Ludovic de Saint Sernin has been credited with bringing sex appeal and skin back to menswear. The red carpet is a second home for the Belgian-born designer, with stars including Tate McRae, Charli XCX, and Alexander Skarsgård favoring his sculptural, body-conscious designs for their viral-ready appearances.
What do you want to see more of in your industry? Less of?
More help from the establishment for young designers. When I first started there was a bit of a change in the air. People were craving newness and looking at young designers, but I feel like today big brands are becoming stronger again and we’re forgetting about the future generations and voices.
What do you think is your biggest contribution to culture?
Encouraging people who look at and wear my clothes to reconsider what they allow themselves to represent. It’s about making visible what’s sometimes hidden—a sexiness, a queerness, a boldness, but all refined and precise. It’s not ostentatious. It’s soft and erotic at the same time. It’s complex and it’s powerful. Think Hunter Schafer in the Feather Top I did for Ann Demeulemeester at the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscars Party. That went viral because it was beautiful, daring, and important. It was culture.
What’s one work of art that got you through an important moment in your life?
The book I keep referencing over and over again is Just Kids by Patti Smith. At a moment when I was questioning my identity as a young adult, reading it was a revelation to me sexually, but also in my identity as a designer and as an artist. What did I want to stand for and what would be my contribution be to the world? This book gave me purpose and gave me the courage to launch my own brand.
What keeps you up at night?
My collection! I have a shoot in two days, and I have been bubbling with so many ideas for it. My brain won’t stop going and going! I am a Virgo so I overthink, overanalyze, and over-prepare for everything, so by the time I get on set it’s the smoothest experience possible for everyone because I already know exactly what I want, but at the end of it I am exhausted! At the same time I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Where do you feel most at home?
Paris is my home. I lived here since I was a little boy. I have been in between Bruxelles and Paris, London and Paris, Milan and Paris, and now New York and Paris, and each and every time I am in Paris, I look at the city and find beauty, culture, and history. It fills me with joy and pride. It’s truly a magical city and I can’t get enough.
However, LA has been flirting with me for a minute now, and I’m not gonna lie, I might have to have an affair with her at some point. When I land there, see the blue skies, and feel the sun on my skin, I am happy. I’m a summer baby. I was born in August, so sun is everything to me.
What would you be doing if you weren’t working in your field?
I would probably have my own flower shop. I adore flowers and plants. I admire anyone who picks out the most beautiful things for their little shop and makes someone else’s day better by bringing poetry into it. I just found this incredible florist near my place. I had passed in front of her shop over 100 times and never stopped, and then one sunny morning, I read the poem written on her window, entered the shop, and fell in love. It’s just the kind of experience that makes your daily life better and I’m grateful for it.
To read more from the 2026 CULT100 honorees, see the full list here.
in your life?
