Umit Benan Fall/Winter 2014 at Paris Men's Fashion Week

On the eve of Martin Luther King Day in the US, Umit Benan's show wrapped up Paris men's fashion week with a bold statement on black history. The designer kicked off the show with a personal, heartfelt address to the audience over a loudspeaker, declaring the show an homage to Jackie Robinson, "the first African-American man who was accepted into American baseball." Following that, a handful of models paraded one by one down a mysteriously darkened runway, shrouding their faces with baseball mitts while Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speeched boomed on the soundsystem. Then, from one minute to the next, the catwalk became bathed in bright white light: the models––all black––filed out again, in Benan's Fall/Winter 2014 sporty prepster-meets-1920s gentleman collection of suit vests, high-waisted pants, and an occasional emblematic "B" letter patch. By PULLING A FRANCA SOZZANI with his casting, Benan engaged with the sensitive topic of racism that seemed to be a topic du jour this fashion week, as evidenced in Walter Van Beirendonck's Fall/Winter 2014 show just a few days prior. For the icing on the cake at the end of the show, the designer ran out holding a banner reading, "No to Racism –– For the Love of the Game." We hear you, Benan, loud and clear.

Photos by ROMAIN VESIN | E-MAIL US to be notified once the Fall/Winter 2014 collection hits OC!