Here’s What’s Happening at Paris Fashion Week: Chanel, Dior, Gabriela Hearst and More
Paris Fashion Week begins Sept. 28 and runs until Oct. 6 — and just like New York, London and Milan runways will be predominantly digital affairs.
There will still be some physical shows, though, albeit with much smaller audience capacity than usual as pandemic numbers rise again across Europe.
Maria Grazia Chirui will present her Dior collection on Sept. 29, when it will also be live streamed on TikTok. As will Louis Vuitton which will show on Oct. 6. The LVMH-owned houses join brands such as fellow stable mate Celine, plus Alice + Olivia and, most recently, Etro in harnessing the medium.
Chanel will also stage a physical show on Oct. 6 which will be the house’s last outing in its accustomed Grand Palais venue. From next season, it will decamp to a smaller custom-built venue near the Trocadero as artistic director Virginie Viard favors a return to smaller more intimate outings.
Other brands showing live include Kenzo, Chloe, Koché, Isabel Marant and Balmain.
Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing was an early adopter of TikTok. He live streamed an archival collection on the platform during Paris Couture Week in July, on a barge on the River Seine.
Uruguay based designer Gabriela Hearst, who usually shows at New York Fashion Week, is switching fashion capitals for spring and will make her Paris Fashion Week debut live on Oct. 4.
Thus far, PFW’s most creative live venue will be cult French label Coperni. Creative directors Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer will present their collection Sept. 29 on the roof of the 690 foot high Tour Montparnasse, which is the tallest building in Paris.
As for the shoe presentations, these will be largely digital-only affairs. Christian Louboutin will present both women’s and men’s together on Oct. 2. Titled ‘Loubi World’, the digital invitation promised “Paris at your fingertips” and enjoined guests to “get your smartphones ready.”
Roger Vivier’s Gherardo Felloni will show Oct. 1 in the form of an interactive movie. The invitation, in ‘Vivier pink’, is modeled on a series of old fashioned movie house ticket stubs. Roger Vivier’s physical presentations are always thoroughly immersive, experiential affairs so the virtual version is sure to have a great plot as well.
Olgana Paris may just be doing private industry appointments via a virtual showroom but that hasn’t stopped creative director Olga Djanguirov injecting some Hollywood glamor into proceedings.
A post shared by Olgana Paris (@olganaparis) on Sep 2, 2020 at 2:16am PDT
In anticipation of what everyone hopes will be a physical awards season come 2021, the Red Carpet stalwart has created an attention grabbing digital invitation worthy of a big screen blockbuster with jazzy gold titles and a preview pump standing on a plinth amid swirls of dry ice.
Buyers loved the tongue-in-cheek approach and it’s generated a phenomenal response Djanguirov told FN. Her spring ’21 collection itself has been smartly conceived to appeal to market sensibilities.
She has simplified her offering, presenting just a handful of styles, a preview of which she shared exclusively with FN. Each comes in 16 colorways from summer pastels to paparazzi friendly neon shades with the idea drawing inspiration from the Pop Art of Andy Warhol.
More from Footwear News
Sign up for FN's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
