FW18 was a big season for emerging French brand Icosae, not only did it mark the debut solo show for designer Valentin Glémarec, but it also introduced a sophomore collaboration with Christian Louboutin.

Founded by Valentin and his brother Florentin, the sibling duo opened the brand as an alternative to stuffy bourgeois menswear staples, instead injecting classic tailoring with references from their childhood hanging out in skate parks listening to punk bands.

Take their FW18 collection, for example, which explored the relationship between religious icons and today’s cult celebrity gods; questioning the meaning of today’s gods and icons with the new idols of pop culture. Cue a mix of religious iconography and streetwear tropes, where saintly prints – all painted with oil on canvas by the designer – were paired with 90s popper tracksuit bottoms and oversized hoodies could have been mistaken for monk robes – had it not been for the MA-1 detailing.

As for those Louboutin accessories, they came in the form of  headbands, caps and trainers, offered in two versions: the Louis, a low cut sneaker and the high cut Aurélien.

“We had access to many different models from the Christian Louboutin collection and decided to choose sneakers because I think it’s not necessarily what you expect from the brand,” says Valentin.”We wanted something with clean lines but a twist, and choosing a very optical white clashing with Louboutin’s red as if the red iconic sole was moving up onto the sneakers’ body.”

Find more info at Icosae web store.