Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre Make a Triumphant Return to Paris Fashion Week Amid Shifting Industry Standards

Yesterday morning, on September 29, designers Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre marked a highly anticipated return to the official Paris Fashion Week schedule following a two-year hiatus from the runway. Their absence from the global fashion capital was more than just a scheduling footnote; it coincided with a measurable, stark decline in size inclusivity across the highest echelons of international runways. According to the Vogue Business Size Inclusivity Report, representation for plus-size models during fashion month has plummeted from an already discouraging 0.8 per cent down to a microscopic 0.3 per cent. While industry experts and advocates agree that the heavy burden of body diversity should never rest solely on the shoulders of one or two independent brands, the reentry of Ester Manas into the official circuit remains a vital development that warrants celebration within an industry currently struggling with representation.

The brand’s comeback collection offered a striking, unexpected convergence of disparate references that highlighted both the creative versatility and the sharp wit of the design duo. Billed under the title Somehow I Manage—a direct reference to the fictional memoir authored by the inept regional manager Michael Scott in the hit US television mockumentary series The Office—the showcase balanced cultural humor with high-end craftsmanship. While the title undoubtedly served as a self-aware, tongue-in-cheek commentary on navigating the grueling demands of the fashion industry and surviving their two-year absence from the official schedule, Manas and Delepierre approached the underlying collaboration with utmost seriousness and technical rigor.

For this season’s outing, the designers joined forces with Primadonna, the venerable 161-year-old Belgian lingerie brand, gaining unprecedented access to its extensive historical archives. This partnership provided the creative foundation for a collection that interrogated and redefined the boundaries of intimate apparel and ready-to-wear. Among the standout pieces were sheer body stockings rendered in delicate pastel hues, their structural panels artfully outlined with intricate lace work. Throughout the presentation, conventional boundaries dissolved as undergarments transitioned seamlessly into outerwear. In typical Ester Manas fashion, styling choices embraced bold friction, pairing aggressive cheetah prints with cool-toned baby blues to create a visual dialogue between competing textures and palettes.

The collection further expanded its vocabulary through a complex interplay of garments. Striped shirting and bouncy, movement-focused beaded skirts were juxtaposed against technical jackets engineered for utility. Between these moments emerged oversized, boxy jackets punctuated by sudden, revealing flashes of exposed lace. Speaking backstage about their design philosophy and the unexpected marriage of archives, the designers articulated a core ethos that has defined their brand since its inception. There is no reason, they noted, why the inherently sexy cannot mingle freely with categories of dress that society sometimes hastily assumes do not belong to that sphere at all.

As the fashion community dissects the implications of a shrinking runway landscape where size diversity is increasingly marginalized, the return of Ester Manas serves as a powerful reminder of what is possible when inclusive design meets rigorous conceptual storytelling. By mining the historical archives of Primadonna and injecting their signature blend of subversion, humor, and technical mastery, Manas and Delepierre have reestablished their presence in Paris, reminding the wider industry that inclusivity and high-concept fashion are not mutually exclusive, but rather essential partners in the ongoing evolution of modern style.