Thomas Clément wants more craftsmanship in fashion design

Living in the French countryside made it hard for Thomas to find fashion experience. To pursue design he moved to Geneva, enrolling in a preparatory jewellery design course which prepared him to pursue his BA in Fashion Design at University of Arts of Geneva and an MA in Womenswear at Central Saint Martins London. It was becoming expensive to live in London, so when CSM cancelled the MA show due to the pandemic, the designer relocated back to Geneva. He worked outside of the industry for a year to save money and used prize money from winning multiple awards: the Swiss Bongénie Prize for the best BA collection, the Swiss Design Awards for Fashion and Textile, the Yinger Prize and the Mittelmoda Creative Award to fund the rest of his collection. In 2023, he completed his MA at HEAD in Geneva and won the Laurastar Prize for the most innovative and sustainable MA collection, assisting him financially to produce his first pair of shoes.

London was too big for Clément and returning to Geneva suited his preferred working environment. “At CSM, the studio technician for the MA was always checking if we were working and made sure there was no chatting. When people were in the studio they were focused, but had no personal space.” The designer is fond of the work culture at HEAD, reflecting on having cigarette breaks and conversations about life outside the fashion world in the university courtyard. “HEAD is different because we can live freely in the space we are working in.”

The award-winning graduate’s MA collection, Before Sunrise, borrows the title from Richard Linklater’s film, where two strangers meet on a Eurorail train, resulting in them spending the night together in Vienna. “I like the idea of jumping out of a train and doing what feels right at that moment.” On its ideas, he adds: “My collection draws on the concept of serendipity, in other words, the chance occurrence of things that turn out to be good. It is an introspective journey into my aesthetic ideas, haunted by perfection but accessible thanks to its functionality.”

“At the end of the day, I think my first customer will still be me.”  – Thomas Clément

Before Sunrise is underpinned by everyday experiences and objects. His phone has a live list of fragmented ideas, accumulating over time. “Writing is more part of my process than drawing or collaging.” When he returns to an idea and can still remember why he wrote it down, he thinks it is worth pursuing. Thomas doesn’t have a muse or end goal, allowing ideas to evolve over time. Gifted with a strong visual memory, he can translate these ideas into 3D concepts without seeing them on paper. Despite the MA collection being a personal project, he chose to include commercial elements through the accessories, designing shoes, jewellery, and bags, where details were integral. The shoes have straps at the front and hidden details with missing heels or asymmetrical zips making them visually intriguing from all angles. Believing that design should be more fun, Thomas adds irony to the design process for his enjoyment. Even though the collection is womenswear, the designer styles them on himself first to give them a different point of view. “At the end of the day, I think my first customer will still be me.”

“My designs are like an Italian kitchen. No more than three ingredients, but good ones.” – Thomas Clément

The award-winning collection was an opportunity for draping, fabric manipulation and construction. “I love doing intricate seams and conceptual lines. Then I like adding texture.” The designer prefers using few materials, which he then enhances. “My designs are like an Italian kitchen. No more than three ingredients, but good ones.” Silhouettes are the most important part of his designs; as both a perfectionist and experimentalist, the designer plays with volumes and proportions to embellish the body, giving the designs a distinctive and bold look. One of the concepts in Before Sunrise was inspired by seeing a man on a crowded train taking up a room with a big backpack. He created a top that takes the shape of an upside down bag, so people can visually see how much space they are taking up in public.

Feathers are a motif throughout the designer’s work. His first design was a feather necklace, which he created by cutting the side of shoe tongues. “Since then, I often try to rework feathers on my projects, embroidering, dyeing, and mimicking them.” Using 500 metres of zippers, the designer created a skirt and coat that emulates feathers. It was an intense process, with the designer making 15,000 feathers for the two pieces, through deconstructing zips. A successful design for Thomas looks good editorially and is rooted in craftsmanship, allowing it to be functional and beautiful. “Movement and wear are part of why I do fashion and not art. It is beautiful when an item has been worn and trashed.”

The designer believes that fashion schools are unable to prepare emerging designers for the industry post-graduation, because the expectations are so high yet often unrealistic. “When you are in fashion school, you are in your own universe and paradise. You can do a bit of everything and feel like you’re the center of the world. When you finish it is hard, because you have to work for someone else or face the difficulty of having your own business.”

Since graduating, Thomas has been entering his MA collection into competitions and mentoring incoming fashion students to HEAD. He turned down an internship at Bottega Veneta because the cost of living was too high. Despite this, Thomas believes that finances aren’t the biggest impediment to emerging talent, citing that visibility is the major battle he faces. Regardless, he is ready for a new adventure and has his sights set on Paris when the moment is right. He would love to work for a house or brand that is small enough for him to be a part of different elements of the design process, while continuing to research and develop his own ideas outside of it. Craftsmanship and attention to detail are crucial for Thomas, who worries that fashion design is becoming over-digitised at the expense of quality.

Alternatively, he could see himself as a ghost designer or consultant. “It would be nice to be called when a concept is blocked and be the person who says: “Let’s go for it.”