Nicolas Boyer has a sculptor’s touch. The Paris-based designer’s avant-garde creations exist somewhere between fashion and sculpture, serving as bold expressions of both mediums. There is something thrilling about the way Boyer plays with shapes and textures. His garments are so striking, so imposing, that you half expect them to come to life with a single movement or breath.
Inspired by artists like Leigh Bowery, Matthew Barney, and Marina Abramović, Boyer imagines his own practice as a utopia of sorts. Here, garments are created with the intention of pursuing a greater purpose, whether it be to shed light on a historic injustice or to protest social stigma and prejudice. His second collection, The Nameless Crime, for instance, sought to address the dark history of conversion therapy within the Catholic Church, a practice that was only officially banned in France in 2022.
Boyer’s ability to merge art and activism makes his work feel vital, perhaps even urgent for times like these. Fashion, at his hands, becomes a platform for both resistance and education. We sit down with the designer to discuss his design philosophy, his previous collections, and what comes next.
Nicolas, it’s a real pleasure to speak to you. I wonder if you could begin by telling us about what drew you to the world of textiles in the first place. Why fashion?
Thanks Jasmine, it’s a pleasure to speak with you, too. I first became interested in fashion at the age of seven or eight, thanks to my sister. However, I was actually more drawn to garments than fashion itself. And that’s still the case today. I remember looking up to her and admiring the way she dressed. As I grew older, I became more interested in design and discovered designers such as Alexander McQueen and Rei Kawakubo, as well as performance artists like Leigh Bowery, Matthew Barney, and Marina Abramović. All of them had a huge impact on me and my beliefs. Through them, I realised that art and fashion can be powerful tools for conveying deep messages, highlighting societal issues, and asserting a way of life that goes beyond mere aesthetics.
It's interesting to know that you have been heavily inspired by visual artists. I was going to say that your garments all have this beautiful sculptural quality to them. Do you believe that there is a distinct difference between garment design and sculpture? What do you consider to be the unique characteristic of each discipline, if anything?
I think there are both differences and similarities. Visually, not so much, but technically, yes. It also depends on where you draw the line between what can be considered a sculpture and what cannot. Personally, I see my designs as garment sculptures because of their shapes; but their construction and assembly are completely different from traditional sculptures. In a way, garment design may offer fewer possibilities because at the end of the day, the piece must accommodate a human body. The body is a fundamental constraint, something you must consider from the start. There are different conditions within sculpture, where you can create something entirely independent of a wearer.
Yes, the body is indeed a natural constraint for fashion designers, but even so, many designers ultimately use the body simply as a means of exhibiting their work. You seem to view the human body differently, though. Here, I’m thinking about your Belly silhouettes, where the fabric appears to be a physical extension of the wearer’s body. I’m interested to learn more about how you think about the human body in relation to your practice as a designer.
Yes, I like the idea that garments can elevate, amplify, and transform a person’s physical presence by challenging conventional boundaries of clothing. With my upcoming collection Croy Chosa, for example, I deliberately reappropriate the fat body as a form of empowerment. Specifically, I focus on the male and female body features that define it, such as prominent bellies, buttocks, breast growths, rolls, double chins, and goiters. These are features that materialise on top of an already fleshy body; and in my work, they become the garments themselves. However, these shapes aren’t positioned as they would be on an actual human body. I’ve shifted the buttocks to the side, placed the belly lower, added another, and positioned rolls in unexpected places. The silhouettes resemble second skins, molts, or even oversized empty shells.
It’s my way of imposing fatness as a norm, making it visible in a different way, magnifying and exaggerating fullness, and questioning a body that is often marginalised, rejected, or even prohibited in our current Western society.
It’s my way of imposing fatness as a norm, making it visible in a different way, magnifying and exaggerating fullness, and questioning a body that is often marginalised, rejected, or even prohibited in our current Western society.
I also want to ask you about your second collection, The Nameless Crime, which is a tribute to the victims of conversion therapy in the Catholic Church. Did designing this collection feel cathartic, as someone who grew up in a religious family? What did you discover about yourself and your practice?
Yes, absolutely. Creating this collection and deciding to protest against conversion therapies through my work is one of the decisions I’m most proud of. Too many people were not fully aware of these practices at the time, and even today, some LGBTQ+ Christians continue to be victimised, especially in certain countries. I remember these practices were officially banned in France just a few months after I released The Nameless Crime. I know I wasn’t the reason why these therapies were outlawed, but I take pride in having contributed to raising awareness in my own way. Given who I am, staying silent was simply not an option. Not addressing this issue in my work would have been akin to accepting it. This collection was not the starting point of using garments in this way, because I was doing this from the beginning, but it confirmed that I was making the right choice. Now, this is what drives me to use my designs as a tool for activism.
When you think about what you want to achieve as a designer, what comes to mind? How do you want people to feel when they look at (and wear) a Nicolas Boyer piece?
As a designer, I want my work to have a purpose beyond simply making garments. I want to disrupt, provoke, educate, inspire, and perhaps even change the way people think. Sometimes, people reach out to me on social media or approach me in person when they recognise me to thank me for highlighting societal issues through my work, because some viewers relate to it. Nothing compares to that feeling, and honestly, nothing means more to me. When people look at my designs or wear them, I want them to feel something, whether it’s positive or negative. A few months ago, someone told me to my face that they didn’t like my work, and I loved it.
You showed your third collection, Croy Chosa at Dover Street Market Paris in 2023. What was it like exhibiting your work at such an iconic institution?
I’ve followed Dover Street Market since my teenage years, so having the opportunity to showcase previews of Croy Chosa in 2023 and The Nameless Crime in 2021 is something I’ll always be grateful for. Especially because it was the first time my work was presented in front of a public audience and in such a renowned space.
Do you have ambitions to present a runway collection?
No. Runways make me uncomfortable.
When I first started researching your practice, I had just re-watched the original 1922 Nosferatu. It was great timing, because your work does remind me of German Expressionist aesthetics. I’m curious: do you tend to look outside of fashion for inspiration? Are you interested in other disciplines like film, music, and art?
Yes, totally. And honestly, I don’t really get much inspiration from fashion itself. Otherwise, I’d just be a product, selling products. In Croy Chosa for example, I took a lot of inspiration from artists like Louise Bourgeois, particularly Les Femmes Rouges, as well as Pinar Yolaçan’s Mother Goddess series, Nancy Liberty by Kesewa Aboah, Namio Harukawa’s drawings, Natalie Lamotte’s red paintings, and characters like Divine in Pink Flamingos.
Who are your heroes, both within and beyond the realm of fashion?
My only hero is Saint Mother Teresa.
What are you working on currently? Do you have any exciting projects coming up this year that you can share with us?
From what I can reveal, I’m currently working on the second part of Croy Chosa, which I can’t wait to share. I also have a few upcoming interviews and some custom pieces for clients that I’ll be working on after the collection’s release. Plus, we’re in the middle of discussing a really exciting collaboration, and I’m hoping it will come to life.
