The year begins in the spotlight for Quebec designer Markantoine Lynch-Boisvert, who will make his debut on the Parisian catwalks by presenting a first show as part of Men’s Fashion Week which opens next week.
Invited last year to show its spring-summer 2023 collection at the Tranoï trade show, a commercial event dedicated to emerging designers on the sidelines of major fashion shows, MRKNTN was this time called upon by this partner of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode from Paris to present a fashion show of his own. At Garage Amelot, on the Marais border, Tranoï will present a daily show, and that of MRKNTN’s fall-winter 2023 collection will take place on January 19 at 3:30 p.m. Paris time.
“I always tell my father, who is not the most fashionable person, that doing Paris Fashion Week is like being drafted by the best hockey league, by the best team. », rejoiced Markantoine Lynch-Boisvert, that The Press joined a few days before his departure for the French capital, as he was finishing the production of this new collection. He named it The Fool in reference to the Fool tarot card associated with the beginning, recklessness and the unknown.
“It’s a bit what I feel, what I am at the moment, he says. It is someone who decides to cross the barriers, who jumps into the void. I’ve been doing this for a few seasons. To have gone like that on an adventure with Making the Cut [émission de téléréalité américaine à laquelle il a participé l’an dernier] and to leave without really knowing what awaits us… We are not in many stores in the world, and there, we try everything for everything. »
Achieve its goal
Since renaming his brand MRKNTN in 2020, Markantoine Lynch-Boisvert has aimed to sell his designs around the world. This parade, he hopes, will help him achieve his goal. “It’s the biggest Fashion Week in the world and having a show shows the credibility of the brand,” he says. […] As well, Making the Cut has been broadcast since [sa présence à Paris l’an dernier], I have the support of Amazon. My pawns are well placed to perhaps sell all over the world! »
For this next collection and the others, the designer will elevate the style ” skatewear concept” that defines its brand. “We went with MRKNTN classics, but we wanted to come up with something a little more, I don’t mean stylish, but more upscale, a little less streetwear, he reveals. We really wanted to show our know-how. » His participation in Making the Cut and his collaboration with the clothing research and innovation center Vestechpro, which provides him with equipment to design his collection, influenced his vision.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Markantoine Lynch-Boisvert in 2019
However, he does not give up his favorite material, denim, and the thin stripes he likes. MRKNTN will also unveil original prints made as part of a first collaboration with Montreal artist Teetz, who will also be present in Paris.
Participating in Paris Fashion Week represents a significant financial commitment for designers. In interview with The Press shortly before her participation in the event in 2021, designer Marie-Ève Lecavalier had deplored the lack of financial support received in Quebec.
“We are a little misunderstood in fashion, especially when we are in the artisanal, high-end and creation”, adds Markantoine Lynch-Boisvert, who has been able to forge a partnership with the Looky company and LaSalle college. , where he teaches.
“We saw it with Marie-Ève last year, me this year, I think we really have people in Quebec who want to cross these barriers. Then we find ways to do it anyway. […] My goal is of course to sell and make a big statement, but also to show young people that it is possible to do things like that. You just have to find your own way. You get there. »