Gilles Mendel was at Maison Atia’s first fashion week presentation Thursday morning purely for moral support.
While his daughter Chloe and her business partner Gustave Maisonrouge showed their first full-fledged fall collection of faux-fur coats, jackets, capelets and accessories, the designer stood off in the wings. Bright-colored teddy-bear-type styles and rocker-chic designs were the main attraction in a salon in the Baccarat Hotel.
Mendel said she was inspired by the Seventies, “the strongest era in art, music and social movements,” and favors a rock-‘n’-roll chic, traces of which can be seen in the faux leather belts on the coats. A more of-the-moment musician, UNI’s Charlotte Kemp Muhl, was photographed by Henry Lopez for the fall look book.
Since launching Maison Atia in November 2017, the founders have created a business that has prospered from personal connections. Photographer Inez van Lamsweerde has become a strong supporter and friend. Mendel met van Lamsweerde through Stila founder Jeanine Lobell, whom she has been friends with for years. Van Lamsweerde wears Mendel’s design on a regular basis, including on Feb. 8 when she photographed Kate Moss. Moss liked the Maison Atia coat van Lamsweerde was wearing so much that she inquired about getting one. So the photographer
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