By Louise Daniel
Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran have never been ones to conform. Their aesthetic is radical, their vision untamed. For years, the duo behind Matières Fécales has questioned, challenged, and deconstructed the very foundations of beauty, often blurring the line between the surreal and the real. This season, they took their defiance to the Paris Fashion Week stage, marking their highly anticipated runway debut with The Other—a collection that is as much about fashion as it is about identity, transformation, and fearless self-expression.
Set within the ornate halls of Hotel Le Marois, the show unfolded as a spectacle of alien-esque glamour. A parade of eyebrow-less, otherworldly figures stalked the runway in elegantly distorted silhouettes, their presence both unsettling and mesmerizing. Among the front-row spectators were Rick Owens, Michèle Lamy, Chappell Roan, and Christian Louboutin, fashion’s vagabond elite who, much like the designers, thrive in the space between convention and chaos.
In their show notes, Dalton and Bhaskaran articulated the collection’s ethos: “The collection is about being fearless in your identity. It is about walking into a room with your head held high, even if nobody wants you there.” This philosophy is not just stitched into the seams of their garments—it is their reality. Matières Fécales does not create clothes; they create an existence. They are the embodiment of their own vision, their aesthetic a living, breathing testament to fashion as transformation. For them, fantasy and the mundane have already collided—the extreme made normal, beauty made limitless.
Matières Fécales Fall/Winter 2025: Looks 18, 42 (Images courtesy of Matières Fécales)
In The Other, classic tropes of sophistication are distorted and rearranged, resulting in silhouettes that feel both familiar and entirely alien. Chic unraveled suits—their edges raw, their structures deliberately warped—suggest the deconstruction of traditional tailoring. Alienesque daywear emerges through sculpted leather, sheer veils, and protective outerwear that reads as both armor and metamorphosis. The play on duality is evident: soft fabrics juxtaposed against harsh textures, exaggerated curves softened by precise tailoring. Their signature protective gear makes a return—not as clothing, but as a second skin. The collection does not just dress the wearer; it reinvents them. Garments function as extensions of the body, bending perception, making the unfamiliar alluring.
Alien-esque Louboutin: Beauty for the Defiant
No debut would be complete without a defining collaboration, and this season, Christian Louboutin joined the Matières Fécales universe. The infamous red bottom—a symbol of opulence and tradition—is reborn in distorted, otherworldly forms, bending the very notion of footwear as we know it. Curved pumps and warped silhouettes turn each step into a statement, blurring the line between couture and creature. The shoes are meant to challenge, to unsettle, and most importantly, to redefine desire. Paired effortlessly with Matières Fécales’ signature horn bag, these accessories solidify their vision of beauty as something to be feared, revered, and ultimately embraced.
Matières Fécales Fall/Winter 2025: Looks 52, 60 (Images courtesy of Matières Fécales)
Everything about this collection feels deeply personal yet universally defiant. Each look was sketched by Bhaskaran in a single sitting, an unfiltered outpouring of imagination that would later be refined into the garments seen on the runway. Supported by legendary stylist Debra Shaw, the collection’s presentation was nothing short of cinematic, culminating in a finale that left the audience in awe. The final look—a celestial figure adorned with sculpted wings—was more than just fashion. It was a declaration. A reminder that we are not bound by the world’s expectations of beauty, gender, or form. A testament to the power of creation without compromise. Matières Fécales does fashion unapologetically, fearlessly, without hesitation. They do not cater to the mainstream—they force it to evolve. With "The Other," they have not just arrived at Paris Fashion Week; they have rewritten its rules.
Matières Fécales Fall/Winter 2025: Looks 51, 43 (Images courtesy of Matières Fécales)
