At Jacquemus, Two Of Our Pop Culture Obsessions Collided

It’s been over two months since actor Aaron Altaras first came to our attention in Netflix’s hit show Unorthodox. Now, the German actor – who plays Robert in the small-screen adaptation of Deborah Feldman’s 2012 memoir – has caught our eye once again, while weaving his way through fields of wheat at Jacquemus’s spring/summer 2021 show. “I felt a lot of joy and peace,” he tells British Vogue of the unique experience. “The wind was blowing through the field and [I was wearing] these beautiful clothes.”

Designer Simon Porte Jacquemus presented his latest collection, titled L’Amour, in Us – a small Val-d’Oise village outside of Paris. Altaras modelled look 44: a biscuit-coloured linen shirt, cream chinos and a pair of matching sandals (with a grey blazer nonchalantly slung over his shoulder). The best part? The strawberry punnet bag dangling from his wrist. The cute accessory wasn’t lost on Altaras, who took to Instagram to share the love for his red strawberries.

“What’s so beautiful about L’Amour is how it can endure – sometimes even grow stronger – in the absence of people being together,” Porte Jacquemus wrote in his press release. While attendees abided by social-distancing rules, the show was one of only a handful of brands who have opted to stage an IRL fashion show during the Covid-19 pandemic. But for Altaras, he felt “honoured” when casting director Piergiorgio del Moro and Porte Jacquemus reached out to him.

For Altaras, it was a brilliant opportunity to add another string to his bow. Unorthodox has found fans the world over for its eye-opening insight into the religion and an honest portrayal of a woman’s rebirth. What else will 2020 bring for Altaras – more modelling perhaps? “Yes, bring it on. If, like Jacquemus, it’s elevated, romantic and sublime,” he muses.