Sébastien Meunier on Relaunching His Own Label Post-Ann Demeulemeester

When Sébastien Meunier left Ann Demeulemeester in 2020 – after ten years at the helm of the house – it was never with the intention of relaunching his eponymous label. “You know, when I stopped my brand, I never thought I’d do it again one day,” he reflects. “But suddenly, I felt I still had something to say. Something for myself.” Slowly but surely, Chapter 14 of his label “fell into place organically” picking up where his last collection, presented some 20 years ago, left off.

Instead of creating a full collection, Meunier chose to focus on one archetype: the workwear overall. For the designer, who has “always spoken about the body and especially [his] body,” he was initially interested in how the gender-fluid design can fully enclothe the human underneath. His overall, however, can be deconstructed to reveal and conceal as the wearer wants: “It can become a waistcoat, a shirt, trousers,” he explains of its functionality. “You can make it your own body, your own story.” Each iteration is made from the same fabric with the same treatments, a sort of blank canvas to be able to “express the maximum with very little.” “This way people are able to fully focus on the garment and to understand each reference intricately,” he says.

By its utilitarian nature, the workwear overall is designed to bear witness to life, stains and all. Meunier manipulates this sentiment to mark out his own being; each model is inscribed with his memories and interests. Take, for example, one overall which shares his love for Arte Povera through a screen print of a picture frame and a pot of paint spilling onto the collar. Another, which features a photograph he took of Mount Vesuvius, “speaks to my life in Italy, which began with Martin Margiela,” he explains. “There is an area near Pompeii called Resina [Ercolano] where I would spend a lot of time shopping for vintage clothes for both myself and Margiela.” Such vulnerability in his designs extends a personal, human connection to the wearer, who can then mix and match the overalls with his offering of complementary T-shirts and foulards, to tell their own story.

Chapter 14 was unveiled in Meunier’s home in Milan during the most recent fashion week – a veritable opening of his personal world. To bring the collection to life within “its own little universe”, the designer has worked with videographer Sergi Planas and photographer Alberto Pelayo on different artistic campaigns. “In the past, I was only doing fashion shows, and all my expression was going there,” he says of his novel art-centric approach to presentation, “but I have also done performances as an artist, in videos, in galleries, and this is something I want to continue to explore.” Similarly, he plans on collaborating with artists who can use his overalls as “a blank canvas that they can paint, cut, make a sculpture out of it.”

As he looks ahead, Meunier plans to present a new archetypal garment with each collection – but which seam with his previous designs as a sort of wardrobe. It’s an intelligent gesture that both encourages the wearer to hone their personal style beyond overwhelming trend cycles and to consume mindfully and respect our planet. “Today, in daily life, I need to be myself in a really easy way,” he reflects, “and that’s what I want to encourage others to do. I just want to give the maximum of love to each garment I make.”