Zendaya and Other Stars Put Avant-Garde Fashion House Matières Fécales in the Spotlight

NEW YORK: A provocative Paris-based fashion house whose French name translates to “Fecal Matter” is gaining increasing attention after its unconventional designs were embraced by a growing list of international celebrities, including Zendaya, Kylie Jenner, Demi Moore and Lady Gaga.

Matières Fécales was founded by Montreal-born designers Steven Raj Bhaskaran and Hannah Rose Dalton, who have developed a distinctive aesthetic that challenges conventional ideas of beauty, identity and luxury fashion. Their work combines theatrical silhouettes and otherworldly imagery with elements designed to evoke both beauty and decay.

The brand recently drew widespread attention when Zendaya appeared at the New York premiere of The Odyssey wearing an ethereal strapless white gown featuring dramatic feathered wings. Her stylist, Law Roach, identified the designer as Matières Fécales, bringing renewed international attention to the fashion house.

The designers began their journey as students at Collège LaSalle Montréal and initially sold their creations through the secondhand platform Depop. They subsequently expanded onto the international fashion scene, presenting collections at Paris Fashion Week.

The unusual name is deliberately provocative. According to the designers, they selected the scientific term “fecal matter” as a way of challenging the fashion industry’s preoccupation with vanity and its wasteful practices. Translating the name into French was also intended to give it a more sophisticated and glamorous character.

Matières Fécales has built a reputation for highly unconventional designs, including realistic skin-inspired footwear, dramatic makeup, sculptural garments and theatrical accessories. Its approach has attracted prominent figures in entertainment and fashion, with Lady Gaga, Demi Moore, Kylie Jenner and Sarah Paulson among those associated with the brand’s designs.

Fashion observers say the label’s growing profile reflects the industry’s continuing appetite for originality at a time when many major luxury brands can appear increasingly similar. Its supporters argue that Matières Fécales offers a distinctive visual language that cannot easily be replicated.

The brand’s relationship with Dover Street Market, which began after the designers were introduced to its president Adrian Joffe, also helped provide greater exposure and support for production, distribution and sales.

With its unconventional name and boundary-pushing designs, Matières Fécales has moved from an underground fashion experiment to a prominent presence in contemporary celebrity culture, demonstrating how provocative creativity can attract attention on the world’s biggest red carpets.