The front rows at Paris Fashion Week have been perfect for stargazing. (Did you catch Zendaya at Louis Vuitton this morning? Or Kim Cattrall at Balmain last week?). Even more exciting are the select few celebrities who have walked the shows. French singer and red carpet star Yseult, for one, took over the catwalks at both Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen. “Walking during Paris Fashion Week is a pride,” Yseult tells Vogue. “When I walk on the runway, I think of all the invisible people; it gives me courage and strength.”
Yseult—who has often spoken candidly about the need for more size inclusivity in fashion—knew the opportunity to walk in Paris was about much more than playing dress-up. It was an opportunity to represent an underserved community and to, hopefully, compel fashion brands to think about designing extended sizes. “The first step is listening, the second is representation, and the third step is making fashion accessible in stores,” she says. “Today it’s still very difficult to find clothing in one’s size in luxury and ready-to-wear stores—a problem millions of people around the world face. I haven’t bought clothes in stores for years because nothing fits, and that’s an unfortunate fact.”
Ultimately, she would like to work with a brand behind the scenes as well as on the runway. “That’s why I would like to share my expertise and collaborate with a [fashion] house to create a capsule collection—producing clothing in very large sizes for both men and women and making it accessible in stores and online,” she says.
The singer’s PFW takeover began with Alexander McQueen’s spring 2024 show, for which she wore a red body-con dress with sheer detailing. (She’s walked for the house before and often wears McQueen on the red carpet too.) “I love wearing a garment that makes me feel strong and vulnerable,” she says of the look. “These are two characteristics I like to emphasize in my music and videos.”
Being a part of Sarah Burton’s final collection for McQueen was also special to the star. “My meeting with Sarah Burton was an unforgettable experience,” says Yseult. “There was an immediate connection between us. Sarah Burton has a generous heart. She loves fashion, art, humanity, and life, and it shines through in her collections, which is refreshing for fashion. It was an honor to walk for her!”
Yseult then appeared on the runway for Balenciaga the very next day, modeling Demna’s black maxi-gown. “It made me feel empowered, strong, and beautiful,” she says of the look. “It’s not always easy for me to get clothes that fit me, but this particular piece looked amazing on my body.” She also enjoyed the event’s eclectic cast, which included Demna’s mother and Amanda Lepore. “Right before the show, there was a very emotional moment where Demna held my hand and said, ‘I love you,’” says Yseult. “He did that with every single person walking, and it was a very special moment. I felt incredibly proud and honored to be walking the show with his family and closest friends.”
Though Paris Fashion Week concludes this week, Yseult isn’t taking a break anytime soon. On October 6, the singer will release a new music video for her track “Perdue,” directed by Fred Gervais. “‘Perdue’” is a visual poem in black and white, shot in Canada,” she teases. “The idea was to tell, in its simplest form, [how] love often breaks us and sometimes liberates us. It’s important to me as a pop artist to represent Black love from a contemporary and romantic perspective. Black love matters.”
