BOTTER goes to Paris Fashion Week

Making a splash on the runway this Tuesday at Paris Fashion Week is the Caribbean-rooted label BOTTER, a menswear line that aims to peel back the layer between the sort of virility and femininity that are at play in founding design team’s tropical homelands. Rushemy Botter, a Black man born in Curacao and Lisi Herrebrugh, who was born in the Dominican Republic, are the creatives behind the brand. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium, the duo set off to make their mark on the modern fashion landscape.

A core tenet of the team’s principles is sustainability, part of the embodied ecological reality behind an island-based brand. In 2020, the label partnered with a local dive company in Curacao to establish a coral reef farm, hoping to address the widespread issue of coral bleaching that accompanies rising seawater temperatures.

An excerpt from their manifesto reads, “Without nature, no arts, nothing. Without the sea, no human, no us. Speaking up and acting for the Caribbean sea, is an act of respect. Respect to the human race motherland, respect to our ancestors’ motherland. Preserving it sounds to us like an evidence, an obligation. On Curaçao, as on many islands, the coral reef — epitome of oceans ecosystem — is dying. Under the unconcerned eye of the mass tourism, the fishing industry and the environmental issues. Giving life again to the coral reef is giving back to nature, giving back to the world.”

The garments themselves reflect these values. The company has a goal of producing 80% of its collection with ocean-waste plastic by 2022. The other 20% of their materials will be naturally occurring fibers, like wool and cotton, rather than synthetics. To build these commitments into every step of production, BOTTER garments are produced in Italy, Portugal and Spain to reduce the carbon footprint associated with shipping.

These values have emerged even in its collaborations with other brands like Nike and Adidas. One of their sustainability partners, Parley for the Oceans, released a hybrid cleat-derby combo that speaks to its signature play at formality repurposed in unexpected contexts.

In addition to BOTTER and the line it will reveal at the coming show, the company recently finished a three-year appointment as creative directors for French haute couture label Nina Ricci. The appointment made Rushemy Botter the first Black man to ever hold such a rank at one of the haute couture French labels.

While impressive, this feather was added to an already quite full cap, as their masters’ collection had garnered a suite of awards like the Dries Van Noten Awards and Ann Demeulemeester Awards. That same year, 2018, the pair won the Festival d’Hyères’ Grand Prix, paving the way for their continued success at Nina Ricci and beyond.

While their spring/summer looks were defined by splashes of tropical color, irreverent design features like airbrushing, splashes of subtle sportswear, extreme braids and even fur-covered furniture, the label has pushed itself to grow with every collection. Whatever the two may have in store, eyes will certainly be looking their way this week as their carefully crafted models take the stage.

This story was originally published September 20, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "BOTTER goes to Paris Fashion Week."