Putting together a show is a matter of love, time, and patience. It’s not only a continuous process, but it’s an expensive one. Louis Gabriel Nouchi dared to dream what he could do with all that commitment. And so, his Spring/Summer 2026 presentation was born. On an extremely sweaty day in Paris, Nouchi directed us to the legendary (and air-conditioned) Club Silencio, the nightlife Parisian institution founded by David Lynch. Inside, popcorn and champagne in hand, we were shown a two-and-a-half-minute animated movie that brought Nouchi’s sensual masculinity into a literal different realm.
Speaking of the project, Nouchi shared a fact not many knew: before entering fashion school, he had been accepted into an animation program and was set on attending before radically changing his path. A self-proclaimed nerd, Nouchi’s decision to turn his show into a movie speaks to multiple layers of intention. Firstly, the French animation industry is booming—this was produced by the popular Milli Studio. In close collaboration with the team, Nouchi produced a movie that is entirely hand-drawn. Backstage, the designer emphasised the importance of the art form in the age of AI.
It’s great to see him turn the corner. As the general public’s perception of artificial intelligence shifts rapidly, it’s surprising to see so many designers still treat it as a novelty. That seems to be Nouchi’s greatest strength: he’s deeply in tune with what his audience believes in. One of the first (and now, seemingly last) to consistently cast his collections on different body types, Nouchi remains uncompromising in his values. Not to worry, the movie included differently shaped and sized androids. In The Replicant, Nouchi shows a collection that is, like always, inspired by a novel. This time it’s Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? The collection adopts a cheekier name: Do Androids Dream of Wet Desires? Considering the title, it’s only appropriate that the film opens with Nouchi’s iconic cut-out underwear. Inside: a glowing robot ass.
The movie features all the brand’s usual suspects. Long coats with structured shoulders punctuate the entire runtime. Micro leather shorts, power shoulders, latex ties — once again, Nouchi blends the formal with the kinky. Deep neckline polos walk the line. So do the tightly tailored shorts. In merging fantasy with form, and eroticism with emotion, Nouchi reminds us that fashion doesn’t always need a runway. Sometimes, all it takes is a dark room.
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
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