn from mountainous terrain with the synthetic fuchsias and yellows worn by hikers for visibility. The result is a system of garments where mountaineering function meets sculptural form.

What’s next?

I’m beginning a six-month internship in the studio of a fashion house, where I hope to deepen my understanding of how garments take shape within a collaborative process. My goal is to keep working in design studios, refining my formal language and contributing to research-led projects where inner construction, craft, and sculptural intent guide the work.

@lilas.db

Lionel Gallez, Ath

“On Display”

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

This collection was inspired by the way garments are presented in shop windows, catalogues, and e-commerce – carefully folded, suspended, or arranged into pristine, often uninhabited volumes. These displays strip clothing of the body, highlighting instead the sculptural, graphic, and textural qualities of the garments themselves. In parallel, I delved into the preppy wardrobe – its codified style, formal typologies, and use of pattern and colour. The tension between idealised presentation and lived clothing became a central theme, freezing garments in a state of aesthetic perfection.

What materials, colours and techniques did you use?

Staying within the preppy world, I worked with a palette of pastels, classic checks and stripes, and a mix of tweed, poplin, and knitwear. The aim was to reflect the structured elegance of preppy dressing while exploring how these garments could be deconstructed, re-staged, or reimagined as static display objects.

What’s next?

Realistically, my next step is finding a stable job in my field so I can support myself. But if I’m being a bit more delusional, I’d love to start something of my own – making and sharing pieces on my own terms.

@lionelgallez

Salomé Dvali

“Where Soundlines Fold”

What are the key inspirations behind this collection?

Two visual references guided this collection: the painted aluminium sculptures of Edgar Negret, made from folded strips held together with nails and bolts, which influenced the volumes, cuts, and fastening systems. The second is a photograph of Mick Jagger and Françoise Hardy in London during the 1970s. It inspired the garment choices, materials, and overall attitude – tailored suits, dress trousers, striped polos, straight skirts, and blouses with lavallière collars.

What materials, colours and techniques did you utilise in the creation of this collection?

I used horsehair to create structure, lace for the polos, and leather for garments and accessories – all assembled with nails in direct reference to Negret’s work. Denim, corduroy, stripes, and checks also feature, with a palette of green, red, and black used to emphasise contrasts in texture and silhouette.

What’s next?

After La Cambre, I hope to join a fashion house to test my work in a professional context. I see this as a chance to integrate my approach into a collective rhythm, engage with the realities of the creative process, and evolve my perspective through collaboration with others.

@salome.dv