The Matter and Shape trade fair, organized by the French trade fair company WSN, demonstrated the growing connection between fashion and design. During Paris Fashion Week in March 2026, the number of visitors visiting the tents in the Tuileries Garden doubled.
The connection between fashion and design is nothing new in and of itself. Back in 2019, Virgil Abloh took up the design of the metal chairs in the Tuileries Garden for Galerie Kreo by removing a leg. He gave the object a new status between design, art and fashion.
Seven years later, during Fashion Week in March 2026, Jonathan Anderson revisited this concept for French luxury fashion house Dior. He sent out a miniature of this chair as an invitation for his fall/winter 2026/2027 show.
Both examples show how design objects are increasingly being used in fashion as cultural references and communicative elements. At a time when fashion is increasingly staging lifestyle worlds, design seems to be a central lever for expanding one’s own brand identity. The Matter and Shape trade fair provides a current example of this.
Number of visitors to the Tuileries doubled thanks to Matter and Shape
“The Matter and Shape trade fair was created from the beginning to explore the boundaries between fashion and design,” explains Mathieu Pinet, director and founder of the Matter and Shape trade fair, to FashionUnited. “The project arose from the observation that a dimension for design and objects was missing during Paris Fashion Week. The idea is to bring different creative industries into dialogue: fashion, design, cinema and perfume.”
The first edition in March 2024 had 30 exhibitors. The second edition had 62 and the event in March 2026 already had 73. This underlines the exponentially growing enthusiasm for the trade fair. Around ten exhibitors directly embody the connection between fashion and design.
Frédéric Maus, director of WSN and organizer of Premiere Classe and Matter and Shape, gives concrete figures on the performance of this edition: “The introduction of the design fair has doubled the total number of visitors at the Tuileries location. Premiere Classe has between 12,000 and 15,000 visitors, Matter and Shape around 13,000. 20 to 30 percent of visitors visit both fairs. This shows a clear overlap between the fashion and the design audience.”
Matter and Shape: Fashion is looking towards design – and design is embracing it
Fashion brands are only allowed if there is a genuine connection to the design. After furniture by fashion designer Rick Owens and jewelry designer Charlotte Chesnais, the following names were selected for the March 2026 edition.
Serax, a Belgian tableware company that Ann Demeulemeester works with. This is a typical case of a fashion designer who gave up fashion and pursued her career in design.
Lemaire’s participation in Ark Kollekt, a curatorial platform, included an installation and selection of objects and furniture presented by the gallery. This was intended to illustrate the dialogue between fashion and design.
Cour, a young French furniture brand, creates a dialogue with fashion brands. It invites designers to design household items.
The jewelry brand Shihara has designed tables and chairs to furnish its boutiques.
The Finnish design house Marimekko is the concrete example of a house known for its fashionable textile patterns. It has expanded its expertise to include upholstery fabrics.
Finally, director Guadagnino (‘Call Me By Your Name’, ‘Challengers’, etc.) has expanded the creative field. He designed a room and objects such as mirrors and carpets for Lobmeyr, an Austrian house of crystal and luxury glassware.
In itself, the convergence of fashion and design does not represent a break. Rather, it is a reactivation of a tradition from the arts and crafts. Concept stores have also helped break down categories by bringing clothing, objects and furniture together in the same space.
This development is a reaction to changing consumer habits. But it also serves to build brand worlds. The Matter and Shape trade fair helps to institutionalize this dynamic. It offers a framework in which these disciplines can meet.
Is Fashion Week tending to transform into an expanded ecosystem in which fashion and design enter into dialogue? This question arises. In any case, it’s a new language that fashion insiders have to learn to stay up to date.
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