As the Spring/Summer 2020 fashion shows come to a close, the French capital seems increasingly divided between simple, yet edgy, young-designer presentations and blockbuster-worthy runway productions staged by famous fashion houses.  The Eiffel Tower was ridiculously dim on Tuesday evening, as about 400 lights were instead illuminating the extravagant Saint Laurent fashion show. Set in the...

The answer is no. However, it can force the industry to practice what it preaches. The fashion industry, like many other retail sectors, is currently looking at the countless possibilities provided by blockchain technology to find sustainable solutions for their respective businesses. Today, Paris hosted its first edition of the Circular Fashion Summit, during which industry players discussed...

If, by definition, the garment is lifeless, it is brought to life on the runway – and this season it was brought to the fore with an unusually high level of provocation, fun, kitsch, and fetishism, despite political malaise, an environmental crisis, and economic uncertainty. In fact, a predominant theme of this fashion week in Paris has been the stark contrast between some designers'...

Hedi Slimane’s vision of women is precise and strong; his design is unmistakable from miles away. The alluring imaginarium he created when he started his womenswear at Saint Laurent still lives in Celine prêt-à-porter. Two human types were facing on the catwalk: the sophisticated upper class lady and the still rich, romantic bohemian girl. The glossy 70s were heavily present in the collection:...

Just over ten years ago, I came back to Paris after having spent a decade in London. I wore plastic crowns of flowers on my head, Mad-Hatter-like tights, faux fur coats, and fed myself with pints and chips. That was then. Fast-forward to today, and I can’t help but notice that I wear more black, smoke like a chimney, and experiment very little, sartorially speaking. What, one may inquire,...

Rick Owens keeps exploring his Mexican-ness, which has been pushed by the debate over the border wall between the United States and his country of origin. The beautiful alien figures seen on the catwalk were the result of the genius creative process of the designer. He started with Aztec reminiscences through the filter of 30s modernism, found in the alien headpieces and details on the dress...

"Flamboyant" is the word that best describes Nicolas Lecourt Mansion's fourth and latest collection. The winner of the 2019 ANDAM Creative Label Prize (dotted with a 100,000€ financial grant and a year-long professional mentorship) presented his latest collection at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris today. Featuring fierce evening and cocktail numbers with rich embellishments, Mansion's...

Glitched nostalgia from the 40s with a perverse twist showed today at Maison Margiela. As memories are filtered by time, they are then distorted and often belie the original meaning. John Galliano, Creative Director, went into this process of elaborating the codes of those years by reshuffling them with digital-era language, generally fast and cursory. The past, present, and future were...

Four founders of Paris-based b-to-c organic beauty brands – Seasonly, Laboté, Typology, and Holidermie – discuss their passion and willingness to advocate holistic beauty through their entrepreneurial and ethical-minded business models. What if real beauty comes from the inside? Beauty-from-within continues to be a trending topic in 2019. The concept that our appearance outside is inseparable...

Due to Fashion Farm Foundation's (FFF) efforts, the presence of China-based designers is on the rise in Europe. This Spring/Summer 2020 season was no exception. Once again FFF thrust new Hong Kong-based designer talents and their creativity into the Parisian spotlight.  The non-profit association was founded in 2012 by a group of enthusiastic fashion entrepreneurs in Hong Kong. It has been...

The fashion designer takes the reins at the storied fashion house, as Patou approaches its 100th anniversary. Guillaume Henry shares his ambitions for the French heritage brand, which has been dormant since the 1980s. With an out-of-the-ordinary vision, Henry hopes to awaken this sleeping beauty from a decades-long slumber.This afternoon, Patou will present its first ready-to-wear collection...

After feminism, Dior goes into sustainability. This is the message behind its last prêt-à-porter show, the presentation of which coincides with the Global Climate Strike part of the Global Week for Future from 20th-27th September, as a reaction to the United Nations Climate Action Summit that took place on September 23rd in New York. This big event is related to the worldwide action part of the...

Today, Arnaud Vaillant and Sébastien Meyer unveiled their new Spring/Summer 2020 collection for their womenswear label Coperni – and therefore made an anticipated return to the fashion industry. The designer-duo started Coperni in 2013, and the brand's collections soon earned them accolades from the industry, which eventually led them to win the prestigious ANDAM First Collection Prize in 2014....

MILAN-Fellow French conglomerates Kering and LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton have gone to head-to-head for years – neck and neck on revenues and expanding their realm by jockeying for the jewels of the luxury world.  Today, with the Amazon ablaze and hurricanes angrily destroying entire communities, their race for a more sustainable future is ON more than ever. Both conglomerates are stepping...

The Spring/Summer 2020 ready-to-wear shows just started today in Paris, and what we saw so far was promising: featuring independent brands, rather than the big industry voices, the first day – or rather evening – welcomed the Grand Prize winner of the 2019 LVMH Prize Rokh, in addition to the collection of the Japanese designer Mame Kurogouchi and the Korean designer Kiminte Kimhekim. While...