The presence of female models and silhouettes on the catwalks of the men’s fashion shows for the fall and winter 2024/2025 collections was omnipresent on the Paris catwalks. But what does this development say about the fashion business?
“Fashion has become ‘genderless’, it’s a real consumer phenomenon,” said Christelle Cagi Nicolau, who is responsible for supporting emerging brands at the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, in an interview with FashionUnited. “In South Korea, for example, boutiques like Empty Store no longer have men’s or women’s sections. In Japan, there has always been a predisposition for women to buy male jackets and, conversely, for men to buy female sweaters. Today, with Gen Z, this is becoming a mass phenomenon.”
Technically, the designers make patterns studied on male and female bodies and offer a wide size chart from XS to XXL. Some offer their customers the opportunity to choose the direction in which a coat or jacket is opened. This new technology allows buyers to list both men and women as customers. This also applies to Hervé Huchet, owner of the multi-brand store La Villa Hommes, who ordered some items from the brands Études and Drôle de Monsieur because he believes that “the women who come to my store might like it.”
Budgets in January higher than in March
But behind the panache of Naomi Campbell for Balmain men’s collection, Coco Rocha for Louis Gabriel Nouchi, Louis Doillon for AMI or Pharrell Williams’ cowgirls at Louis Vuitton, there is a market to satisfy: while the genderless trend is a social reality , the timing of budgets allocated by buyers is an economic given.
At the time of Men’s Fashion Week in January and June, buyers still have their entire order budgets available. The periods March and October, i.e. during the autumn/winter and spring/summer women’s fashion weeks, come a little late in the international calendar of sales campaigns. According to some experts, it’s even too late.
Luxury brands have long used men’s fashion sales campaigns to showcase their pre-collections. The same applies to multi-brand showrooms. “All companies that produce evening wear, semi-couture and even contemporary wear are presenting in January in multi-brand showrooms such as Mirabelle, AMF or The Good Six,” explains Xavier Latapie, co-founder of the fashion platform Moddity. “This is simply because buyers have their entire budget available in January for the coming autumn/winter season. Why should they wait until the end of February/beginning of March and, above all, return to buy the collections?
This is especially true in the month of January, when men’s fashion shows, showrooms, trade fairs and couture presentations pile up. The attention of buyers, the press and celebrities is retained for almost two weeks. Haute Couture week, especially the off week, already serves as a springboard to gain more attention.
Paris Men’s Fashion Week is more than just a launching pad for women’s collections
This phenomenon can also be observed at the Tranoï Man trade fair, a cooperation partner of Paris Fashion Week, which has reopened to women’s pre-collections. Four brands in a separate area of the exhibition hall make the start and send a clear signal for the positioning. “The idea is to present in January so that I can reach my buyers earlier,” Eilola Teija, the Finnish designer of the British label of the same name, tells FashionUnited. This means I have more time for production and the department stores can introduce the winter collection as early as June. Perhaps this clue explains why department stores want to sell off summer collections as early as June, causing chaos for independent retailers.
“The buyers have their entire budget at their disposal at this time, so it is easier to sell the goods,” said Dino He, who makes cashmere for Loro Piana and founded his own label Kashette three years ago, at Tranoï. This also seems to be the pragmatic reason why more and more women’s collections can be seen on the catwalks of men’s fashion weeks.
Could Men’s Fashion Week replace Women’s Fashion Week?
Paris has a title to defend: that of fashion capital, the place where all designers want to go on the catwalk to gain prestige. Indeed, Paris Women’s Fashion Week has an aura that is always intact. It is the place where designers of all nationalities come who want to attract attention, giving priority to their brand ambassadors, who ensure likes on social networks, over buyers.
“If the sale goes well, shoppers can order additional goods,” says Nicolau. “Since the Americans sell out their winter collection at the end of November, they want very early deliveries. The Japanese complete the contract two months later and would like to receive deliveries later. That’s why many brands continue to present their entire collection and image parts to the press in March.”
Isn’t the concept of a male and female fashion week a little outdated in times of genderlessness and budget cuts? The question arises, but here too it is important to differentiate. For several seasons now, fashion has been surfing a genderfluid and quiet luxury trend, characterized by women wanting to wear suits inspired by men’s wardrobe. But trend also means short-lived.
“We are into suits, three-piece suits, tailoring, beautiful coats, oversized,” observes Patricia Lerat, brand strategist at PLC Consulting, in an interview with FashionUnited. “The increased presence of women shows the desire to wear similar clothing, but also all faces and ages of society.”
“We have never seen so many old men on the catwalk,” she added. “Apart from the reality of the market, we want to see inclusion and show that these older people have a fashion culture. Designers like Yohji Yamamoto or Walter Van Beirendonck are free and humorous. They radiate joy. They have understood that in this world you have to stop fooling yourself: you have to be able to mix everything.”
