On the evening of Wednesday August 28, Paris sparkles under the world's spotlights for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, with a never-before-seen staging from the Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde. At the heart of the show? The 700 costumes designed by Louis-Gabriel Nouchi, the up-and-coming young fashion designer.
From his workshops in Aubervilliers, Nouchi designed outfits in tribute to the French flag, playing with blue, white and red, but also in gold and silver, a nod to medals. True to his bold, inclusive approach, he didn't create simple stage costumes. No, for Nouchi, these garments tell a story: that of inclusive, sustainable and committed fashion.
For the designer, who founded the eponymous LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi brand in 2018, it's not suits but clothes. His specialty? Breaking codes by combining streetwear and haute couture, playing with contrasts between flou and tailoring. An approach that celebrates body diversity, with sizes up to triple XL and cuts to suit all, without ever sacrificing style, as proven by Christine and the Queens' revisitation of Édith Piaf in a red velvet suit ensemble.
For this ceremony, entitled Paradoxe, Louis-Gabriel Nouchi drew on the ordinary to create the remarkable, even the extraordinary. The monochrome ensembles, dotted with embroidery, beading and transparency, embody a fashion that blurs the boundaries between the everyday and the exceptional, with nods to the iconoclasm of Alexander McQueen and the dresses of the 1920s.
Tonight is not just an opening ceremony, but a fashion manifesto that embraces paradoxes and celebrates beauty in all its forms.
