The Designer’s Designer, Alexis Mabille

French fashion designer, and creative director of his eponymous label, Alexis Mabille, has built a reputation worldwide for designing and delivering sumptuous, contemporary collections. As an official member of the Fédération Française de la Couture, he offers various lines from Haute Couture to Ready-to-Wear and Bridal collections, all of which appeal to the discerning, stylish, and creative woman. Where fashion meets art, he’s known for playing with codes and updating the aesthetic, drawing inspiration from both masculine and feminine aesthetics. The result is clothing that is elegant, bold, and unapologetically stylish. There’s a delicate sensibility at play, too, where silhouettes, structure, and fine fabrics wonderfully come together to offer a graceful flow of movement; a meticulous design detail by the Paris-based designer that brings the garments to life.

Rewind. Alexis was brought up in Lyon when his interest in fashion began with his mother, who taught the young Mabille how to use a needle and thread. From there, his interest gathered, and when he hit his teenage years, he began to design and make clothes and would dress his friends and family in his creations. Still based in Lyon, the third largest city in France and about four hours south of Paris, Alexis went on to design clothes for the Lyon opera, and this evolved, soon gaining a base of clients all wanting his fine wear.

In 1995, Mabille enrolled in the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne School for a three-year course. An incredibly prestigious college that nurtured design and creative talent, it was a destination for budding designers and technicians to learn the couture trade. The fashion courses taught time-old, traditional couture techniques and new technology, design, cuts, finishes, and then later, apprenticeships within the couture houses. Alums include the best of the best, including Valentino Garavani, Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld, André Courreges, Issey Miyake, Anne Valerie Hash, Tomas Maier, Nicole Miller, and Stephane Rolland, to name a few. Alexis Mabille was added to that impressive list, and upon graduating—and to note, he graduated a year early due to his high level of expertise in couture designs—he went on to hone in on his skills at the House of Emanuel Ungaro and Nina Ricci.

After gaining knowledge at these revered fashion houses, Alexis moved to Dior and worked under the then-creative director John Galliano, who recognized his talent and appointed him to design the 1997 accessories collection for the house of Dior, a considerable achievement. It is no surprise that this collection had a massive success amongst buyers and customers, and this led to Alexis working on the men’s jewelry collection with Hedi Slimane, who’d later go on to head up Dior Homme. Alexis continued at Dior while collaborating with other leading fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent and Lancôme.

A significant milestone for Alexis, and in 2005 the designer decided it was time to form his own label. With all his know-how and experience, his namesake brand was widely welcomed. At the time, he debuted with unisex designs, and his brand reflected this with details such as a bowtie logo and a common denominator of menswear and womenswear. He aimed to reimagine and revive the traditional bowties commonly regarded in France as old-fashioned, dated, and only donned by women outside the fashion capital. As with his previous collections for other houses, his debut Ready-to-Wear line was appreciated amongst those in the industry and by ultra-stylish figures such as Karl Lagerfeld and Mick Jagger. His design pillars of light, fluid, and precise cuts went down so well that he became a household name.

Another momentous milestone came only three years later when Mabille showed for the first time at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Full of his signature cosmopolitan allure, he upheld the rich heritage and codes of couture that he learned from his time at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne School. Evolving his brand, he expanded his offering further with a brick-and-mortar presence and other lines, including special occasion and eveningwear in a color palette of whites. Mabille comments on his curated wedding collection. “Clients and friends often ask me to dress them for weddings, special occasions, and galas. They want looks that are cool and make them feel beautiful, but they either don’t have time or don’t want to wait months for a made-to-measure piece. So, I decided to transcribe my Evening collection into a range of whites and soft colors.” On his wedding boutique, concept, and designs, he says, “My Wedding boutique offers gowns as well as smokings and relaxed little evening dresses. The idea was to make shopping for a wedding dress as easy as shopping for any other kind of outfit. If you like a certain style, you can walk out of the store with it or order it for quick delivery. I’ve also designed a selection of veils and accessories, clutches, bow ties, etc., to go with them.”

And now, we look to his RTW Fall 2023 line, which lives up to the high standards in which Mabelle holds his Maison. Expect a collection that beautifully balances tailoring and fluidity, corseting and volume, delicacy and boldness. Here, there is a range of silhouettes, from tuxedo dresses and sweeping gowns that kiss the floor to flowing, ultra-long shirt dresses, and bustier dresses complete with dramatic capes. Using only the finest materials, pieces are crafted from organza-satin and radzimir in a stunning color palette of emerald, deep red, coral, lemon, orange, and gold; these elements are set against bejeweled buttons and fine detailing.

A true designer, it’s no wonder that Mabelle is a member of the Fédération Française de la Couture with his Haute Couture collections that seamlessly blend the contemporary and the classic, and so inherent in his approach this has become synonymous with his Maison.