Paris Fashion Week 2021 Visitors with Glamor

Paris Fashion Week is the pinnacle of the monthlong stretch of runway shows in New York and Europe each season, drawing celebrities, top editors and influencers alike. And while many designers unveiled their new collections digitally last year due to the pandemic, this year marked a return to physical live events -- and star-studded front rows. Paris Fashion Week 2021 just wrapped this past week after nine days of innovative events that showed how the industry is embracing technology and new approaches for a post-pandemic future. Home to many great designers like Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Chanel, Givenchy and more, the Paris shows are not to be missed. From Monday September 27 to Tuesday October 5, 2021, the capital got all dressed up to showcase the Printemps-Été (Spring-Summer) 2022 collections as well as the highly expected new fads. Trends may come and go, but the typical Parisian look goes never out of style making the street styles as interesting to watch as the designer shows.

Atypical fashion shows, solar palettes, relaxation, more responsible and less gendered fashion were common themes from this spring-summer 2022 shows. Paris Fashion Week was also enhanced by immersive digital experiences even as the appetite of brands to return to the physical show format was fulfilled with a number of spectacular shows in Paris. Broadcasting on giant screens, fashion brands offered multi-sensory shows influenced by the virtual events they were forced to use during the pandemic.  Balenciaga invented a new format for the reality show version ending with a satirical cartoon about the Simpsons in Paris for fashion week. The Dior show started with "live" electro music and models parading or remaining static on a multi-level podium.

Though sustainability is a word often overused in fashion, there were some standout efforts to be more planet and people-friendly at Paris Fashion Week. At Chloé, designer Gabriela Hearst, introduced a new line showcasing independent artisans’ handcrafted products. Believing that luxury fashion has become overly industrialized, Chloe featured rainbow-bright vest dresses on the catwalk that were crocheted by hand and necklaces made from seashells knotted on to twists of leftover fabric from previous collections. The artisan-produced pieces, which the house believes are innately low-impact, will be given the highest status in boutiques and embossed with a “Chloé Craft” logo. Stella McCartney also continued her pursuit of planet-friendly products, most notably launching the special edition Frayme Mylo handbag made from mycelium leather sourced from mushroom roots — the world’s first such bag to be presented on a runway.

You can read the full round up of Paris Fashion Week news in the latest issue of Elle magazine available on your AFSF Culturethèque e-library.  To learn more about the fashion industry, listen to one of our recent AFSF podcasts as it dives deeper into the inner workings of a Paris Fashion House.