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Milan boasted some remarkable designer debuts and shows — but don’t lose steam just yet. Paris is gearing up for a busy, intense and historic season. Against a backdrop of an ongoing luxury downturn, the stakes are high. Will new creative visions help turn the tide?
There will be an unprecedented number of designer debuts: Jonathan Anderson’s first women’s ready-to-wear at Dior, Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler, Mark Thomas at Carven, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe, Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga, Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gaultier and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel. Glenn Martens, who made his Maison Margiela couture debut in July, will present his first ready-to-wear collection for the house. Michael Rider will show his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Celine following his co-ed debut, which was a “spring” (or resort) collection, per house verbiage.
There are significant follow-ups to watch out for, too. Peter Copping at Lanvin, Sarah Burton at Givenchy, Haider Ackermann at Tom Ford and Julian Klausner for Dries Van Noten women’s will present their sophomore shows, which are just as important as debuts.
Altogether, the SS26 women’s ready-to-wear calendar, which will run from 29 September to 7 October, features a total of 74 shows and 37 presentations — compared to a respective 66 and 40 for SS25. Other highlights will include Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Balmain, Chloé, Alexander McQueen, Hermès, Courrèges, Acne Studios, Alaïa, Rabanne and Lacoste. Victoria Beckham, whose much-anticipated Netflix documentary is to be released on 9 October, will show on 3 October at 8pm. And Miu Miu, which was the most-viewed show on Vogue Runway last season, will work to defend its position in a season filled with designer debut shows.
The second outings of Chemena Kamali at Chloé, Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen and Pelagia Kolotouros at Lacoste this season in Paris could be more defining than their debuts.
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Thom Browne (who hasn’t shown during ready-to-wear in Paris since September 2022), Vetements and Agnès B will also return to the calendar, with the latter celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Julie Kegels and Meryll Rogge will open and close Paris Fashion Week (PFW), respectively. The two Belgian female designers are both newcomers to the official show schedule. (Rogge scooped the 2025 Andam Grand Prize for fashion and was shortly after appointed Marni creative director).
Peak anticipation
Excitement has been mounting in the lead-up to Paris, and houses have embraced different strategies to make the most of that momentum. At Dior, red carpet moments and announcements of brand ambassadors served as teasers. The new Lady Dior handbag campaign stars Greta Lee (a Loewe transfer), Mia Goth and Mikey Madison. The Loewe campaign features a flurry of young stars, including Théodore Pellerin and Erin Kellyman. In a statement accompanying the campaign, McCollough and Hernandez speak of “a sunniness and sensuality that feels inherent to its Spanish roots, and ultimately an optimism and spirit that [they] recognise as deeply personal to [them] as individuals”.
At Chanel, there have been no easter eggs. The surprise is intact. Meanwhile, Jean Paul Gaultier wiped its Instagram clean (with a question mark profile picture adding to the mystery). So did Balenciaga, with only one post (of Piccioli’s hand drawing the letter B.) The recently launched Balenciaga fragrance collection is a nod to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s legacy. Is it a hint of what’s to come with Piccioli? Was the fragrance, in fact, a teaser?
All eyes will be on the front rows, especially regarding celebrity transfers. When it comes to celebrity strategy, Anderson and Blazy share a modern vision shaped by artistic and intellectual affinities. We can expect a mix of longtime ambassadors and new faces, as was the case at Anderson’s first menswear show for Dior in June.
This season is a complete reshuffle, not only in terms of designers and brand ambassadors, but also in terms of calendar. PFW-goers, stay alert. Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen are among houses that changed time slots, while Chanel will be an evening show for the first time in a very long time.
Events to watch
There’s a lot going on off the runway, too. Highlights include the ‘Virgil Abloh: The Codes’ exhibition, focusing on the late designer’s archive. It opens on 30 September at the Grand Palais, with support from the Virgil Abloh Foundation and Nike. There’s also Zara’s 50th-anniversary pop-up, curated by Sarah Andelman of former fashion institution Colette, which is open to the public from 2 to 5 October. Erdem Moralıoğlu, whose SS26 collection offered a Marie Antoinette vibe, will host a book signing for his upcoming work, Erdem, published by Rizzoli, at the Galignani bookstore on 1 October from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
L’Oréal Paris will stage its annual show in front of City Hall on 29 September, the first since the appointment of Harold James as the brand’s global makeup artist. The following day, lingerie brand Etam will stage a show at Palais Brongniart. Work hard, play hard. The Karl Lagerfeld brand and Paris Hilton will throw an afterparty celebrating the former’s campaign ‘From Paris with Love’, starring Hilton.
Christian Louboutin made a splash (literally) last season with a performance at the city’s iconic Molitor pool, co-created with artistic director David LaChapelle and choreographed by Blanca Li, where both Li and LaChapelle jumped in the water. The same designer-director-choreographer team will return this season with another show, taking place in a Parisian stadium.
There will be no shortage of action in the city this season, so buckle up. “Since I retired [in 2015], this is perhaps the first time I’ve regretted not being in the race,” Jean-Jacques Picart, the highly recognised fashion consultant, tells me.
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