Pablo Rousson calls himself a hoarder when it comes to clothes. “Every month I have a new obsession. At the moment it’s hats, last month it was parkas, the one before pinstriped suits.” Going on the hunt for hidden gems, along with the burst of serotonin he gets finding a good piece of clothing, played a big part in his decision to study fashion.
Heidi meets Pablo Rousson
What would an encounter between alpine aesthetic and sensual men from the 80s look like?
Of Swiss-Bavarian heritage but raised in East London, the designer has always been surrounded by the arts. As a kid “obsessed with visuals and aesthetics”, fashion to him felt like a natural progression to present his love for beautiful things to the world.
“I like to build erotic features up to their extreme, to create a new masculine image.”
The creative process of the Central Saint Martins menswear graduate always starts from a character. An ideal man taking shape in his mind, even before his research starts. “I always begin from things I find sexy or charismatic,” he said. “Even if I see a man wearing an amazing suit and flip flops and find him charming, I’ll find a way to incorporate him into what I’m working on.” Pablo’s creative process feeds off of images that lack sex appeal, breathing a new sensuality into them through his creations. “I like to build erotic features up to their extreme, to create a new masculine image.”
Through his graduate collection, Pablo Rousson threaded his life experiences, pleasures and curiosities into clothes. ‘Heidi meets Man’ is an embodiment of himself and his humour. With the iconography of alpine culture as a starting point, the designer created an erotic vintage chalet boy, dressed up in fur shorts, leather coin purses and cow print clogs with shearling trims. Pablo’s collection challenges traditional menswear without gimmicking it. The designer’s silhouettes, inspired by the 70s and the 80s, shape a new ideal of sensual men. “I wanted to explore ideas of male erotica from a new angle. I’m obsessed with what is traditionally considered sexy on women and applying that to my garments.”
“I think people should take things less seriously, especially in fashion. I miss the drama and charisma it used to have.”
The fashion industry hasn’t been taking enough risks according to the designer. “If I could, I would change everything. Most designers have been far too safe in their choices lately,” said Pablo. Using his collection, he wants to push the industry, and menswear in particular, as far as it can go. “I think people should take things less seriously, especially in fashion. I miss the drama and charisma it used to have.” With many brands leaving artistry behind in favour of a more commercial approach, Pablo feels the industry’s environment has become stale. “Nothing new is happening anymore because everyone is so stuck up on what’s hype, and I fucking hate hype.”
Working during lockdown was easier than what the designer initially thought. But what brought Pablo Rousson down was knowing he was losing moments he could have spent with his fellow BA students. “We missed out on probably some of the best memories we could have made and cherished for life.” Even if he feels nostalgic thinking about the thrill of working at CSM’s studios, the designer has a positive outlook on those months of self-isolation. “That time has made me explore every aspect of my collection and opened my eyes to different possibilities,” he remembered.
“These years helped me figure out who I am, what I like and what I don’t. I developed my taste level and knowledge not just on clothes but also on people, on ways of working, and on much more.”
Pablo’s experience as a student not only taught him how to make garments, but most importantly allowed him to discover new sides of himself. “These years helped me figure out who I am, what I like and what I don’t. I developed my taste level and knowledge not just on clothes but also on people, on ways of working, and on much more.”
The creation of his final collection was the conclusion of a process that shaped his persona. Just like ‘Heidi meets Men’, in his years at Central Saint Martins Pablo Rousson met himself. Things might look slightly uncertain at the moment, and the designer admits to still being in the process of figuring out what success means to him, but he feels prepared to enter the industry. He might not know where his place in fashion is yet, but he is more than ready to find it.
At the moment, Pablo’s main plan for the future might be surviving this pandemic, but as he said, “your life experiences are worth a lot more than you think, and you definitely learn the most important things outside of uni.”
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