Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1544028
H arris Reed announced himself to the world in December 2020 by dressing Harry Styles in a tailored smoking jacket, wide-leg trousers, and a hoop skirt draped in hot-pink satin for the cover of Vogue — a tongue-in-cheek commentary, Reed said at the time, on people asking him to explain gender fluidity. Just months earlier, the British-American talent had graduated from Central Saint Martins, having designed his demi-couture, gender-fluid collection entirely in his London apartment during 92 the COVID-19 pandemic. Already building a devoted celebrity following that included Solange Knowles, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus, he went on to become creative director of prêt-à-porter label Nina Ricci — appointed to lead the storied French house at the age of 26. This past March, he stepped down from Nina Ricci to devote himself fully to his own label, Harris Reed. With the same irreverent spirit that defined his fashion work, Reed channels his exuberant maximalism into a debut collection with Fromental, the London-based atelier known for bespoke, hand-painted and hand-embroidered silk wallcoverings. The collection spans eight original designs across wallpapers, fabrics, pillows, and throws — in hand-embroidered silks, gilded papers, and bruised velvets. It's Reed's lush fantasy world translated from the body to the room. The partnership began in 2023 when Reed sought out Fromental for his London flat, drawn to their rare textiles, archival materials, and passion for ornament. "I thought no one did wallpaper or wallcoverings like they did," says Reed, fresh off the plane from Paris, where he had shown his final Fall 2026 collection for Nina Ricci. It was a natural meeting of minds: Fromental founders Tim Butcher and Lizzie Deshayes (married partners in life as well as work) established the company in 2005, drawing on their shared background creating hand-painted fabrics for Oscar de la Renta, Matthew Williamson, and Gilles Mendel before turning their talents to walls. Reed saw Fromental's creations as raw material for the runway — the archive's naturescapes, birds, and animals speaking directly to his own design language. He repurposed their opulent Victorian silks and embroidered archival pieces, wrapping them around the body the way a sculptor works with clay, giving decades-old wallpaper an entirely new life. The partnership's most dazzling moment came at the 2024 Met Gala, when Demi Moore arrived in a custom Reed gown featuring embroidered floral Fromental wallpaper, which Reed had soaked in water for pliability and wrapped around her body like sculpture. "From the moment we first met Harris, it was just like fireworks going off all the time," Butcher says. Harris Reed's bedroom with Wilde Dreams wallcovering, from his debut collection with Fromental Gender-defying fashion designer Harris Reed — the man who put Harry Styles in a hoop skirt — brings his signature rock 'n' roll romanticism to a collection with Fromental. By Rebecca Sherman A Passion for Ornament Reed sought out Fromental for his London flat, drawn to the company's rare textiles, archival materials, and passion for ornament. Wilde Dreams