Have Style, Will Travel! American Designers Take Over Paris With the CFDA

At the jewel-box restaurant Vesper in Paris, floral-papered corners and midcentury-modern–inspired art framed a well-dressed crush of some of America’s brightest fashion talents. The occasion? CFDA’s Americans in Paris cocktail—celebrating the cadre of designers the organization brought to the City of Light. Hosts Chloe Malle, Eva Chen, Aurora James, Amelia Gray, Christopher John Rogers, and Rachel Scott threaded through the room, greeting designers and old friends with warm embraces.

“I love coming to Paris for Americans in Paris,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb tells Vogue. “We’re such a creative industry back stateside, and to be able to express that here in the City of Light is special. The designers we’ve brought are a mix of current CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund finalists and alumni. Being able to come together, drink some champagne, and show beautiful things is fun.”

The party also marked the opening—by appointment this weekend—of the Americans in Paris showroom. Designers on hand include Kate Barton, Jane Wade, Taylor Thompson, 5000, Meruert Tolegen, and Lauren Harwell Godfrey. “Paris is Paris, so I’m excited for that,” jewelry designer Lauren Harwell Godfrey tells Vogue, laughing. “But it’s also great to reconnect with the CFDA and Vogue. I was in the Fashion Fund in 2023 during the height of COVID—we weren’t able to do this. It’s so great to be back.”

As champagne flutes clinked, the packed room swelled with more American designers alongside friends of the brands, editors, and buyers—a rare chance to catch up amid a breakneck show calendar.

New York–based street-style photographer Martin Romero was on hand to capture the looks. “I feel like Paris is the last city—everyone’s just having fun, and it’s like a mini-reunion,” he said. “You see friends from all parts of the world, old friends from the Philippines, where I’m originally from, and a lot of them have flown here.” With Paris Fashion Week only just past its midpoint, the toasts kept flowing—and so did the celebration of American talent.