Coucou Bebe FW26
Kanoush approaches fashion as a direct extension of his personal life, without protective layers or symbolic detours. Each project begins where emotional comfort ends. His work carries the weight of lived moments, relationships, exhaustion, desire, and collapse, translated into garments, casting, and setting. This collection grew out of rupture. Following the end of a long relationship and a more recent breakup, his body slowed down. Days stretched into sleep, isolation, cigarettes, and repetition. The collection reflects that paralysis. The reduced number of looks, the restrained energy, and the atmosphere of the show mirror a period marked by emotional overload and physical stillness.
Donald:
I wanted to start with a short introduction about you: where you come from, your background, how you started the brand, and when.
Kanoush:
The first presentation was more like an art project, where I mixed the life of Piotr Pawlinski and his art with MMA fighting, and made a decision to have some policemen fighting MMA fighters. Then I made a pornographic video by myself, with the help of Kiki, who has kind of been my muse since the last collection. She is the girlfriend of one of my friends, who works with video and stuff.
Since that collection, I had so many different ideas planned. But in December, I broke up with my girlfriend and I completely shut down my body. I realized that it was even heavier to carry a desk in my family or whatever. I was only able to sleep for fifteen hours and shit.
When Florent Farinelli, my agent, found this place to do a show, regardless of the subject, I tried to make a collection about heartbreak. I started talking about the seven-year relationship I had with my ex-girlfriend, and the one that ended after two years with the new one. I talked about this with the group of people I work with, especially Kiki and Florent, and they helped me build this shit.
I wanted a connecting dot with the first collection, when she was the face of it. She had the same idea as me. She wanted to do the pornographic stuff, the fun stuff, something modern, but inside a historic place, which was the cinema. What we did today was simply showing my state of mind, when I stay in bed fifteen hours a day.
I was only able to see seven looks from it, and Kiki helped make it feel fresher, to bring energy into it. She represents the girl who should come into my life and enlighten everything. I know I can end a relationship, but the only way to move forward is to find a new love. She represented that new love I could have, and she is my friend.
Donald:
So it was something very personal, connected to your recent story.
Kanoush:
Yeah. My first show was very violent in a way, with the MMA fight and the pornographic stuff. I teamed up with Kiki because she starred in my last project. I was connecting dots, and she can pretty much say anything about it if you want, about how she felt, what she put into it.
I went to the last one, the cinema show, and I really loved it. I liked how it was presented.
But it was very underground. I think so, because I cast transvestites, an OnlyFans star, Kiki, and we made a mash-up video of all their content, to mock or imitate what you see online, on Pornhub or whatever. I like that.
That was the funny side of it, but the place itself was very dark. People in Paris do not know about it, like parts of the GTA map that stay covered. If you know the place, you know it. Otherwise, nobody does. What I loved about the project was bringing people from the fashion world into a secret place in Paris and showing something fresh there. For me, that was cool. Having porn actors or porn transvestites wearing the collection was the right way for me to escape classic catwalk formats.
This time, the collection was made in one week, and we got the place one week ago. This show shows my weakness, the way I cannot move forward when I am in that state. Just drinking, smoking cigarettes, talking with friends I work with, and that is all.
People often think you want to shock or do something extreme, but in the end it is only about real life. It is honest. It is not about how you showcase it.
Maybe Kiki can add something about how she felt when I told her about my breakup, how she reacted. As soon as I told her the plan, even two days ago, she said she wanted to be the sexy girl, the one who enlightens the end of the relationship.
Kiki:
When Kanoush told me about the concept of the show, I was really excited. His heart is one of the most important things involved in this show. He is a beautiful person. When he asked me to be the last model, the one who represents what he wants to invite into his life, I felt it was a very respectful and honorable position. I felt honored to be part of the show. I think it is beautiful, because it shows who Kanoush really is.
Donald:
It is interesting to see how closely connected it is to you. It does not feel constructed. It feels like a sum of your personal experience.
Kanoush:
The whole set reflects that. I was listening to philosophy, Carl Jung, and low frequencies to help me sleep, because I was obsessed.
I could not let go of the love of my life. What is sad about my personality is that when I get involved with someone, I give too much. I put all my love and hope into these girls. It becomes the whole package. I was really sad. Even when I stood in front of the bed, one of my exes was in the room. We felt emotions because of the low frequencies and seeing myself, even if it was someone else playing me in the bed. I felt sad again.
Donald:
How did you choose this location, and what is the connection to the collection?
Kanoush:
Florent Farinelli, my agent, told me we had to do something, a showroom, because people start to see me as someone who does performance-based work. I said yes to everything. This show is less energetic, but it is honest. It reflects my state of mind.
Florent found this place for me. We know it as one of the craziest locations. We are right in front of the L’Arc. No club can top that. I am not a club guy, but I respect the place. It is powerful. I asked myself if something personal could exist inside a club.
My first idea was a gallery, but we could not find one.
Donald:
The cast was also interesting. There was a lot of queerness and different backgrounds. Were they friends or a conscious casting decision?
Kanoush:
Everything happened very fast. We had one week to find the models. I chose girls who looked close to the exes I had in my life, except Kiki. She is too beautiful. I could not find someone who looked like my last ex. I wanted a connection to my past relationships. It feels personal, and you can see the honesty. Even now, after the show, I cannot fully explain everything.
Maybe Kiki can say the last words. She can express it better than me.
Kiki:
I would say that Coucou Baby is much more than a fashion brand. It feels unlike anything else, very forward-thinking. Coucou Baby is something people should see and wear.
Photography by 99QXVN
Photography by @oxywantsmore
Interview Donald Gjoka
