Hot Couture

At Men’s Fashion Week in Paris last month, conversations were dominated not by any one collection, but by the unbearable heatwave. It was so hot, in fact, that many Parisians – who, as a people, are notoriously against the wearing of shorts in public – donned the pants’ shorter cousin to designer shows. The must-have accessories of the week were not $1,500 Lemaire croissant bags or a $500 Auralee belt, but $20, sold out pharmacy-bought fans.

Fashion buyers, editors, and influencers walked out of shows talking not about what the models were wearing, but what they wished they were wearing. Breathable fabrics, lightweight tailoring, and fluid silhouettes were top of mind. This oppressive heat begs the question: What do we wear when the weather stops cooperating?

For decades, “climate” in fashion was synonymous with sustainability, and hyper focused on the latter’s impact on the former. That conversation isn’t going anywhere, but a second one has opened up alongside it: not how fashion affects the climate, but how the climate is now redesigning fashion. And there’s a wave of materials-science startups betting that the next great ingredient brand comes out of it.