Paris Fashion Week puts an end to the dreariness and focuses on creativity

The Paris Fashion Week in September 2024 was fully booked, showcasing an increased presence of industry professionals and fans, creating a strong connection between creativity, a sense of luxury, openness to diverse cultures, and a desire for more virtuous fashion.

This season’s Paris Fashion Week, featuring the ready-to-wear collections for spring/summer 2025, concluded this week, with one of the primary takeaways being the significant turnout. This was evident even outside the shows, where TikTok accounts shared show addresses, resulting in compact crowds on the pavements, mainly as a result of brands investing in celebrity and influencer attendance to energise their front rows.

There was bustling activity not only at the shows but also in salons, showrooms, and on the streets of Paris, transforming the city centre and the Golden Triangle of the French capital into a vibrant stream of people. Boris Provost, managing director of the Paris trade fair Tranoï, confirmed a 3 percent increase in buyers compared to September 2023, and a 9 percent increase since March 2024. "Another interesting factor is the proportion of repeat visits," he told FashionUnited. "Buyers are returning to confirm their orders, particularly from major clients."

To accommodate the growing number of presentations on their calendars (and around the fashion shows), the French fashion association Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) provided an additional shuttle bus for participants. However, it was impossible for journalists and international buyers to attend every event, necessitating a selective approach to their schedules, much like how designers edit their collections to create a more compact presentation without missing out on highlights.

Young French designers and economic prospects of Paris Fashion Week

This season saw young French designers, who enjoyed exceptional visibility during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, taking centre stage for SS25. They received some financial support from Défi and the Paris City Hall, confidently collaborated with commercial brands, and the winners of the 2023/2024 ANDAM awards showcased their works at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs.

Typically, these young designers should benefit economically from their exposure. However, it is impossible to ascertain whether this momentum will lead to orders and whether those orders will be fulfilled. This is further complicated as managers, sales representatives, and trade fair leaders cannot disclose figures regarding the business volume of brands presenting during fashion week.

"We do not register the volume of orders placed at the fairs, as not all are completed on-site," says Florence Rousson, chair of the Fashion Department at the Première Vision fair. A global overview is difficult to define. The fashion market, predominantly spread across Europe, the US, and Asia, is influenced by many factors. There are divergences regarding product consumption and generational differences."

"The only thing we observe," she adds, "is a very strong dynamism in fashion accessories. Young people are capable of dressing in Shein and then purchasing a Chanel bag."

A survey conducted in 2016 by the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) in partnership with market research firm Ipsos reported figures regarding the economic impact of Paris Fashion Week: six billion euros in showroom sales and 4.3 billion euros at the fairs. These figures have inevitably changed, as the study then included 27 trade fairs. There are now only four: Première Classe, Tranoï, Woman, and Splash. The latter fair was organised by Alex Lyles and Claire Spencer-Churchill, specialising in resortwear and beachwear, and took place at the Pavillon Gabriel.

"We started with a sense of constraint: location changes, shorter schedules," says Sylvie Pourrat, head of the Première Classe offering. "The experience turned out to be positive and renewing. Our exhibitors returned home satisfied with the overall business climate of this September 2024 fashion week."

Chinese presence in Paris

Brands leveraging Paris Fashion Week as a showcase primarily position themselves within niche markets of luxury, high-end, or designer fashion. The Market Week, which includes fairs and showrooms, encompasses more accessible labels that still target an elite distribution: concept stores, department stores, and selective multi-brand shops.

In reality, Paris Fashion Week predominantly reflects the concerns of a wealthy class, which must be addressed by many individuals with more modest means, especially when market shares seem to shrink, as is the case with China.

After initial reports suggested a decline in luxury goods sales, pressure subsided following announcements from the Chinese government aimed at boosting consumption. According to some experts, sudden rebound effects in China appear to be possible.

During the September 2024 Fashion Week, however, the focus was less on the purchasing power of the Chinese populace and more on the fact that Chinese fashion is moving away from the Western model to elevate its own culture. Chinese brands are gaining ground in terms of occupying spaces and creative offerings.

The Sino-French Festival for Fashion and Culture, fashion shows, "China Select" at Tranoï—the list of Chinese brands that have utilised the Paris aura for their exhibitions is extensive. This season, Fashion Week also served as a springboard for the exhibition "Heritage Next," which will be on display until 23 October 2025 at La Samaritaine. It highlights elements of the country's traditional clothing culture, such as embroidery or small round buttons, through French literary references like Jules Verne or George Sand.

Media hype vs. brand value alignment

The arrival of a creative director piques media curiosity. A prime example is Alessandro Michele at Valentino, whose first show for the Italian label took place during Paris Fashion Week. Similarly, the absence of a creative director also attracts media attention. This is the case for Chanel, where the appointment of a new creative director is anticipated in the coming weeks. Rumours suggest that Simon Porte Jacquemus and Hedi Slimane, who has been succeeded by Michael Rider after six years at Celine, are in pole position.

When an artistic director is in office, it becomes more challenging to generate excitement unless they unveil a collection that captivates all. This, in itself, is an almost impossible task. Alternatively, one could stage a massive event, as seen with the young French brand Coperni, which rented Disneyland Paris to showcase its collection in front of Sleeping Beauty’s castle amid fireworks.

But does the media buzz translate into a healthy economy? Luxury goods corporations believe that creating "perceived customer value" relies on the business units, meaning that brand and operational structure are two distinct matters, says Ludovic Alban, CEO of Paris Phoenix Studio. The result: rather discouraging figures in a complex economic environment.

To bridge the dichotomy between executives who think in Excel sheets and creative departments that must entice end consumers with alluring proposals, the LVMH group used Paris Fashion Week to heighten the visibility of an initiative close to its heart: aligning creative excellence with environmental commitment. This was achieved through the creation of the Prelude collection by Kevin Germanier and the inauguration of a campus where employees and partners are trained in environmental matters.

The orientation and transparency of a production, distribution, and communication strategy undoubtedly represent the future of luxury as understood by the new consumers.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.FR. Translation via AI and edit by Rachel Douglass.