Couture week in Paris has been given the green light for physical shows and presentations. The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode has announced that Pyer Moss has been invited to feature as a guest on the FW21 schedule.
According to Dazed, Pyer Moss founder Kerby Jean-Raymond will be the first African American designer to show on the coveted Haute Couture calendar. News of the “undisclosed event” has inspired a lot of interest, given the designer's reputation for exciting, big-budget shows — the last of which included a full choir singing hits from Missy Elliott, Donny Hathaway, Frank Ocean, and Cardi B with Doja Cat and Brent Faiyaz closing the show.
Jean-Raymond has also used his ever-expanding platform to draw attention to social issues, such as police brutality against African American people in the United States. The brand's NYFW debut in 2015 opened with a 12-minute video about police brutality. The video resulted in death threats to Jean-Raymond and stores dropping their orders at the time.
The Pyer Moss show will take place as part of Haute Couture Week sometime between July 5 to 8. According to WWD, Chanel is the only brand confirmed to include a live audience, though the Fédération has said, “Fashion Houses may organize physical shows and presentations” — though this is contingent on specific health protocols. With that in mind, expect more houses to follow suit. The Fédération will publish the provisional schedule the week of June 7.
Other guest members joining this season are Aelis, Azzaro Couture, Balenciaga, Charles de Vilmorin, Christophe Josse, Georges Hobeika, Imane Ayissi, Julie de Libran, Rahul Mishra, RVDK Ronald van der Kemp, RR331, Vaishali S, Yuima Nakazato, and Zuhair Murad.
For more on Kerby Jean-Raymond, check out our FRONTPAGE story where he speaks on the importance of defunding the police.
