Right after passing through this SS17 season, Modem is about to introduce to you the Modem's new partners for the year to come.

[size=16][red]Okun Beachwear - New Brand's Partner[/red][/size]

Bola Marquis launched Òkun in 2012 in London with the dream of building a positive and lasting contemporary African expression in international fashion.

The label is a fast-emerging and vibrant Africa-inspired beachwear brand, born out of a desire to share the positive spirit of this continent with the world through print and colour. Òkun (meaning ‘the Ocean’ in West African Yoruba language) espouses a pan-African spirit.

The London-based brand is the brainchild of British-Nigerian manager turned fashion entrepreneur Bola Marquis. After launching its second collection SS14 at Pitti Uomo in 2013, the brand quickly caught the attention of key international retailers including United Arrows Tokyo, La Rinascente Milan, Le Bon Marché Paris, and Luisaviaroma Florence. This standout launch season culminated in winning the 2014 UK Fashion & Textile Rise Award.

This season their swim shorts now also come in a traditional fisherman’s pouch, hand-woven by artisans in Mauritius, where the shorts are currently produced. The Brand was presenting for the Paris Men’s Fashion Week at the Man Trade Show and at the Heavy London Showroom.

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Okun Beachwear Modem


[size=16][red]Ines de la Fressange - New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]


Ines de la Fressange opens her boutique for the first time on the Left Side in Paris, into the heart of the 7th area - rue de Grenelle. She settled in a former foundry that gives the impression of entering a traditional workshop. With its glazed walls, dark wooden panelling, light-coloured parquet flooring and traditional counter, Ines wanted an atmosphere that was chic, full of light and welcoming, reminiscent of a bazar…although well organised too!

All the Ines de la Fressange Paris brand products, from sunglasses to jewellery, via notebooks and scarfs are sold there. The novelty of her store is the clothes. Dresses, like those worn by Ines at the Cannes Film Festival this year, can be ordered.
You can also find an evening and lingerie collections, or a collaboration with Bensimon. Leather goods and shoes will also be on sale. Other brands spotted by Ines will be represented, particularly in the decoration range. A joyous and trendy bazar!

“[…][grey] I love the idea of mixing my creations with other brands. It’s not a concept store, but more like a mix between a hardware store and a bazar. [/grey][…][grey] I wanted to inspire my clients with the same feeling when, as children, we visited a toy shop and wanted everything inside![/grey]” Ines.

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Ines de la Fressange Modem // Ines de la Fressange

[size=16][red]John Varvatos – New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]

Launched in 2000 with a collection of tailored clothing and sportswear, John Varvatos now represents an entire men’s lifestyle that includes footwear, bags, belts, eyewear, limited edition watches, men’s fragrances, and John Varvatos U.S.A. Collection, as well as a collaborative Converse line.

Varvatos has been recognized three times by the Council of Fashion Designers of America with an American Fashion Award for New Menswear Designer in June 2000, Menswear Designer of the Year in June 2001 and June 2005 and was honoured as GQ’s “Designer of the Year” in 2007.
In October 2013, John released his first book entitled John Varvatos: Rock in Fashion, which documents the inherent elements of rock style within the music community.

Further rooting the brand in music, John Varvatos entered into a strategic partnership with Republic Records to launch John Varvatos Records in February 2014. Collections are distributed in freestanding John Varvatos’s boutiques and top-line department stores throughout the world.

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John Varvatos Modem


[size=16][red]Kiminori Morishita – New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]

Hailing from Hiroshima, Kiminori Morishita is a Japanese fashion designer born in 1964, who started his own label in 2002 with “Kiminori Morishita”.The collection was sold in over 70 major stores in 20 countries.

The first Kiminori Morishita runway shows were held during the Tokyo Fashion Week between 2003 and 2005. In January 2009, he established his own company, Kiminori Morishita garments lab inc and launched a new brand, 08sircus at the SS10 Paris Men’s collection. From 2012, he started the collection for women.
From the AW16-17 collection, he started again "Kiminori Morishita”.

Kiminori Morishita is known for his fabrics that looks and feels slightly used, like military inspired materials, giving his line a vintage appeal revisited into modern, luxurious clothing and cuts. Technologically advanced materials are combined with handmade methods including dying, shaving and pulverizing to create a unique garment.

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Kiminori Morishita Modem


[size=16][red]KKtP – New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]


For Kim Kiroic, becoming a footwear designer might be considered as a coincidence. He used to sketch his dream sneakers in class out of the obsession for Nike Air Jordan. This simple aspiration as a teen is still his major motivation.

After being graduated from university, Kim worked at Reebok, between other sports' shoe companies, in marketing, graphic and retails departments.

In 2008, Kim Kiroic has designed few hybrid pairs of sneakers-sandals; these shoes would be later internationally recognized during the Juun-J’s fashion show SS10 at the Paris Fashion Week. Since then, Kim became Juun-J's official footwear designer for three years.

In 2013, Kim officially launched his sneakers brand KKtP, which inherits his individual style and combines his unique aesthetic with modern style for the contemporary youth. "KKtP" is the abbreviation of "King's Knight's Pawn”, an expression that comes from a move at Draughts.

The design carries on the mixed style of futuristic elements and urban taste, without sacrificing its' sporty wearability, best known for its unique vision through deconstruction, convertible designs & geometric silhouettes.

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KKtP Modem


[size=16][red]Roar*guns* - New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]

The Roarguns designer, Saburo Hamanaka, is mixing rock & American, casual & military style, always with a Love & Peace’s roar spirit since the launch of the first SS02 collection.
An illustration of two crossed pistols with long barrels, which are called “Peace Maker”, is the current brand’s logo in order to express the antithesis between beauty and lunacy. It came from the Western theme of the SS04 collection.

In 2005, the label presented its collection in Paris for the first time and gained a high notoriety. In 2007, the AW collection with 'Native American' theme was very appreciated with its original Native American patterns. The Roarguns identity is clearly into details from the beads and the feathers patterns in collaboration with Swarowski.

Since AW10, they only presented in Tokyo but they’ll be back in Paris this year with their AW17 collection.

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Roarguns Modem


[size=16][red]IVXLCDM – New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]

IVXLCDM is a creator unit founded in 2007 at Kofu-city, Yamanashi prefecture. Tetsuya Uejima is the president and main designer.

He was born in the Yamanashi province, which is well known for jewellery and accessory manufactured in Japan. He is an expert of accessories producing; therefore many Japanese brands and celebrities aim to collaborate with him.

The brand name “I,V,X,L,C,D,M” is referring to Roman numerals “1,5,10,50,100,500 and 1000”. The firm’s goal is to reach classics through quality and heritage. In 2009, IVXLCDM presented for the first time their first collection in Paris then they presented in Tokyo.
Tetsuya Uejima, who has been involved in plenty of men's jewellery projects, joined this unit to transmit Japan creation to the world.

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IVXLCDM Modem


[size=16][red]Both – New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]

Both is a French premium footwear brand, an independent design label with an aesthetic belief of "[grey]we interpret balance[/grey]". This is in the heart of it's DNA; showcasing the beauty in balance. Both's production infuses natural materials and contemporary technologies, allowing the brand to interpret rubber in sophistication.

By engaging with extensive selection of materials, Both also injects dynamic characters into carefully selected natural rubber, elevating the design to create classic yet innovative styles; Both's designers are working around this theme. The company has been focusing on researching raw rubber materials and developing various rubber products and extended its works to sports and fashion industries.

In 1873, the British transplanted rubber trees from the Amazon Forrest to the English island. Now more than 100 years have passed by and humans have discovered and developed various methods of rubber processing techniques methods and uses.

Both’s designs take uniqueness and practicability into consideration in addition to incorporate a stylish aesthetic and a significant level of comfort. Both focuses on details, enriches its footwear with low-key exquisite craftsmanship.

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Both Modem


[size=16][red]22/4 – New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]

Düsseldorf born, Stephanie Hahn is a self-taught designer, she launched her own fashion brand 22/4 in 2006 from her hometown.

Since its launching, 22/4 has produced mens and womens collections semi annually, offering two separated but connected lines. Both collections are handmade in Germany, using non-gendered fabrics and classical men’s tailoring for women’s shapes, but not unisex.
Her intention is always to create distinctive and sophisticated luxury garments for a market with traditional values and a progressive edge.

22/4 is a numerical title referencing not only the mathematical elements of tailoring, but also the equation of teamwork. Through the use of fabrics and shapes she differentiates and integrates visual representations, thus implies the wearers and pushes them to desire something.
As a designer she puts her energy towards interpreting new social interactions, creating new relations between people and materials, and incorporating these ideas into shapes and designs.

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22/4 Modem


[size=16][red]Jerome Dreyfuss – New Brand’s Partner[/red][/size]

Jérôme Dreyfuss was born in 1974, he moved to Paris at the age of 17 to study fashion at l'École Esmode, but left three months later to undertake a work placement at John Galliano. He launched his first womenswear collection, “Couture à Porter”, in 1998, when he was just 23 years old. Critics instantly acclaimed his first accessories collection “Roots de Luxe”, launched in 2002.

Fast-forward eleven years and Jérôme Dreyfuss has cemented his reputation as the go-to designer for chic, sober accessories with innovative, heart-warming twists. Jérôme prides himself on working with the world’s finest materials – butter soft calfskin, lambskin, goatskin or reptile skin.
Many celebrities all around the globe are wearing the Jerome’s work, including Keira Knightley, Sarah Jessica Parker and Diane Kruger to name a few.

Today Jérôme’s accessories are sold in over 300 outlets around the world, including Liberty and Harrods in London, Barneys in New York and L.A, Maria Luisa in Shanghai, Isetan in Tokyo and Galeries Lafayette in Paris… He has three standalone stores in Paris, eleven ‘stores in store’ and one flagship in South Korea and a flagship store in NYC.

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Jérôme Dreyfuss Modem


[size=16][red]Heavy London – New Showroom’s Partner[/red][/size]


Heavy London is a brand development & digital agency based in London. The multidisciplinary enterprise offers a wide range of services that can adapt to creative and corporate business purposes, generating a dynamic clientele that balance between independent fashion brands and established companies worldwide.

Founded in 2013, Heavy London is divided into an Agency and a Graphic Design Studio. The agency also offers consultancy on brand strategy and development until the creation of custom-made websites and branding. The team draws experience from a diversity of areas, from music, to fashion, architecture, marketing and media. It offers equilibrium of practicality, objectivism and artistic values in order to achieve a creative and strategic business direction for its clients.

As a natural consequence of its entrepreneurship, Heavy London created the eponymous Heavy London Showroom as an independent initiative that supports young brands, both mens and womenswear. The showcase platform focuses on generating exposure and business opportunities for young designers, as they present their collections at the most relevant fashion weeks and events in the industry. The agency always takes part in the London and Paris Fashion week, amongst other international industry events.

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Heavy London Modem


[size=16][red]Wearhouse - New Showroom's Partner[/red][/size]


"With Milan and New York, Paris is undeniably an essential crossroads of the International Mode.
Concorde-Madeleine area, where the prestigious international brands rub shoulders, was chosen to implant our showroom.
I designed our showroom Wearhouse imagining the store that would surprise me.
Propose brands with a strong personality; look for the right product mix, finding accessories brands that give meaning to the concept. These values inspire me and I share them with my team and shops with which we have a chance to work." According to the founder, Vincent Ioos

The Wearhouse showroom, launched in 2006, is handling about twenty brands, such as oXs, mou or Parajumpers.

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Wearhouse Modem


[size=16][red]MPM Agency – New Showroom’s Partner[/red][/size]

Born from the idea of Peter Logan Koch Santos in June 2015, the MPM Agency’s concept is : “[…] try to give our expertise to new talented fashion designers in order to make their brand grow up and evolve in the fashion business. Our service is more than a normal showroom, press office or art direction, we propose to our talents a new business model, a full service that really brings them in the market, from choosing the right production partner to the development of their marketing campaigns.” stated Peter Logan Koch Santos.

The art direction side of the agency take care of every single detail of the image for the brands. Look books, campaigns, videos or simply still life pictures are done inside their studio with the experience of their partners.

The marketing direction of the agency doesn’t only consist in a press office; every detail to communicate in the best way is used. All the strategies, to help the represented brands to introduce themselves in a positive way and to become emblematic to the customers, are operated.

It also offers a complete sales direction’s program, in helping to get in touch with shops. The strategy is to make a selection of the shops to propose the products, or to link the brand with the right agents or showrooms, in order to reach their targets.

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MPM Agency Modem


[size=16][red]Find A Name – New Showroom’s Partner[/red][/size]


Find A Name is an independent Paris based fashion press consulting and sales agency and a showroom seeking to create a dialogue between the arts and design. The idea behind Find A Name is to build a unique and effective vehicle with a bespoke service to each of the projects to manage.

The team offers integrated solutions to sale and communicate and brings its experience in fashion, editorial, sales and PR to fulfil the needs of its clients and collaborators.

The team, composed of professionals with more than 15 years of experience within Fashion Industry, is able to provide guidance in the fields of sales development, marketing and finance in order to boost the Brand confidence.

They are offering a huge variety of services: wholesale and retail business, planning production and merchandising, marketing and sales, press relations, brand expansion, digital design and branding, funding advisory.

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Find a Name Modem


[size=16][red]Splash – New Trade Show’s Partner[/red][/size]

Alex Lyles and Claire Spencer-Churchill, directors of the Claret Showroom, launched Splash Paris in June 2016. The trade show has been created in order to showcase international luxury resortwear brands to premium buyers for Resort '17.

The Claret Showroom is a leading European resortwear showroom selling to over 450 retailers across Europe and the Middle East. It opened its doors in 2006 to provide the space, tools and professionals to work hand in hand with brands to develop their distribution through wholesale channels & PR activity.
The trade show is curated by Maria Williams, head of resortwear buying at Net-a-Porter because of her "vast knowledge of brands and performance in retail."

Claire Spencer-Churchill said: "Trade shows are getting larger by the season […]Paris is lacking a premium Resortwear Tradeshow […] and the ethos of Splash Paris is to bring a beautifully curated small resortwear show to the centre of Paris.[…] in a small Venue with 30 handpicked brands exhibiting from the space[…] The environment will be relaxed and fun, making the show relevant for all buyers who are looking to see the top resortwear brands at one venue."

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Splash Modem

Annabelle Tesseyre © Modemonline