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This couture week will see the early results of the designer musical chairs we witnessed in the past year. After yesterday’s Celine show marking the debut of creative director Michael Rider, all eyes will be on Demna’s final show at Balenciaga before he moves to Gucci and the debut of Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela.
The eve of couture week has been a sought-after slot for brands for some time now to show their ready-to-wear, and this Sunday was no exception: after the Celine show, where Rider impressed by keeping the spirit of the brand while offering new shapes, there was the Patou show titled “Joy” as a nod to house founder Jean Patou’s heritage, with Susan Sarandon, Elizabeth Olsen and Diane Kruger in attendance. This was followed by the Bal d’Été of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD), a fundraising gala on the occasion of the centenary of the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts. Sofia Coppola was the artistic director, and L’Oréal board member Jean-Victor Meyers presided over the gala’s honorary committee. What is bound to be dubbed the “MAD ball” will return in 2027.
Some 27 houses are listed on the official calendar of Couture Week, which officially kicks off today and runs until 10 July. This is in line with the pre-Olympics couture week that took place last June. This season’s new guest house is Dubai-based Rami Al Ali. “The committee is very selective,” Pascal Morand, executive president of Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode says. There are a number of returning designers — Maison Margiela, Iris van Herpen, Aline André, London-based Robert Wun and Ardazaei by Swedish-Iranian designer Bahareh Ardakani — but there are also notable absentees.
Dior is skipping this couture season as creative director Jonathan Anderson is preparing for his much-anticipated Dior women’s debut in October (his predecessor Maria Grazia Chiuri had couture mixed in with her cruise show in May).
Anderson’s presence will still be felt as he is presenting his Spring 2026 resort collection in Paris on Monday for his rebranded label JW Anderson. “During this presentation, the brand will be showcasing special collaborations that they’ve been curating as part of the new narrative of the house. The power of craft and local making is at the core of this new chapter of JW Anderson,” the house said.
Valentino is also absent. The Roman house has moved to showing couture once a year (in January) since the arrival of Alessandro Michele. Similarly, Fendi isn’t showing. The house hasn’t shown during couture since January 2024 (artistic director of womenswear and couture Kim Jones left in October 2024). Givenchy hasn’t shown couture in some years, but industry insiders have been wondering if Sarah Burton will bring it back. That remains to be seen, but for sure it won’t be this season.
Iris Van Herpen returns to the show calendar. The Dutch designer, known for her avant-garde fashion, is expected to deliver an eye-popping show. It will involve a dress made from 125 million bioluminescent algae. Vogue Runway has the scoop.
Julie de Libran will present her “romantic, timeless and seasonless” collection at her home, her usual venue. “Nature and love are taking over,” the designer teased a few days before the show. This season, there will be 28 silhouettes involving corsetry and interior fabrics. “Back then in Venice, ball gowns were made from interior fabrics. The collection is a celebration of beauty and craftsmanship,” she said.
Giambattista Valli is going for a presentation format instead of a show. The designer has been promoted from Chevalier to Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to the service of French culture, and will receive the insignia in a private ceremony.
It will be the last Chanel show designed by the studio before artistic director Matthieu Blazy presents his highly anticipated debut show in October. Like in January, Giorgio Armani will present its Giorgio Armani Privé collection at its new Palazzo Armani, located in a 19th-century hôtel particulier on rue François 1er. The 2,000-square-metre space houses the couture ateliers and offices, including Giorgio Armani’s Paris office.
Also to note on Tuesday: Jordanian-Romanian footwear designer Amina Muaddi will open her first-ever boutique, a jewel-box boutique on Paris’s Avenue Montaigne. The interior was designed by the multi-talented entrepreneur Ramdane Touhami. Californian brand Frame and auction house Sotheby’s are celebrating their capsule collection that was already feted in New York and London.
Wednesday will be about comings and goings: Demna will present his final couture collection at Balenciaga, and Glenn Martens will debut at Maison Margiela. Will the Balenciaga show be attended by Demna’s successor, Pierpaolo Piccioli? They both attended the opening of the Balenciaga exhibition at the Kering HQ.
Martens has big shoes to fill. The last Margiela show was the reveal of John Galliano’s Maison Margiela Artisanal collection under Pont Alexandre III in January 2024, which Vogue Runway and Vogue Business global director Nicole Phelps described as a “fashion show that captured the world’s attention like absolutely no other”. “I have worked with Glenn for years, I have witnessed his talent, and I know what he is capable of,” OTB chairman Renzo Rosso said about Martens when his appointment was announced in January 2025. “Glenn, who studied at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts like Martin [Margiela], has already shown his prowess and his vision in couture,” he added about the 42-year-old Belgian designer.
Paris couture week will end on a high note, with three live performances of Jordan Roth, theatre producer and self-proclaimed couture devotee, titled Radical Acts of Unrelenting Beauty, at the Louvre. He describes it as a “narrative fashion performance.” Roth will be accompanied by six dancers and conductor Thomas Roussel.
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