Antonin Tron was wearing an Extinction Rebellion T-shirt at his spring show and revealed that he was personally involved with the group’s French chapter, to the point of hosting group meetings in Atlein’s ateliers. That got him thinking about “how to continue to a job I love in this field with its know-how, but in a way that is just and coherent with my values. We are in a time of strong transitions. People are changing the way we buy, we eat, everything.”
Sustainable sources — deadstock for his debut collections, a fully traceable nylon this season — and practices are his standard, and the 2018 ANDAM winner rejects any notion that the label itself is sustainable. “We are not a green label. It’s impossible. The very act of creating, particularly using new materials, generates destruction. But I am trying to find ways that match my values,” he said.
None of this was evident in the lineup, which offered the usual precise cool-girl silhouettes, here in a sophisticated palette of darks that included flashes of vivid reds, blues and orange. Tapping the women around him for inspiration, he sent out a sporty-chic ensemble of reconfigured T-shirts tucked into figure-elongating trousers, boxy blousons, and variations on the slinky curve-seamed jersey dresses that put him on the map. Most looks bared the shoulder in one way or another. New this season were the satin-back crepe and heavier woven materials which allowed for more sculptural shapes.
Tron’s work remains as quiet as ever, but his methods feel particularly relevant in this moment where sustainability is the hot-button issue.