ATLEIN
It’s rare for designers to have such conviction as Antonin Tron, especially considering his Atlein was only founded in 2016–a mere two seasons ago and in that time has already grabbed a First Collections Prize at the 2016 ANDAM Fashion Awards. Antonin wasted no time in making his discipline clear: jersey, almost exclusively. His repertory of rolling-seamed, ultra fitted dresses practically manifest curves and are making waves, literally though, Atlein is inspired by Tron’s love for surf and the Atlantic coast, where the name comes from. So, it’s no stretch, and definitely a praise, to liken his elegant designs to wetsuits for the evening or the office or the everyday, in that his fabric completely cooperates with movement and his designs provide a layer of luxury. Practicality is part of the DNA of the brand says Tron, “I try as much as possible that the clothes don’t restrain the movement. Atlein is about fluidity and freedom,” continuing, “Being a very active and sporty person myself I tend to feel for an athletic and healthy figure. The body in motion, its tensions and movements really appeal to me.”
Growing up in Paris, Antonin sought a different perspective to develop his interests, “A different way to make fashion and culture: a less institutionalized one and with a certain sense of integrity,” which led him to study at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts and to eventually travel abroad, “I’ve spent a lot of time traveling off road in Asia and Africa which nurtured my vision on things.” The rest of his education would be more hands-on formerly working under top ateliers Givenchy, Ghesquiére’s Balenciaga, Alexander Wang and now, currently, as part-time senior designer with Demna Gvasali. “Designing for big french houses grants you access to a very privileged part of fashion where creativity dominates the way you do things,” says Tron, but now having his own, self-financed label he notes, “You cannot think like a big house. The limitations are huge. But I like that restraint. You must stay focused. Being a designer in a house and having your own label are two different jobs.”
Atlein has already carved out a comfortable spot in the market with room to grow thanks to Tron’s concentration. His wearable and luxe F/W 17 was a focused and unflashy hit, it didn’t need to be loud, quiet praise was the rumbling of Antonin’s Atlantic surf breaking. Antonin seems to have a sixth sense in handling the viscose jersey, “I drape, cut, manipulate to try to find shapes and I let the material guide the design. It is a very instinctive process.” With obvious similarities, he found inspiration in the legacy of jersey dressmaker Jean Muir, “Her consistency and austere approach to fashion design is really interesting. And she’s a jersey master so obviously there is a lot to learn when you study her pieces.”
After just two seasons, Atlein has already charted a course worth paying attention to, one mapped from its designers directional approach. If Antonin won LVMH prize? “At the stage where Atlein is…I couldn’t get started on how great it would be.”
Presenting Models.com’s exclusive spotlight on each of the eight finalists for the 2017 LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize in anticipation of their final presentation at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris.
On June 16, LVMH will announce the winner of their 2017 Young Fashion Designer Prize, chosen from a pool of eight finalists: Ambush, Atlein, Cecile Bahnsen, Jahnkoy, Kozaburo, Marine Serre, Molly Goddard, and Nabil Nayal. First launched in November 2013, the LVMH Prize was created to help celebrate rising design talent and encourage their growth, with the winner receiving both a 300,000 euro grant and a year of technical and financial support from the LVMH Foundation’s experts. These eight young designers from across the globe reflect the industry’s international reach, demonstrating expansive visions in an era of ever-tightening horizons. As barriers go up across borders and the world turns inward, they offer a reassuring reminder that creativity is about confronting the foreign and finding yourself changed for the better.
The winner will be selected by a jury comprised of some of fashion’s most notable creators, from Marc Jacobs and Karl Lagerfeld to Riccardo Tisci and J.W. Anderson, overseen by LVMH’s Delphine Arnault — a group that should have no trouble picking a standout talent. Victory will be sweet of course, but if past years are anything to go by, this is one prize where being nominated is truly an honor in and of itself.
Stylist Ron Hartleben
Makeup Feride Uslu (MAM) using Uslu Airlines
Hair Shinya Nakagawa (ArtList)
Manicure Yukie Miyakawa
Art Direction Stephan Moskovic
Editors Irene Ojo-Felix, Jonathan Shia & Steven Yatsko
Text by Steven Yatsko
Models
Alicia Holtz
Jourdana Phillips
Very nice model # sexy girl… 🙂
I want to be a model ans i’m 22years
Wow well that is Fantastic for the New young Fashion Designers. Greatness is attainable to them, “how long?” I could not say.