François-Xavier Lefebvre and the fashionable fetish

“When I was on placement year, I was experiencing this very fast-paced environment. You’re making a collection and then suddenly it’s finished and you’re already making another collection. I knew that it would be like that, but I felt like I really wanted to slow down – I wanted to breathe.” 

Fascinated with fetish culture for some time, Lefebvre began by looking at different variations of Vac Cubes, a bondage experience in fetish culture in which the body is sealed between two airtight sheets of latex. “When I found this vacuum cube, I thought: ‘I wish I could just go inside it and have a break.’ When you’re inside, it’s like time stops. It’s almost meditative – you’re just with yourself. I wanted to create something that materialized this experience.”

The designer’s investigations led him to discover Deep Pressure Therapy, a sensory experience commonly used to treat patients with symptoms of depression, anxiety, sensory overload, restlessness and chronic stress. Through this research, Lefebvre came upon the ‘Hug Machine’, a V-shaped contraption made from two thickly padded sideboards within which the user can lie or squat for a period of time; an experience designed to relax the nervous system by creating an even distribution of pressure all over the body. Fascinated by the concept, he began to identify parallels between Deep Pressure Therapy and fetish culture’s Vac Cube experience, thus resolving to reinterpret the notion of pressure through the prism of his final collection.

Made entirely from metal and latex, materials that are synonymous with fetish culture, the designer’s pieces explore the intersection of claustrophobia and comfort, examining the various ways in which pressure can be used on the body to create different shapes. Initially taking inspiration from the shape of the Vac Cube, the designer was able to develop bold and graphic shapes to create unusual, sculptural silhouettes.

“I designed a collection of pieces that were a bit like toys: they are kind of anonymous objects that you can play around with.”

For Lefebvre, the collection is about simulating the absence of time and space; materializing both pressure and balance all at once. The properties of latex are soft, yet when stretched around the body, the resulting tension can be experienced as either pleasure or discomfort, or perhaps both alternately. Ultimately, each garment is interpretable as a device that yields a sense of safety and comfort, or as an experience that feels prohibitive and claustrophobic.

For Lefebvre, the final BA collection was an opportunity to get as creative as possible. “For me, there was no point in going back to school to do the same thing as I would do in industry. When I got back from my placement year, I didn’t want to produce a collection of traditional pieces of clothing – I wanted to do something completely different. So, I designed a collection of pieces that were a bit like toys: they are kind of anonymous objects that you can play around with.”

The designer had never worked with metal before, so after familiarising himself with the machines, he spent several weeks honing his skills and developing shapes in the metal workshops. Inspired by minimalist artist Donald Judd, Lefebvre says, “I like to be able to do different things, to be quite versatile in my work.” Well accustomed to creating in 3D, he worked to resolve the metal pieces first, playing around with them on the body to create each piece.

“To be able to sit at a sewing machine and talk with people – that will be amazing. If I’ve managed to do this collection during the COVID-19 lockdown, I know that I am capable of doing anything.”

From a technical point of view, the fabrication of each garment was a challenging process and involved much trial and error. Latex is a notoriously difficult material to work with, particularly when combined with metal, which can cause it to stain, weaken and ultimately, rip. Much of Lefebvre’s process was therefore informed by technical experimentation in order to identify the most successful methods of integrating these two materials. The latex is all patchworked by hand, predominantly using glue, and his star shaped pieces rely on zips to connect latex to the metal arms.

Lefebvre explains that the images he shot of his collection are simply ‘a proposition’ of how his pieces can be worn, but that the wearer is free to interact with them as they wish. ‘‘These are not everyday pieces, they’re something that you would put on to give yourself a certain experience. All of the pieces are detachable; you can wear one, two, three – whatever you wish. None of the pieces have a top or a bottom. There is no right or wrong way to put them on, they are designed to be playful.”

With plans to begin the MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins at the start of November, Lefebvre is feeling excited by the prospect of getting back into the studio. “To be able to sit at a sewing machine and talk with people – that will be amazing. If I’ve managed to do this collection during the COVID-19 lockdown, I know that I am capable of doing anything.”