INSIDE THE 99%
Inside Matières Fécales’ 99% at Paris Fashion Week.
Paris Fashion Week is no longer only about presenting clothes.
The runway has become a space for world-building, storytelling and cultural commentary. The location, the casting, the crowd, the soundtrack and the images produced around a show can be just as important as the collection itself.
Matières Fécales’ 99% was a striking example of this.
Presented at Place de la République, the show brought together 99 models of color in a deliberately public setting.
The choice of location immediately changed the nature of the runway. Instead of separating fashion from the city, the show placed it directly within it.
The crowd became part of the image. The architecture became part of the set. The movement of the models became part of the show.
THE 99%
The number was not simply a title.
Following The 1%, The 99% placed the collective at the centre of the narrative. The casting, the silhouettes and the progression of the show all contributed to an idea of representation, visibility and collective identity.
It was fashion used as a language rather than simply a product.
And that distinction is what made the show particularly interesting to observe.
FROM THE INSIDE
For BASELINE, the experience was slightly different from that of a conventional fashion audience.
Our model walked the runway.
Our photographer documented the show from within.
Two perspectives of the same production: one experiencing the choreography from inside, the other watching for the moments that would exist beyond it.
Because today, a fashion show does not end when the runway does.
It continues through photography, social media, press, reposts and the images people take away with them.
BEYOND THE RUNWAY
The most interesting fashion shows increasingly understand that the show itself is part of the communication strategy.
A location can become a statement.
A crowd can become an image.
A casting can become a message.
A single photograph can carry the identity of an entire collection.
The 99% was not simply presented.
It was produced to be experienced, photographed and remembered.
© 2026 BASELINE | Photography by Steve Happi.
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