The Modern Uniform
Icosae brought a striking mixture of tailoring, military references and youthful experimentation to the Paris menswear catwalk. Founded by brothers Florentin and Valentin Glemarec, the French label approached menswear through a combination of traditional craftsmanship, graphic design and sharply considered silhouettes. The collection drew on ideas of English royalty, family lineage, uniforms and historic dress, translating those references into oversized outerwear, precise tailoring, graphic details and unexpected fabric treatments.
Royalty Reimagined
English royalty provided one of the collection’s key points of reference, particularly the complicated history of royal succession and abdication. Icosae combined that historical atmosphere with influences from Ainu and African dress, creating a wardrobe that moved between aristocratic tailoring and more primitive, expressive references. The result was not historical costume. Instead, these influences appeared through proportion, ornament, uniform-inspired details and the sense of ceremony surrounding the clothes.
The Power of the Overcoat
Outerwear dominated the collection. Oversized overcoats, trench coats and long hooded coats created substantial silhouettes around the body, giving the runway a strong architectural quality. The contrast between generous coats and slimmer trousers created a distinctive proportion: large volumes above a more controlled leg, allowing the outerwear to become the principal statement of each look. For CARRO Studio, these silhouettes provide an especially strong photographic subject. The movement of a long coat or the exaggerated sleeve of an oversized jacket can completely alter the shape of the model from one frame to the next.
Tailoring with an Edge
Beneath the outerwear, Icosae maintained a strong tailoring vocabulary. The collection was described as returning to a sharper silhouette, with lean tailoring contrasted against the larger coats and more experimental pieces. Metallic rivets, unusual cuts and carefully positioned details disrupted the formality of the tailoring, giving familiar garments a harder, more contemporary attitude.
The Cut Sleeve
One of the collection’s most recognisable design details was a sleeve that appeared cut, turned and manipulated across different garments. The feature appeared on coats, tailored pieces, jackets and more casual clothing, creating a visual signature that connected the collection together. It is exactly the kind of construction detail that becomes more apparent through close photography: a seemingly simple sleeve revealing an unexpected intervention in the garment.
Fabric as Surface
Icosae’s approach to material added another layer of visual complexity. Cashmere and wool were combined with metallic-coated tweed and hand-painted patchwork, creating contrasting surfaces that shifted between softness, shine and graphic texture. The liquid-metal effect of the tweed was particularly distinctive, introducing a reflective quality into an otherwise traditional tailoring vocabulary.
Black, White and Red
The collection was built largely around a restrained black-and-white palette, punctuated by stronger flashes of red and other graphic details. That restraint allowed the silhouettes and materials to remain central. Colour became an accent rather than the dominant feature, appearing almost like punctuation across the collection.
Graphic Messages
Graphic design was another important part of Icosae’s visual language. Slogans such as “Anti-Héros” and “In my End is my Beginning” appeared within the collection, bringing an element of contemporary cultural commentary to the clothing. The words sit naturally alongside the tailoring and military references, giving the garments a youthful and slightly confrontational character.
Details of Identity
Small accessories and embellishments reinforced the collection’s individuality. White pearls hanging from the ears offered a delicate contrast to the heavier clothing, while metal details, embroidery and painted elements contributed to the feeling of carefully constructed identity. These contrasts, hard and soft, masculine and delicate, traditional and experimental, are central to Icosae’s visual language.
A Modern Romanticism
Icosae’s collection finds its character in contrasts. English royal history meets contemporary streetwear; strict uniforms meet oversized proportions; traditional tailoring is disrupted by metallic surfaces, graphic messages and unexpected construction. Through CARRO Studio’s lens, those contrasts become especially clear. The collection is not simply about historical references, but about taking those references apart and rebuilding them into a distinctly modern menswear language.
CARRO Studio Behind the Lens
CARRO Studio’s high-resolution catwalk photography captures Icosae through its strongest qualities: silhouette, movement, texture and construction. The images allow the oversized coats to dominate the frame while revealing the finer details beneath them; metallic surfaces, stitching, graphic elements, unusual sleeves and carefully controlled tailoring. The catwalk also makes the collection’s changing proportions particularly visible. A coat opens as the model moves, a long sleeve shifts position, or a metallic fabric catches the light, turning each photograph into a slightly different interpretation of the same garment.
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