In just a few short years, Mossi Traoré has manifested his visions as well as any designer out there. His passion for his art, coupled with a singular drive, has taken him from the suburbs of Paris to Bollywood to—with an assist from the American Embassy in France—a tour this summer through New York City, Santa Fe, Denver and other locales he had always dreamed of seeing (the New York Fashion Institute and the Vogue offices among them). And all the while, he has been running the tuition-free fashion school he established in homage to his idol, Madame Grès—a social insertion project that has placed graduates in the ateliers at Chanel and Dior, among others.
The spring 2024 collection got back to the essence of Mossi, a name inherited from his grandfather and a brand that came into being with the help of the recently late Madame Thomas, once a dressmaker for Madame Grès, who saw to it that Traoré got his atelier up and running. This collection was an homage her.
Backstage before his show, the designer summed up his outing in three words: urban, couture and contemporary. Cuts and volumes were informed by the asymmetry of works by the Korean artist Lee Bul, taking shape in Japanese denim numbers that wrapped around the body like saris or in asymmetrical effects on sleeves and pant legs. With just 20 looks, the show was short but offered compelling pieces like tops that fused the ease of a T-shirt with the elegance of evening. But the three Grès-pleated pieces stole the show. Particularly time-consuming to produce, those will be available by special order only. But they, more than anything in recent seasons, showed what the designer is capable of. Let’s see where he takes it next.