Ester Manas Fall 2024 Ready-to-Wear Collection

The Ester Manas digital invitation was printed with a bouquet of flowers bearing a note, “missed you,” and a red lipstick kiss. Founders Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre haven’t shown on the runway since February 2023 despite winning the Andam Special Prize, worth €100,000, in May. The idea behind the break, they explained backstage, was to use the time off to focus on product development and return bigger than before, meaning with additional categories beyond the stretchy ruched dresses that accommodate sizes 2 to 18 in which they specialize.

“The community was telling us, ‘I love you guys, but I need a down jacket from Ester Manas, I need an easy bag from Ester Manas, a trench,’” said Delepierre. Manas nodded: “This collection is a gift for the people around us. Thank you for welcoming us again; we came back and we came back with what you asked from us.”

The last time this brand was on the runway its size inclusive casting felt like part of a new wave of commitment to more body diversity across the industry. In the meantime, the trend has been going in the opposite direction, just another way that women who don’t fit the sample size fashion ideal (which is most women, of course) are underserved.

Manas and Delepierre set out to address that with their new collection, which included down jackets made recycled nylon and trenches constructed from deadstock from Balenciaga (Kering being one of the sponsors of the ANDAM Prize), a color-blocked croc-stamped leather jacket and coat, and ribbed knit separates with a sportier vibe than the lingerie-ish cut-out dresses they’re known for. The densely ruffled cropped jacket and matching bags were the Ester Manas answer to faux fur (the fabric is also being made into hair scrunchies).

Best of all was a jacquard that looked like a blue and white tie-dye from a distance but was actually a print rendering of the ruching technique that makes their signature dresses so stretchy and versatile. The crowd whooped and hollered as the pair came out for a bow; Manas and Delepierre weren’t the only ones happy that they were back.