Highlights of Paris Fashion Week SS26

Choreographed, theatrically staged and designed as an overall experience: At Paris Fashion Week, smaller labels compete with the luxury giants. The designers surpass each other in ingenuity in order to leave a lasting impression.

Movement and performance: dance at the center

Although French couturier and former dancer Alain Paul has long since hung up his pointe shoes, dance still guides his work. This is evident both in his creations, in which movement is omnipresent, and in their staging. For his new collection, the designer, who founded his eponymous label in 2023, recreated the scenery of an audition room.

The models walked in front of large tables with white tablecloths. The guests sat around this like jurors in front of a glass of water, a pencil and an evaluation form. This should be reminiscent of the dance auditions of his earlier life, but also of the interviews he completed this year before the juries of the prestigious LVMH and Andam awards. The latter awarded him the special prize. “It is a kind of mirror between fashion, dance and what we experience,” he emphasized to the AFP news agency.

Dance was also the focus of the latest collection at the German brand Gauchère. Instead of a classic fashion show, the German designer Marie-Christine Statz presented her collection as a performance. This was staged by the French choreographer Benjamin Millepied.

“The idea was to find movement in every silhouette. How to showcase bodies to reflect movement in society and the world,” the designer told AFP. Five dancers took on the role of models and presented the 15 silhouettes designed by the designer. “What excited me about this presentation is that you really see the clothes from different angles. They are also worn by bodies full of emotions that speak to us,” enthused Millepied.

Game of contrasts and iconic homages

The duo Danial Aitouganov and Imruh Asha, who run the Dutch label Zomer, presented a colorful new collection. Her theme was contrasts. Crop top shirts, a top shaped like a giant hair clip, an XXL belt, an unbuttoned baby bodysuit. The two moved between the infinitely small and the infinitely large.

This was also reflected in the stage design. A giant makeup palette served as a backdrop as models rubbed their feet, leaving colorful prints on the white runway. As usual, Zomer refrained from showing himself to the audience at the end of the show. Instead, they sent small dogs to represent them.

82-year-old Yohji Yamamoto, fashion’s rebellious doyen, paid a touching tribute to Giorgio Armani. The Italian fashion designer died at the beginning of September at the age of 91. The Japanese designer stayed true to his style and presented an all-black collection. It was simple and flowing, with layers creating lightness. At the end of the show, a black dress in white letters bore the Italian master’s final invitation to Yamamoto. It was for the celebration of the house’s 50th anniversary on September 28th in Milan. The back featured a look designed by Armani.

At Casablanca there was a festive and colorful show. It took place on an apple green carpet in the middle of the US cathedral in Paris. A gospel choir mixed with house music set the rhythm. The French-Moroccan designer Charaf Tajer founded the brand in 2018. He often presented sporty looks in bright colors, but also some evening outfits. The audience clapped to the beat beneath the late 19th century stained glass windows.