Montreal-founded high fashion label Matières Fécales, created by Steven Raj Bhaskaran and Hannah Rose Dalton, is making waves in Hollywood.
The Bottom Line:
- The Origin: Founded by Steven Raj Bhaskaran and Hannah Rose Dalton while studying at Montreal’s LaSalle College.
- Industry Backing: The brand received developmental support after joining Dover Street Market’s global network in 2024.
From Depop Roots to Paris Runways
Long before their designs graced international film festivals, Steven Raj Bhaskaran and Hannah Rose Dalton were students at Montreal’s LaSalle College. They began their journey by distributing their early creations on the secondhand platform Depop, gradually building a distinct visual identity characterized by extraterrestrial styling, shaved heads, and hyper-realistic skin boots designed to mimic bare feet.
Here is the kicker: despite intentionally choosing a shocking name meant to challenge the wastefulness and excess of the traditional fashion industry, the duo captured the attention of top-tier celebrity stylists. According to celebrity stylist Brad Goreski, speaking to the Associated Press, their work maintains “a beautiful tension between finesse and decomposition, between strength and softness.” That striking duality has allowed them to present their collections at the Paris Fashion Week.
Conquering the Red Carpet Landscape
The brand’s infiltration of mainstream Hollywood accelerated rapidly. At the premiere of the film L’Odyssée, Zendaya turned heads in an angelic bustier dress adorned with white feather wings, styled by Law Roach, who credited Matières Fécales. Not long after, Demi Moore stepped out in the label during the 79th Cannes International Film Festival in May 2026.
But the true crossover moment into high-society spectacle came during the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute gala. Sarah Paulson arrived wearing a frayed grey tulle dress paired with a silver banknote mask from the brand’s “Le un pour cent” collection—a stark, intentional visual critique of the billionaire class often seated in the front rows of traditional fashion events. Milan Tanedjikov, a design professor at LaSalle College who has followed the duo’s trajectory, noted that at their core, “what drives them is absolute freedom of expression, and they want to push the limits of what it is to be human.”
The Business Engine Behind the Avant-Garde
Artistic vision alone rarely scales without institutional infrastructure. Enter Dover Street Market, which took the Montreal-bred label under its wing in 2024 after an encounter between the founders and DSM president Adrian Joffe backstage at a Madonna concert. This global retail network provides emerging designers with essential scaffolding, handling critical operations spanning production, distribution, and global retail placement.
Fashion and culture journalist Kristen Bateman, who attended all three of the designers’ Paris Fashion Week presentations, observed that their rapid ascension taps into a broader industry fatigue. As traditional heritage houses like Chanel and Dior risk aesthetic homogenization, Matières Fécales offers something entirely irreplaceable. As Bateman notes, the brand “gives the impression of belonging to a category on its own.”
| Year / Date | Milestone | Key Context |
|---|---|---|
| Founding Era | College Beginnings | Launched by Steven Raj Bhaskaran and Hannah Rose Dalton at Montreal’s LaSalle College via Depop. |
| 2024 | Dover Street Market Partnership | Brought under the global retail network’s wing following a backstage meeting with Adrian Joffe. |
| March 2025 | Paris Fashion Week | Presented the Fall/Winter 2025/2026 collection, followed by the “Le un pour cent” collection. |
| May 2026 | Major Red Carpet Moments | Worn by Demi Moore at Cannes and Sarah Paulson at the Met Gala. |
The Cultural Aftermath
By refusing to water down their unsettling, boundary-pushing aesthetic, Bhaskaran and Dalton have forced Hollywood’s machinery to adapt to them, rather than the other way around.
What do you make of Hollywood’s sudden embrace of such disruptive, anti-establishment fashion? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
