The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2024 - Issue 35

biteglasses Khanh x Cristina Lloyd looks at legendary Emmanuelle Khanh and streetwear brand MAINS’ exclusive eyewear collaboration, unveiled at MAINS’ debut runway show at London Fashion Week. F rom an established avant-gardist fashion label whose time- less approach is internationally daring to a newer distinctive fashion brand that seamlessly blends cultural heritage with contemporary style, Emmanuelle Khanh and MAINS creatively joined forces to produce an exclusive eyewear collaboration. Em- manuelle Khanh is regarded for its elegance, rich heritage, and savoir-faire, while MAINS sets a new standard for contemporary streetwear aesthetics. A Parisian haute couture model turned designer, Emmanuelle Khanh, born Renée Mazière in 1937, desired to liberate wom- en’s bodies, democratise fashion, and make young people aware of their strengths. The creative imagined a wardrobe for modern, accessible, and active women wishing to emancipate themselves from the rigid social shackles. She became the first woman to de- sign models for the Creator section of the La Redoute catalogue and collaborated with fashion brands Cacharel and Missoni. Seven years later, Emmanuelle established her eponymous wom- en’s ready-to-wear brand, endeavouring to go beyond the Parisian haute couture salons to free shapes and materials and bring fashion to the streets. Her styles revolutionised fashion and offered women ease of movement through denim, plastic, and chenille materials. Her husband, Quasar Khanh, a Vietnamese engineer and inventor, encouraged her to reinvent the materials, with knitwear and em- broidery, to define a unique wardrobe. In 1971, the designer launched her first eyewear collection, work- Emmanuelle MAINS Eye-centric