Kai Nesselrath Debuts at Carven With Sculptural, Youthful Collection

PARIS: Kai Nesselrath presented his first collection as Carven’s design director on Thursday, drawing on the house’s archives from the late 1950s and early 1960s, which he considers its peak. Nesselrath, who spent almost a decade at Saint Laurent before joining Carven in June, centered the show on precise, sculptural tailoring.

Continuity Over a Clean Slate

Nesselrath succeeded Mark Thomas, who left the house in April. He staged the show at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, the same venue as Thomas’s final Carven presentation, to signal continuity. He wanted the space to feel like a work in progress, almost like scaffolding. The invitation was a pencil in Carven’s signature white and green stripes. Nesselrath also contrasted Carven’s softer, rounded shoulders with the strong, straight lines of Saint Laurent.

Highlights included the opening mini skirt and jacket ensembles, striped pajamas, a workwear-inspired apron dress and pencil shaving-shaped earrings. The soundtrack featured Anna Karina reading a poem in Jean-Luc Godard’s Alphaville, which Nesselrath linked to today’s anxieties about artificial intelligence.

Industry Reactions

Buyers and creatives responded warmly. Angélique Liautaud of Printemps praised the collection’s wearability and its clear link to Carven’s codes. Guillaume Steinmetz, co-founder of The Broken Arm, called it smart and said the workwear influence matches what his store’s customers wear. Kristin Stoffels of Knack Weekend described the show as minimalist yet fun, singling out the pearl-embellished shoes and plexiglass heels. Jewelry designer Charlotte Chesnais admired the structured but non-rigid silhouettes and the double bags.

Nesselrath takes over amid a revival effort led by parent company ICCF Group. Carven filed for bankruptcy in 2018 and has since changed creative leaders several times. Although it lacks the resources of a major fashion house, the reception suggests clear potential.