Since taking the position of Creative Director at Ann Demeulemeester last year, Stefano Gallici has curated a world that evolves the House’s inherent dark romance and artistic passion through his own friends, passions and collaborators. A designer who works on a holistic level, with each collection Gallici conjures a landscape through sound and vision. Take this season’s visceral FW24 runway show – his second for the House – held in Paris. Set to a live score performed by musician Neuf Voix on a vintage Moog modular synth set-up, this electric pulse vibrated across a collection informed by the artists and performers Gallici surrounds himself with: some of these were in attendance – Dave Gahan, October And The Eyes, Nausea Twins – and some walked – Lux Gillespie, Sonny Hall, Faris Badwan and Parisian band Pol. There’s an authenticity to Gallici’s Ann Demeulemeester that bleeds into every element of his work.

Exclusively premiered here, Gallici’s first artistic project for the house outside of collections is a visual diary shot by the designer documenting the creative community at the heart of the brand; collaborators, makers and artists across London, Paris and Berlin. Titled KIDS, the series features musicians October Logan, Edward Drewett, Maresz Miciula, Edwin Tay, M.N. Hempenius, poet Tim Gienke, sculptor Alexander Carey-Morgan, and tattoo artist Capucine Lepine. See the full project below.

Intro by Stefano Gallici:

“KIDS marks my first project inside Ann Demeulemeester not directly linked to a collection or the runway, and yet integral to my idea of gathering a tribe, a gang of like-minded peers around the brand and give them a playground and a sense of belonging. Ann nowadays addresses makers: any maker regardless of age, shape, gender.   

The urge to build a community is one main personal and creative drive for me. It brings close friends who are up-and-coming artists in their own right, with the aim to collaborate or just exchange ideas, making their voice heard because they are an inspiration to my work process. Our dialogues feed a visual diary, of which KIDS is the first chapter: a tribute to those who inspire me and push me to make.   

Working and growing with my friends, as well as discovering hidden talents,  is what I always dreamt of. This first project got me involved in a reckless tour that touched the cities of London, Paris and Berlin. Visiting these artists where they live and work, in their favourite inspiration spots,  I was able to sneeze into the art and see what’s behind, ultimately capturing the essence of the habits and the work process of my fellows.  

I did so with a camera. Here is my unfiltered view.”

October Logan & Edward Drewett
October Logan is a London-based musician and band leader of outfit October and the Eyes, Edward Drewett is a musician and jewellery designer also based in London.

Capucine Lépine
French-born, Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist Capucine Lépine creates holistic narrative worlds through tattoos, storywriting, music, and beyond.

M.N. Hempenius
Berlin-based, artist M.N. Hempenius fronts avant-garde band The Midnight Audience, concerned with exploring existential echoes and psychic whirling – finding melody in disharmony.

Alexander Carey-Morgan
Alexander Carey-Morgan is a British artist whose sculptural practice embraces ancient mythology and physical acts of internal emotion.

Maresz Miciula
A model and musician based in Paris, Maresz Miciula creates music from wherever she finds herself, from her bedroom, aboard train wagons, within nature. This year she released her debut LP, Teenage Witch.

Edwin Tay
Based in East London, Edwin Tay is a model and musician in rock ‘n’ roll outfit Tabac Rat.

Tim Gienke
Collaborating with Stefano across two seasons, Tim Gienke is a Berlin-based poet who wrote the poems that formed this season’s collection manifesto.

Photography & Creative Direction: Stefano Gallici
Special Thanks: Nicola Bortoletto, Federico di Leo, Gabriele Bartoli