PARIS — Give Kevin Germanier a blank page and he’s liable to fill it with a rainbow of colors. His exhibition at Lausanne’s Museum of Contemporary Design and Applied Arts is a case in point.
The designer, known for his sustainable approach to fashion, made the Mudac’s modernist building pop with a selection of his exuberant beaded creations, and covered an entire room in recycled colored plastic balls in a preview of his upcoming venture into interior design.
His first solo show, titled “Les Monstrueuses: Carte blanche to Kevin Germanier,” opened Friday and runs until March 22. The title of the exhibition nods to the use of “monster” as an adjective in Swiss slang. “In Switzerland, when something is good, we say, ‘It’s monster cool,’” he explained.
For Germanier, who is 33 years old, it’s a tongue-in-cheek take on a retrospective.
He opened the show with a room called “Not Dead Yet,” which contains looks from each of his collections, beginning with his graduate show at London’s Central Saint Martins school in 2017, and ending with a wedding gown made of recycled Japanese paper from his most recent Paris runway show.
Germanier purposely placed his student effort next to a densely embroidered look from his debut haute couture show in January, which marked his pivot from ready-to-wear toward exclusive, made-to-measure designs.
“It shows that eight years later, I’m still true to my original vision, but the execution is so much more refined,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to see that evolution.”
There are red carpet pieces worn by the likes of Kristen Stewart and Heidi Klum, but he was also keen to reflect the reality of running an emerging fashion label.
The second room is dedicated to his money-makers: his bestselling Trésorium beaded handbag, and collaborations with brands including Guerlain, Christian Louboutin, Perrier and Swiss writing instruments company Caran d’Ache, one of the sponsors of the exhibit.
These are displayed alongside one of his designs for Björk, a cow costume he made for this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, and outfits worn by performers during the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
“I want to throw away the rule book and show that fashion isn’t a closed world — there’s actually a lot of humor in it. And fashion isn’t just about clothes; it’s a business,” he explained.
Germanier’s latest project is the poster for the 60th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival. A fully embroidered version will be available in a limited edition of six, alongside a capsule collection including a Trésorium bag, a bomber jacket and keychains.
The designer, who specializes in turning landfill into wearable art, also wanted to provide a glimpse into his creative process by recreating a work room filled with personal mementos.
“I wanted it to be a little like Frankenstein’s laboratory,” he said, nodding to the central table where a “chimera” creature lies, assembled from elements including his footwear collaborations with Louboutin and Ugg.
Exhibits range from the “Jeune Styliste” fashion design video game he used to play as a child to a vintage dress by fellow Swiss designer Robert Piguet, which he recently inherited from a descendant of the legendary couturier.
Also featured is a school project from 2010 that includes a corset made from upcycled PET bottles. “There’s no greenwashing at Germanier. The inspirations have literally been there from the beginning. I’ve always loved finding trash and turning it into something new,” he said.
Photos pay tribute to his family, including his grandmother Simone, who has pitched in to make his signature knitwear, like the yellow top and feather trim skirt worn by Lily Collins in “Emily in Paris.” Another one of his knitters, Anne-Marie Winet, is leading a crochet workshop as part of a program of events linked to the exhibition.
With rtw now on hold, Germanier is busy exploring new categories. The final room features fully beaded chairs, tables and lamps from a homeware collection with French online retailer La Redoute that is set to launch next spring.
Germanier sees the room as a metaphor for his journey toward embracing his maximalist style.
“As a Swiss artist, there’s still a long way to go when it comes to acceptance. When I first pitched my idea for this little cabin, they thought I was completely crazy. But if we’re going to do an exhibition, we have to go all the way,” he said.
“In the end, that monstrous side — that might seem negative — really isn’t. It’s part of us. We all have that individuality inside of us and we should celebrate it. It’s something I wish someone had told me when I was younger, but maybe I just had to figure it out for myself.”