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Brace yourself for a busy season in Paris. The Autumn/Winter 2024 season, which runs until 5 March, will feature 108 shows and presentations. Eyes will be on three key debuts: Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen, Chemena Kamali at Chloé and Pelagia Kolotouros at Lacoste.
We already have a sense of what to expect from each. McGirr offered a preview of the collection with a series of campaign images that nod to the “feral girl”, a recurrent theme in McQueen’s universe, as Vogue Runway noted. The Irish designer will make his debut on 2 March at 8pm. Kamali, a German designer who already logged two stints at Chloé, also teased her collection with a gallery of portraits of women “who embody the history and spirit” of Chloé, notably Jerry Hall, Natalia Vodianova and Liya Kebede. She will show on 29 February at 2pm.
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Kolotouros, a Greek and US national, unveiled a few silhouettes at New York Fashion Week in September. She told Vogue Business at the time: “The journey began in New York where René Lacoste was christened ‘the crocodile’. And then the second chapter would be like his journey back to Paris as the world champion…I can get really nerdy [about René Lacoste].” She will show on 5 March at 4pm.
Other highlights will include the mega brands Paris is known for: Dior, Loewe, Hermès, Balenciaga, Valentino and Chanel, plus other much-anticipated shows like Miu Miu, Victoria Beckham, Courrèges, Dries Van Noten and Rick Owens. Coperni will stage its biggest show to date in terms of capacity and at Mugler, we can expect a cinematic show and “dark glamour”, according to Adrian Corsin, Mugler managing director.
The Louis Vuitton show will mark the 10th anniversary of Nicolas Ghesquière at the house. The designer — whose contract was renewed for another five years in November — recently told French newspaper Le Figaro: “This longevity is a privilege in an industry where artistic directors have an increasingly short shelf life… Personally, after 10 years and almost 40 shows with this company, I still have a lot to say.”
Ester Manas, Off-White, Vetements and Marine Serre are returning to the show calendar. Manas co-founded her brand with her now-husband, Balthazar Delepierre, in 2019; they’ve since become known for their inclusive fashion, notably dresses flattering all body types. New categories are coming too. Of her Autumn/Winter 2024 collection, Manas says, “We are expanding the wardrobe – you'll finally be able to find jackets.”
Newcomers to the official calendar include CFCL, which stands for “Clothing for Contemporary Life”, by Japanese-born Yusuke Takahashi, the former menswear designer at Issey Miyake. Meanwhile, Zomer, a new arrival launched by stylist Imruh Asha and designer Danial Aitouganov, takes its name from the Dutch word for summer. As Vogue Runway noted last season, they caught the attention of the fashion sphere with their Instagram portraits of what fashion characters might have looked like as children. Think Rei Kawakubo, Suzy Menkes, Michele Lamy and their publicist Lucien Pagès.
At Sphere, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode’s (FHCM) showroom that supports emerging design talents, Charles de Vilmorin will be presenting his first ready-to-wear collection after exiting Rochas last year. London-based brand Paolina Russo, a finalist of the 2023 LVMH Prize, will also present their collection in the space. The designer duo behind the label, Paolina Russo and Lucile Guilmard, met at Central Saint Martins and launched their brand with a focus on knitwear in 2021. They produce everything in the UK, “where there’s wool and artisans.”
Speaking of the LVMH Prize, the 20 semi finalists will present their collections on 29 February and 1 March. They include Duran Lantink, Karoline Vitto and Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, the Belgian designer who showed on the official calendar for the first time last season.
Absentees include Y/Project, who is stepping back from the show calendar citing “a commitment to prioritising investments”. The brand’s CEO Pascal Conte-Jodra said in a statement: “It’s a rational response to the current environment, demonstrating our prudence and foresight. While we recognise the importance of traditional fashion shows, we are confident that this alternative approach aligns best with our goals this season.” The brand will present its collection through a lookbook. Ludovic de Saint Sernin is not on the calendar as he showed at New York Fashion Week.
Simon Porte Jacquemus might be showing outside of the PFW calendar, but he will be very much present throughout the event. He will be getting honoured twice; he will be made Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres which rewards artists and writers, as well as others who have distinguished themselves by their creations. On 3 March, he will also receive the Neiman Marcus Award for Innovation in the Field of Fashion at a ceremony being held during Paris Fashion Week that will also honour Maria Grazia Chiuri of Dior and Daniel Roseberry of Schiaparelli.
An unexpected trending force this fashion season? Books. Sarah Andelman opened her book-themed exhibition named “Mise en page” at Le Bon Marché on 24 February. The co-founder and creative director of Parisian concept store Colette, Andelman told Vogue Business in December: “Once I suggested this theme of books, I started seeing it everywhere, whether it’s the Celine show [staged at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France], the Montblanc ad campaign starring Liya Kebede or Alaïa’s collaboration with online bookstore Rare Books Paris.” Since then, Kenzo also staged its show at Bibliothèque Nationale de France and Saint Laurent just opened a bookshop called Saint Laurent Babylone on 9 Rue de Grenelle. Pascal Monfort, the founder and president of trends marketing consultancy REC, is opening a pop-up store called Ephemera, Precious Fashion Documents on 26 February. “We sell, buy, share, showcase and exchange all forms of fashion documents: books, magazines, catalogues and more,” he shared on Instagram.
Vogue Ukraine is hosting an event with Ukrainian talents on 3-4 March, which includes an exhibition by photographer Brett Lloyd, who visited Ukraine twice recently to shoot a special project for the magazine.
Last but not least, Vogue Business’s China Digital Excellence Summit, in partnership with Xiaohongshu, will take place on 5 March. Vogue Business Members can join at this exclusive event designed to provide European executives with the opportunity to engage directly with Xiaohongshu — often referred to as “China’s answer to Instagram”.
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