A spectacular Saint Laurent show dedicated to the idea of clothing “as a form of discourse” launched a highly anticipated Paris Fashion Week on Monday, signalling a period of significant change at the top of the global luxury industry.
The Spring–Summer 2026 womenswear week began with a theatrical collection from French designer Victor Weinsanto, who sent drag queen Nicky Doll down the runway in corset-inspired creations influenced by the grandeur of Versailles.
Belgian newcomer Julie Kegels followed with her debut collection, attended by Spanish singer Rosalia, where models stepped directly from an apartment doorway onto a catwalk in Paris’s fashionable Passy district.
The day culminated with a dramatic Saint Laurent presentation at Place du Trocadéro, opposite the Eiffel Tower, where models in black leather jackets and flowing statement pieces strode between beds of white hydrangeas arranged in the brand’s iconic logo.
Creative director Anthony Vaccarello said he was responding to increasingly polarised politics worldwide, arguing that luxury fashion — rather than symbolising inequality — could serve as a form of communication.
“At a time when dialogue is fading, style becomes a form of discourse — not one that imposes, but one that connects and adds nuance,” he wrote in his show notes.
This season’s Paris Fashion Week, following a landmark event in Milan, features around ten labels with new creative directors, reflecting widespread changes in the industry over the past year.
“We’re opening a new chapter — not just for Fashion Week, but for what fashion will become over the next decade,” said Pierre Groppo, fashion editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair France.
One of the most eagerly awaited moments will be Franco-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy’s debut for Chanel on 6 October. Blazy, formerly at Bottega Veneta, faces the challenge of steering the house into a new era following Karl Lagerfeld’s decades-long leadership and the tenure of his successor Virginie Viard.
Another major debut will come from Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson, who will unveil his first womenswear collection for Dior on 1 October after a widely praised menswear debut in June.
Attention will also turn to Pierpaolo Piccioli’s first collection for Balenciaga, succeeding streetwear-focused designer Demna, who has moved to Gucci. Meanwhile, Fendi announced that long-serving menswear designer Silvia Venturini Fendi will transition to an honorary role.
The fashion calendar’s shift to Paris follows an emotional tribute in Milan to Giorgio Armani, who died on 4 September aged 91. A host of A-listers, including Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close and Richard Gere, attended the final collection Armani worked on before his death — originally planned as a celebration of the brand’s 50th anniversary.
Elsewhere in Milan, Demna’s Gucci debut received positive reviews, while British designer Louise Trotter’s first collection for Bottega Veneta was hailed by Harrods fashion chief Simon Longland as “the highlight of the week.”
Paris will also see Dutch designer Duran Lantink’s debut for Jean Paul Gaultier, as well as first collections from Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe, Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler, and Mark Thomas at Carven.
Several major names will be presenting their sophomore collections — often regarded by industry insiders as more revealing than a debut — including Sarah Burton for Givenchy, Glenn Martens for Maison Margiela and Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford.
Paris Fashion Week arrives amid challenging conditions for the luxury sector, which is grappling with slowing demand in China, new US tariffs, and wider global economic uncertainty.