Welcome.jpeg's founder goes to Paris Fashion Week

A dispatch from Alex Sarkissov

Last week Alex Sarkissov, the founder of Welcome.jpeg, attended Paris Fashion Week. This is his report.

I didn’t want to write this. Our editor is making me do it. I’m like the worst person to ask about Fashion Week. I literally stayed on LA time the whole time I was in Paris. I went to sleep at like 7 or 8 a.m. and would wake up at like 3 or 4 p.m., unless I needed to be in the city for some kind of party or event or show before then.

My reason for making that decision is simple: I think Paris Fashion Week is lame. I’d rather be working my normal hours. Don’t get me wrong, I love and care deeply about fashion, and follow the space very closely. But Paris Fashion Week has almost nothing to do with fashion. I look at it as one big circus, and the center of it is networking. I don’t enjoy it. Like everyone else, I was there for work, so I focused on what I had to get done. In and out.

One night, on my way back to the Airbnb to lock back in after attending a few events, I stopped into this liquor store for some snacks. It’s 2 or 3 a.m., and as I’m in there, a few Parisians walk in, complaining about PFW. Naturally I chime in, like, “oh yeah, this week is so annoying, all these tourists.” They’re like, “oui, it’s only going to get worse next week.” I’m like, “I know, I know.”

The actual Parisian’s perspective about PFW is often like this. I was mostly kicking it with Bazo and Cannnone and their friends, and I can confirm that the native “cool kids” look at Paris Fashion Week as a joke. To them, everyone coming in is just cosplaying the lifestyle they actually lead. Spending time with them gave me a purer Parisian experience. They’re not taking me to Le Progres; they’re taking me to their favorite Chinese spot.

They also took me to one of my favorite events of the week, which wasn’t even an official part of the PFW calendar. It was in this very unassuming showroom, and featured pieces from a bunch of the young designers from the Paris scene. There was some really exciting stuff in there, and it gave me a unique glimpse of the underground fashion scene in the city.

One event I did actually enjoy was the 424 afterparty at Silencio. Not because of the people, but because of the venue. Silencio was designed by David Lynch. You descend into this basement with several hallways and crevices all over the place. It’s very segmented, unlike the open layouts of so many clubs now, and the design is extremely beautiful, and keeps you entertained when you’re trying to avoid networking.

The 424 show itself was great too. I grew up literally going to 424 and buying clothes there. And then of course there was our Puma event. We brought out pz’ and 63KLUF and others, and got the place way past capacity. Shout out to Puma for hosting, to the artists and to those who showed out, especially those who got caught in that insane line. We’ll go with a bigger venue next time.

There are some things you have to hand it to the Parisians for. Food is one of them. Everyone says it, and it’s true: the food here is so much better than America. It is crazy how much better the ingredients are. Even the junk food. I would get a Kit Kat bar and it actually tasted like real chocolate. I would drink a soda and could feel the different sugar. I ate shawarma, popcorn chicken, fried rice, and never after any of those meals, even the heaviest ones, did I feel heavy or bloated or exhausted.

Everyone says this when they travel, but it always shocks me when I’m reminded how true it is. These are the sorts of things I’m thinking about at Fashion Week: why is the food hitting? I think it’s a combination of two things: Obviously the ingredients are good. That’s the first point and the most important point. But the lifestyle difference is a factor too. On a typical day in LA I’m home working all day. Being in a walkable city like Paris, you’re like not in this disgusting state of computer to DoorDash to computer. Instead you’re walking before and after your meal, maybe smoking a cigarette.

I don’t even smoke cigarettes when I’m in America. But just because I stay on LA time doesn’t mean I won’t partake in the local customs. And I quite enjoyed it. As cliché as it sounds, smoking cigarettes in Europe is fire. Sorry.