'The young filmmaker and poet Ana Vaz travels around the globe to observe how fauna and flora succeed in reappearing in areas devastated by humans, isolated lands lost in the vastness of the ocean, like those Japanese isles thought to be beyond all hope. 

The immensity of the sea, an inanimate body that comes to life through the everlasting movement of waves, and its ability to throw back anything that doesn’t belong to her is the start of a reflection on the ocean. Plastic found on the beach, from Malibu to Cap Timiris through the Mediterranean Sea, is the mark of a bulimic consumption haunting our society. 

Patinated by sand and salt, this garbage is turned into a jeans-sculpture by Aelis, presented before the show only in the hope to inspire a reflection on our lifestyles and promote the respect of the sea. 

Just like Theseus who abandoned Ariadne on a beach, even though she got him out of the Minotaur’s labyrinth, men turn their back on nature which gave them everything. This mistreatment is also an echo of women’s condition from time immemorial. Through her studies on their place in representations of prehistoric societies, anthropologist C. Cohen helps us separate the myths from reality and change how we perceive women today. 

Sun sets in the water, red and blue mix on the sea puts created shades of purple found throughout the entire collection. A taffeta dress made with natural silk reflect these twilight colours, and rolls around the body like an ocean wave. A pleated cape is worn with a talisman created by Intéressants for Aelis. Four hundred meters of ruched ribbons, hand-cut and dyed one-by-one, make another dress, reminiscent of the mesmerizing beauty of a jellyfish. 

Aelis’ evolving and eco-ethical wardrobe underlines the importance of transmitting garments, precious items to be preserved from generation to generation, as it is done with the savoir-faire required to handcraft each piece of the collection. A Japanese fabric, weaved with an ancestral technic used for kimonos, thus becomes a silk ribbon dress. Blue denim made with natural hemp by Majotae, is mixed with silk and black feathers to form a dress, and also appears as an ecological alternative to jeans. Finally, vintage men’s jackets, inherited from family , are embroidered with tweed, rhinestones, crystal petals, and glass slabs. 

Transmission must be taught from an early age. This season, plastic artist S. Weissenburger worked with children to discuss marks left by humans in the world: dark marks, like oil spills, but also brighter ones like prehistoric cave paintings or Rammellzee and Keith Haring’s work, uniting primitive art and a reflection on consumer society. Following this creative exchange, children expressed freely through automatic tagging: using a feather brush and Indian ink, they left their own mark on a tulle dress which will be auctioned to preserve the ocean. 

These graphic drawings bear pure beauty, which is a constant guide for Aelis. Children, and adults alike, need to become aware not only of the mark they leave in the world but also of the positive role they need to play to preserve the environment, refusing the consumption of all its resources.'' ~end press-release