Guillaum Chaigne Fall/Winter 2024
Guillaum Chaigne
Fall/Winter 2024 at M.A.D Festival
Danica Samuel | August 25, 2024
Photography by Ray Arzaga of M.A.D Collectif
Leading up to the fall/winter 2024 showcase at M.A.D Festival, Guillaum Chaigne posted an Instagram story on his personal account—a photo of garments on a rack and a sarcastic caption: “no noo, I don’t have a favourite colour.” It was a clever sneak peek of the upcoming collection from his cult-favourite brand known for its core aesthetic principles— all-black and oversized.
Since the inception of the eponymous label in 2015, Chaigne has dabbled in haute couture technology for ready-to-wear pieces that open the dialogue for introspection and darkness. His brand identity does not glorify the vileness of darkness but holds up a mirror for people to connect with the emotions that fuel his art, designs, and projected pieces. “Pain fuels artists,” he says, furthering his passion for connecting to human experiences and advocating for mental health awareness. Chaigne also goes beyond the needle and threads to be a mentor and ambassador at Fondation Jeunes en Tête.
This particular collection, Retrospective, took up to 60 hours per week at his Montréal-based atelier. The process was a voyage that epitomized the theme—rebirth, revamp and revitalization—ten pieces inspired by his previous collection and ten brand new pieces. Essentially, he’s exploring foreign territory while embracing a Sankofa-like experience. For the first time, Chaigne introduces us to gowns, distressed, raw-cut hems, and grandiose bell sleeves (look 13). Chaigne also ushers in his protege, Alexander Bergman, who co-created four designs in the showcase. Two distinguishing pieces by the student were the double-notched lapel crop leather jacket worn by Bergman (look 16) and the Merino hand-distressed dress (look 14). Another standout piece Chaigne says will resonate firmly with his audience is the asymmetric patchwork gown (look 20), masterfully designed from accumulated scraps of his older collections over the years. It was the finale dress in the showcase and a profound proclamation of rebirth.
Reusing materials is one of the many ways that Chaigne keeps his moral compass steadfast: being eco-friendly and making fabrics and garment pieces homegrown. “The pieces are all black but green,” he says laughingly, calling them “green-black” to describe their ecological and low-carbon footprint materials. The Montréal-born designer excitingly announced to VQ the brand’s 82 per cent score from Les Page Vertes, certifying that Guillaum Chaigne is an eco-responsible business. He’s adamant about showing that every characterized and textured detail in his collection is sourced and transported environmentally safely. The bull denim, which weighed 12.5 oz (look 15), and the usage of California linen blended with viscose are examples of fabrics transported by truck directly to Montréal, where threading, dying and final touches are complete.
Chaigne never loses its identity of straight cuts, cartesian aesthetics, and oriental fashion influences, which are what he calls “giving basics a brand new life.” Through each look, we reimagine textiles, shapes and essential wardrobe pieces as we know them, channelling a more grim experience. The capes and hooded attributes in the menswear pieces—detailed with the brand signature—also enhance the ancient, futuristic and canonical ambiance that is felt throughout the collection’s showcase.
One could settle for labelling Chaigne’s designs as solely high-end fashion, but it’s a disservice to the attention to detail that transcends each piece. It’s meta-streetwear and thematic displays of various urban trends. In the darkness of the night, on the stage at M.A.D Festival, Chaigne once again struck a cord in the future of embracing darkness through fashion.
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