In their Paris atelier located within Dover Street Market, designers Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran are preparing for the largest presentation to date under their label Matières Fécales. Set to debut in the Marais district on Monday evening, the spring/summer 2027 collection marks a significant evolution for the duo, who describe the upcoming show as both ambitious and deeply personal.

Dalton and Bhaskaran met in 2014 while studying fashion at LaSalle College in Montreal and have since risen rapidly as distinctive figures in the fashion industry. Known for their blending of expert craftsmanship with provocative and iconoclastic designs, the pair combine shock elements with haute couture techniques. Their recent show, “The One Percent,” included striking imagery such as prosthetics artist Alexis Stone impersonating the late socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein and models wearing classic pieces paired with unconventional accessories like an S&M ball gag fashioned from oversized fake pearls.

Matières Fécales challenges traditional fashion norms by juxtaposing high-priced couture with accessible ready-to-wear items, all featuring minimal branding but bold textual slogans like “Never conform” and “Uncensored.” Their aesthetic draws from queer club culture and embraces diversity outside conventional beauty standards. Bhaskaran, who identifies as non-binary and has spoken openly about his personal journey from a Mormon upbringing in Guyana to his current relationship with Dalton, emphasizes the label’s roots in outsider culture. Their runway often features friends and collaborators from performance and queer art communities, including Canadian artist Miles Greenberg, who praises their effort to highlight marginalized identities within haute couture contexts.

Following early struggles after their initial off-schedule runway debut in London in 2018 under the name Fecal Matter, the designers built a strong social media presence, documenting their creative process and cultivating a niche described as "posthuman beauty"—a form of high-tech, non-binary punk style. With nearly one million Instagram followers, their online influence helped secure support from key figures such as Rick Owens and Michèle Lamy, known for their avant-garde approach, and Adrian Joffe, co-founder of Dover Street Market, who brought the label into his brand development division last year. The rebranding to Matières Fécales and strategic positioning led to official inclusion on the Paris Fashion Week calendar within a year.

While Matières Fécales remains an emerging brand, Bhaskaran acknowledges the fashion world’s hunger for change amid repetition and commercialized luxury. The duo aims to maintain creative freedom and avoid becoming a mass-production enterprise, focusing on custom pieces alongside ready-to-wear lines. The brand now boasts over 60 points of sale worldwide, including Selfridges and all Dover Street Market locations, up from 24 last year.

Their approach also invites reflection on consumer culture through their provocative name, intended to critique luxury’s excess and prompt buyers to consider whether they are drawn to a product’s name or its intrinsic beauty. Their designs range from elegant trenches and tailored blazers to imaginative tulle gowns, one of which garnered attention when actress Demi Moore wore a hot-pink piece with a large distressed bow at Cannes, describing it as “perfection” for its blend of shape, scale, and deconstruction.

Matières Fécales draws primary inspiration from the legacy of Alexander McQueen, whom the designers admire for transforming darkness into beauty and for his theatrical fashion shows that deeply moved Dalton as a teenager. Their homage to McQueen includes signature feline kohl eye makeup modeled after his 1997 “It’s a Jungle Out There” collection. They have also worked with veteran McQueen muse Debra Shaw, while embracing models who challenge normative beauty, such as advocate Nikki Lilly, who has facial arteriovenous malformation.

Reflecting on the pressures of the fashion industry, the duo emphasizes mental health and well-being, maintaining sobriety and open communication within their team. They strive to produce work on their own terms without overextending themselves, embodying what they call “the nice punks” ethos—combining politeness with fearless creativity. As Bhaskaran puts it, they are responding to what they see as extreme times, aiming to be among those designers remembered for their courage rather than fear.