Oh, baby!
Paris Fashion Week kicked off Sept. 26, and it's already given style devotees rousing spring/summer 2023 collections. Case in point? Aquatic wear brand Botter showcased a thrilling new line on Sept. 28 after debuting an unexpected accessory on its runway: condom gloves.
Models sashayed down the catwalk in a sea of vibrant blue designs, which were all styled with water-filled condoms that encased their hands. If anything, the unexpected accessories looked like the device Zoolander character J.P. Prewitt wears in the movie. After all, he was considered the world's greatest hand model.
Jokes aside, designer Rushemy Botter, who created the new collection with Lisi Herrebrugh, told Vogue that their vision was "to bring water to the runway."
"Our thinking was how can we collaborate with nature and not with another fashion brand?" Botter said. "This is something that we've tried to research deeper and deeper every season."
Botter and Herrebrugh's designs weren't just inspired by the ocean. A pair of tube dresses—one in a vibrant aquatic print and the other in a sleek black—featured fabrics made from kelp too.
As Herrebrugh told the magazine, "It's a starting point of how we can incorporate new material into the collection."
As for how the prophylactic pieces played a role in the line? According to France 24, Botter noted that there were "a lot of trials" to create them, but in the end, they added extra allure to the clothes.
"It's almost bizarre," he added, "romantic, mermaid vibes."