Celebrating two decades of couture with an intimate collection for his muses
_By_Jesse Scott
Alexis Mabillereturned to the essence of couture for_Spring-Summer 2025_, deconstructing and re-examining the term while designing a reflective collection intimately connected to his long-time friends and muses. Mabille celebrated the 20th anniversary of his eponymous brand this season, and, as he explained to_Rain Magazine_, wanted to mark the occasion with a unique collection and presentation format.
Rather than his traditional dramatic show (last season sawDita Von Teeseemerge from a champagne coupe to perform following the final walk), Mabille staged an intimate showroom event for_Spring-Summer 2025_. The atmosphere felt like a gathering of close friends, highly appropriate given the theme of Mabille's collection.
Most couture season cycles originate from the clothes, which are then customized for clients after being seen on the runway. While this paradigm has long been taken for granted by the industry, Mabille forced us to consider if it construes couture correctly. After all, if clients are the focus of couture, should they not also be the genesis of the collections?
Mabille's dear friends and muses, rather than his designs, were his original protagonists for_Spring-Summer 2025_. Mabille created each dress with a specific individual in mind. Then, rather than casting models to walk a runway, he shared the collection with the world through an intimate photo shoot completed with those individuals and distributed in glossy magazine form amongst those who attended the presentation. It was a particularly powerful format - and a beautiful tribute to those who have helped Mabille achieve tremendous success throughout these past two decades.
"I did the casting of friends and people I've had projects with for many years and asked them to be the incarnation of this collection," Mabille told_Rain_. "It was very interesting to work this collection in a different way and be close to their personalities. If they are singers, artists…they are still real people. And this season we are showing what is really happening in couture. Normally clients come in after a show, they say they liked a certain dress, and then we interact with them to adapt the creation and do something very specific. Here we were working with 'clients' before the show was presented…showing the reality of couture with people who are artists."
Alexis Mabille Returns to His Roots, Embraces Avant-Garde
As Mabille walked me through the season's designs, it immediately became clear that he has found a unique synthesis of nostalgia and innovation. A personal favorite look, elegant in its simplicity and unequivocally timeless, was a crepe pencil dress in vibrant violet designed for modelPaula Engbert. The dress was topped with an oversized bow of duchesse satin and lamé, a nod to Mabille's origins as a designer. "The bow is an iconic part of my label because we started with bow ties a long long time ago," he explained to_Rain_. "And the dress is all about the color shade. It's violet like a flower…I'm in love with this color. It looks easy," he humbly continued with a mischievous look on his face. "But in fact it's very tiny, sexy, and strict."
In stark contrast to this look was a quilted "disc" coat made of glacier-blue duchesse satin and worn over a lace body-corset. Designed for famous stylistTina Leung, the dress had a strikingly futuristic silhouette while also recalling the aquatic theme and seashell imagery of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus."
Look 6, Paula Engbert. Long sheath dress in white Lyon lace with cordonnet outline embroidery, featuring a quilted satin volutes belt in natural silk color. Look 22, Tina Leung. "Disc" coat in quilted glacier-blue duchesse satin. Worn over a lace body-corset. (Photos: Courtesy of Alexis Mabille)
Mabille played extensively with this avant-garde quilted material this season. It also appeared on a Victorian-style "volutes" collar worn with a pearlescent dress byOlga Shererand as a playful belt designed for Engbert with a delicate Lyon lace sheath. The Botticelli theme also recurred. One of the most spectacular pieces from the collection was a sand-colored corset organza gown with sunray pleats that resembled the grooves on a seashell.Zita d'Hauteville**, photographed dramatically with the gown billowing around her, looked the image of Venus: protagonist, muse and goddess.**
Look 5, Olga Sherer. Long sheath dress, crafted from natural silk-colored crepe and veiled with pearlescent beaded tulle, featuring a matching quilted satin "volutes" collar. Look 19, Zita d'Hauteville. Long corset gown in sand-colored sunray-pleated satin organza, featuring a fan-shaped neckline and a quilted satin belt. (Photos: Courtesy of Alexis Mabille)
Look 24, Jordan Roth. Royal blue sheath in crêpe, corolla neckline embroidered with iridescent rocaille petals. Look 30, Diala Makki. Long sheath dress in midnight-blue embroidered tulle wrapped in royal blue satin ribbons. (Photos: Courtesy of Alexis Mabille)
Two decades in fashion feels like just the beginning of the journey for Alexis Mabille, now one of Paris's most beloved couturiers. He's seen the industry evolve extensively throughout his career, and he's ridden the waves of change with resounding success.
"When I started we didn't have social media and videos were a lot less important," he reflected to_Rain_. "It was about the critics, reviews in international magazines, and pictures. Now everything has changed. We are in more direct contact with the clients and the media, and fashion is much more accessible. We can easily connect with people from Brazil, China, or Australia…they can request a look or the pricing immediately."
Mabille's SS25 couture collection is particularly poignant when contextualized against this geographic democratization of the fashion industry and the breakdown of walls between designer and client. Working closely with those who wear his dresses throughout the creation process, and inviting a wide range of fashion luminaries into an intimate showroom to view the completed designs, Mabille took a pitch-perfect approach to fashion's current flashpoint. He has had his finger on the pulse of couture, and his clients, throughout the past two decades. We can't wait to see where his journey takes him next.