Every year, when the fashion season begins, the participating fashion houses are rearranged in the official calendar with the addition of guest designers, new creative directors, and occasional dropouts or departures. At the upcoming Paris Fashion Week, French fashion house Louis Vuitton has reclaimed its coveted spot at the conclusion on March 5, capping a week of 71 runway presentations and a total of 109 events. FashionUnited has summarized the debuts and newcomers from Fashion Week in Paris:
Lacoste
Lacoste last showed its SS22 collection in the French capital in September 2021. The sporty brand known for its polo shirts will return to Paris under the creative direction of Pelagia Kolotouros, who presented her work in New York last fall. In an interview with fashion magazine Vogue Business, Kolotouros revealed that her Lacoste collection will “exude a new vision of femininity for the brand, showcasing body-hugging silhouettes while embracing the codes of the brand’s French heritage.”
Alexander McQueen
One of the most anticipated debuts of Paris Fashion Week will be that of Seán McGirr as the new creative director at Alexander McQueen. The label swapped places with Ann Demeulemeester and will show its collection on March 2nd at 8 p.m. The Dublin-born designer is expected to present a co-collection and the industry is eager to see how he will continue and innovate the brand’s codes established by Sarah Burton since McQueen’s death in 2010.
Lee Alexander McQueen was a master tailor with years of experience from London’s Savile Row shopping street and a master of combining subversive and traditional tailoring, fabric and cut. McGirr, who has designed primarily for contemporary labels such as JW Anderson and Uniqlo, will need to present an extremely clear vision of the brand to satisfy a critical industry audience.
Chloe
Chemena Kamali will design her first collection for Chloé. The German designer took over the creative direction of the French luxury fashion house last year, following in Gabriela Hearst’s footsteps. Before her time at Saint Laurent, the German worked at Chloé. In an interview with the British newspaper Guardian she said: “My heart has always belonged to Chloé”. Kamali is one of the few women at the creative helm of major fashion houses, underscoring the importance of diversification in the management ranks – especially since, following the appointment of McGirr as creative director of McQueen, the creative leadership positions of major fashion houses within the luxury group Kering are almost exclusively occupied by white men .
Rochas
Alessandro Vigilante will unveil his first collection for French fashion house Rochas on February 28th. With his experience at Gucci under Alessandro Michele, at Dolce & Gabbana and The Attico, the Italian designer is ready to redefine the house’s identity and introduce new design codes that may recover elements of the brand that have been introduced by the changing designers have been lost. The fashion house belongs to the Italian company Interparfums. With the appointment of an Italian designer, there is a potential synergy between the management and the creative vision of the brand.
CFCL and Zomer
Newcomers to the Paris Fashion Week calendar include CFCL, a sustainable Japanese knitwear label that works with recycled fabrics. On the other hand, Zomer is also presenting its collection – the young label is named after the Dutch word for summer and last season presented outside the official calendar at the Dover Street Market. Founded by designer Danial Aitouganov and stylist Imruh Asha, director of fashion at Dazed Digital, both newcomers will present their collections on March 5th.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translation and editing: Pia Schulz