.jpg)
This article is part of our Vogue Business Membership package. To enjoy unlimited access to Member-only reporting and insights, our NFT Tracker, Beauty Trend Tracker and TikTok Trend Tracker, weekly Technology, Beauty and Sustainability Edits and exclusive event invitations, sign up for Membership here.
The French fashion industry is viewing forthcoming parliamentary elections, which may propell the far right into power, with a mix of trepidation and anger.
The snap elections called by President Emmanuel Macron, scheduled for two rounds on 30 June and 7 July, add an extra dimension of complication to the organisation of both Paris Fashion Week Men’s (19 to 23 June) and Haute Couture Week (24 to 27 June) — already facing disruption from the build up to the city’s Olympic Games.
On 22 June, crowds are expected to join a demonstration in Paris against the rise of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party. Tens of thousands have already demonstrated across the country.
Rising designer Jeanne Friot, who focuses on genderless fashion and LGBTQ+ culture, staged a show on Wednesday during Paris Fashion Week Men’s. When she took her bow, she sported a T-shirt with the message: “Why be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, when you could just be quiet.”
The mood of trepidation is shared at the very top of the fashion industry. “After the stupefaction, the anger; it’s an immense sadness and shame of the image [the far right] carries abroad,” says Yann Rivoallan, president of the Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin. “Some brands that advocate inclusive values will become a force of political opposition. Others will opt for pragmatism or even compromise.”
In a coordinated response to the rise of the far right, a left-wing coalition, named the New Popular Front, has formed, embracing a broad spectrum of opposition views. On 17 June, Association Française des Entreprises Privées (AFEP), which represents 117 of France’s biggest companies including LVMH, Kering, Hermès and L’Oréal, warned of the economic risks that come with a shift to the hard right or left. “AFEP is taking part in the debate, as the outcome of the parliamentary elections will determine France’s position and credibility vis-à-vis its European and international partners, and thus its ability to act on its behalf in a world that is breaking up and where conflicts are increasing,” the association said.
The statement from AFEP also read: “The vote of the French people will determine the ability of major companies and their millions of employees to continue to grow, innovate, maintain employment and purchasing power, thus contributing to our country’s prosperity. The major risk is that the French and European economies will stall for a long time. The temptations of isolation and budgetary headlong rush will only reinforce this.”
.jpg)
Companies are also concerned that investors will lose confidence in the country. This could translate into underinvestment for new projects and, in turn, impact the international image of France at a time when Paris is the centre of global attention during this summer’s Olympic Games (26 July to 11 August).
French stocks (the CAC 40 index) have falled by 5 percentage points since the announcement 9 June of President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call the snap elections. (Stocks further tumbled after the left wing Nouveau Front Populaire released its programme). LVMH stock is down 7.2 per cent, Kering 18.7 per cent, Hermès 4.1 per cent and L’Oréal 4.8 per cent.
Cancelled strategic event, fears for a divided nation
Pierre-François Le louët, co-president of UFIMH (Union Française des Industries de la Mode et Habillement), is dismayed that the dissolution of the National Assembly has led to the cancellation of a government-backed event for 20 June called ‘Launch of a Strategy for Fashion’. The event, which optimists hope will be postponed rather than cancelled, was scheduled to bring together the ministries of economy, culture, companies and tourism.
“The public policy involved support to young creation and French competitiveness and attractiveness for fashion labels and manufacturers,” he told Vogue Business. “We have been working on it for a year and it has raised a lot of hopes.” On his LinkedIn, Le louët posted: “I’m thinking of the companies and the men and women who will not benefit from the measures.”
President Macron has been supportive of the fashion industry, hosting fashion dinners at the Elysée Palace; his government initiated the fashion strategy plan. There’s not much concerning fashion in the programme of the far right (or far left) so far, says Le louët — “even if we can assume that the National Rally would favour ‘Made in France’ and the Nouveau Front Populaire would support creation and culture.”
The values of the far-right parties clash with the world of fashion, which celebrates openness, diversity and inclusivity, Le louët says. “Everyone is destabilised by divisive positions, but few brands have taken a stand today, except for Jacquemus.”
After Simon Porte Jacquemus and his husband Marco Maestri announced they had become fathers in April, Marion Maréchal, a niece of Marine Le Pen who is on the extreme right, posted on X: “Where is the mum?” Prisca Thevenot, spokeswoman for the government, denounced the comment as “unbridled homophobia”. Commenting on Maréchal’s post, Jacquemus told daily talk show Quotidien, “I don’t share her values. I don’t need any lessons from this lady. She needs to mind her own business and values. We are in two different worlds, very far [apart].”
Some celebrities, including football star and Dior ambassador Kylian Mbappé and actress and Chanel ambassador Marion Cotillard, have taken a stand, encouraging people to vote against the National Rally. Influencer Lena Mahfouf, who has 4.6 million followers on Instagram, posted: “I know it’s a pain to wake up on a Sunday during the vacations, but it’s SO important for young people to get out and vote. We have real power to change our future.”
Pharrell Williams, who showed his Spring/Summer 2025 collection for Louis Vuitton on 18 June, did not directly address the political situation but had words to say backstage on the theme of unity — words that resonated across the French capital. “I would never dare to think that we can be a reason for people to come together, but to present that notion and to present the possibility in a poetic way is the only thing that we can do. There’s so much divisiveness out there in the world. It was a show about unity,” the designer said.
Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.
More from this author:
Paris Fashion Week meets Olympics prep: The complete survival guide
