Atelier Thimister | Modem Mag

J. Thimister returns after a 10-year absence

Tuesday March 1st, Grand Palais

As Ann Demeulemeester and Haider Hackermann’s financial and moral supporter, Anne Chapelle decided to invest in Josephus Thimister’s collection. Thanks to her, the designer is now able to show his artistic project. «I fell in love with Josephus’ work, he has a master hand », she said when leaving his red army-inspired Haute Couture show that took place in Paris in January 2010. The beauty of his clothes lies, among other things, in the fact that they are made in accordance with his ecological conscience and principles – potato dyed natural silk fabric (just like in Chinese tradition), horse leather treated with grapeseed oil… Beauty and quality is also due to a return to more traditional methods – felt and boiled goat hair or nude silk, a fabric evoking both leather and coated paper.

His Fall/Winter 2011 collection offered a trip down to hell with fallen angels (“Circle Angels”). His show opened up with black, graphic total looks, continued with grey silk and loose cuts and ended up with diaphanous silhouettes wearing light goat hair fur and felt. The centerpiece of this collection would be the unisex overall. They are worn underneath a tunic, a loose-fitting circle coat (one of the season’s trends) or a hand knit silk/mohair sweater, the web-like woven structure of which already trapped numerous boutiques (Barneys and Jeffrey NY, L’Eclaireur, Hérold Paris, Dover Street Market London, Joyce HK…). Next winter, “hell will be a crowded place”!