Chaude Couture by Fabulism Studio

When a Raincoat Becomes Shelter, Sculpture, and Climate Statement

Paris is getting wetter. Floods are rising. Rains are heavier and more frequent. In response, Fabulism Studio has created something bold. It is not a jacket. It is not a sculpture. It is a moving shelter woven from rice straw. And it is called Chaude Couture.

This is not a speculative design sketch. The piece exists. It was shown at the 2025 Biennale d’Architecture et de Paysage in Île-de-France. It stands as a response to climate change and as a question to the design world. What if your raincoat was your architecture

Made from Straw, Built Like a Hat

Chaude Couture is made from rice straw and shaped like an enormous dome. It sits on the shoulders like a garment but covers the body like a hut. The silhouette is exaggerated. The material is ancient. The function is simple. Keep the rain off your body while you keep moving through the city.

The structure takes inspiration from traditional straw rainwear seen in Japan, Vietnam, China, and Mexico. But Fabulism transforms that rural heritage into something urban and modern. It is light, breathable, and surprisingly water-repellent. Nature does most of the work. Design does the rest.

Fashion as Micro Architecture

What sets Chaude Couture apart is not just the form or material. It is the mindset. Fabulism is not trying to make a product. They are asking a question. Can a coat be a structure Can a person wear a building Can we create moving architecture that responds to climate before concrete even gets involved

The project is playful but pointed. It is poetic but grounded. It does not rely on plastic or tech or exaggerated sustainability claims. It simply shows what design can do when you start from observation and respond with imagination.

Why It Matters to Design

For the Niwwrd audience, Chaude Couture is not just clever. It is instructive. It teaches three core lessons.

First, that design can speak clearly without being loud. Second, that material choice is philosophy in physical form. Third, that tradition still has untapped potential when applied to the present moment.

This is not about future fashion. This is about the future, worn.

Closing Thought

Fabulism Studio reminds us that the tools we carry on our backs can do more than keep us dry. They can carry meaning. They can carry culture. They can carry questions.

In a time of climate anxiety, Chaude Couture offers a calm answer. Wear shelter. Wear memory. Wear design that knows where it comes from and why it exists.

Project- Chaude Couture by Fabulism Studio

Exhibited at Biennale d’Architecture et de Paysage d’Île-de-France, 2025

Photos via Fabulism