Red sindoor, faces painted almost completely white, dramatic sari-inspired gowns and theatrical makeup. One Paris Fashion Week show has left the internet seriously divided.Matières Fécales presented its Spring/Summer 2027 collection at Paris’ Place de la République, and the runway was anything but conventional. The show mixed exaggerated silhouettes, cultural references and deliberately unsettling beauty looks, prompting a wave of reactions online.Some viewers praised the collection for its strong narrative. Others were far less impressed, with one commenter even calling it “chudail couture”.
A show built around outsiders and identity
The collection was co-designed by Steven Raj Bhaskaran and Hannah Rose.Bhaskaran has spoken about growing up in low-income housing in Montreal and being surrounded by different cultures and faiths. The designers presented the show as a tribute to immigrants, outsiders and communities that have often been pushed to the edges of the fashion world.“We spoke for a lot of people who don’t have a voice in this arena, in this city, in this environment,” Raj Bhaskaran told Hypebae backstage.Fashion account Diet Sabya also highlighted Bhaskaran’s Sri Lankan and Guyanese background with Indian heritage, describing the collection as a reference to his heritage, family and “The One Percent”.
Saree gowns, dramatic silhouettes and unsettling makeup
The clothes themselves were deliberately theatrical.Wrapped tulle blazers appeared alongside oversized skirts, while saree-inspired gowns and heavily draped red, white and blue dresses added plenty of drama to the runway.But it was the makeup that really got people talking.Several models appeared with their faces painted stark white, paired with bold red lips and dramatic streaks of red pigment resembling sindoor extending upwards towards the nose.Other models wore similarly pale makeup with deep black lips, creating an eerie, almost otherworldly effect.The combination was certainly not subtle. And it quickly became one of the most talked-about parts of the show online.
‘Chudail couture ’ and other reactions
Social media users had very different takes on what they were seeing.Some viewers felt the collection was making a deeper statement about race, identity and the way people of colour are viewed and fetishised.“I think it’s quite the opposite. I think they’re spotlighting the fetishisation of people of colour by the 1%,” one person wrote, pointing to the makeup, colours and imagery used throughout the show.Another compared the presentation to Alexander McQueen, asking, “How is this MORE ‘McQueen’ than McQueen?!”One user said, “Ramsay Core is here”Someone else described it as a “provocative highly theatrical and deeply political performance”, while another praised the construction and said the collection had a “strong narrative”.There were also viewers who connected the styling to Bhaskaran’s heritage.“Steven Raj Bhaskaran, one of the duo designer couple has a Tamil heritage and family roots to Sri Lanka. So, I can see the reference,” one commenter wrote.Whether people saw the collection as an elaborate cultural statement or simply found the runway looks bizarre, one thing was clear: Matières Fécales wasn’t trying to blend into the Paris Fashion Week crowd.