PARIS, Texas

 

Captured by American photographer Lauren Cremer during Paris Fashion Week at the home of former 1960s model Mary Pace in Champigny, this editorial features sculptural, narrative-driven designs by Paris-based designer Tonya Fay.

 

 

 

Photography & Lighting Lauren Cremer
Assisted by Cora Rose Telling

Styling Orlane Melza 
Assisted by Tonya Fay

Hair & Make-up Saaya 

Models
Mary Pace
Florence 
Helene 

Words & layout Rita Vaz Baptista

Special thanks to Cora Rose Telling, granddaughter of Mary Pace.

 

 

Set in the grounds of a former 1960s model’s home in Champigny, on the outskirts of Paris, photographer Lauren Cremer staged an editorial during Paris Fashion Week as an alternative to the pace and restrictions of runway coverage. Gathering a close group of friends and collaborators, the editorial drew on archived garments, vintage clothing, personal wardrobes, and contemporary designs to create a layered, personal narrative. Among those photographed was Mary Pace, the owner of the house, who appears in the editorial wearing a sculptural pink circular look.

One of the designers whose ornate garments were featured in the editorial was Tonya Fay, a Paris-based designer whose practice treats fashion as a sculptural and narrative medium. Originally from Bayonne in the south-west of France, Tonya’s background in animated film and art history informs her sensitivity to image, character, and form. Working independently, she works slowly and intimately, sewing each garment as a one-of-one, wearable work of art.

Her latest collection, Fleurs d’Apocalypse, unfolds across twenty looks developed through close collaboration with artists from different disciplines. Through archetypal figures and material experimentation, the collection reflects Tonya’s wider approach to design — one that prioritises imagination, collaboration, and storytelling as a way of engaging with contemporary realities. The interview that follows explores her process, materials, and the ideas behind the garments featured in this shoot.

TONYA FAY: In my latest collection, each silhouette tells the story of a character. The idea behind the collection was to create flower-women queens, ‘Fleurs d’Apocalypse’ — not fragile flowers, however, but carnivorous or thorny plants — to find a balance between softness and violence, between rose and red.

ZOOT: Your silhouettes are often sculptural. What draws you to these shapes?

TONYA FAY: When it comes to drawing, I learned to draw with a flexible wrist and by working with shapes and volume, exaggerating lines and forms to emphasise a particular meaning. I think that’s where these volumes come from, at the very beginning of the creative process. And also, from the desire to create something new that was closer to art than clothing. This is what Duchamp in part questioned: for an object to be art, does it have to be without function? This is the case with one of the outfits. A dress with a circle in front that prevents you from grabbing anything with your arms.

ZOOT: Where do you usually begin a look?

TONYA FAY: I start by sketching without worrying too much about how I’m going to sew it. Sometimes the idea comes from a technique or a material, and sometimes it’s the idea that leads to finding the material that suits it best.

TONYA FAY: In the pool, you have a breastplate or necklace that I created with jewellery that belonged to my family, which I encased in resin. That project was for a shoot with Getee Azami, an Afghan refugee, and was inspired by the traditional dresses and jewellery of her country.

TONYA FAY: The top of the dress is made of faux skin, literally tattooed by a tattoo artist, Tahi Tattoo. Finally, to stay in line with this organic, second-skin feel, Luna and I worked on a faux hair crinoline and a hair veil, which isn’t shown in these photos.

Each silhouette tells the story of a character, which in this case was written with Pauline Tailleux, who reclaimed her body affected by illness through tattooing.

Tonya on sustainability…

My lastest collection, which takes place after an ecological apocalypse, explores how queens can choose which flower to be in a world where nothing grows. I don’t do mass production, I sew everything myself and use my own scraps to create other outfits. In fact, I think there is an innate quality to upcycling, especially for fabrics like jean, which are much more interesting to work with if they are worn out.

 

 

To boot….

Tonya Fay, fashion designer
@tonya_fay_paris

 

Lauren Cremer, photographer
@lozfolio

View more of Lauren on ZOOT here.

 

 

Thank you Mary Pace!