Paris Haute Couture Week kicked off with bold artistic visions and major leadership changes. From Schiaparelli’s retro-futurism to Iris van Herpen’s deep-sea fantasy, designers delivered spectacle and transformation.
From the future to the ocean floor, Schiaparelli and Iris van Herpen opened Paris Haute Couture Week with a longing for the extraordinary—set against a backdrop of ongoing artistic reshuffles in the fashion world.
Schiaparelli opened the week on Monday with its Fall-Winter 2025–2026 collection titled Back to the Future, blending futuristic themes with silhouettes reminiscent of the 1940s.
The collection featured a striking black-and-white ruffled gown, sculptural evening dresses, elegant—almost demure—suits, and a sleeveless, rectangular-cut coat with a feathered high collar and a large silver flower embroidered on the front. The palette stayed classic in black, white, and silver, with vibrant bursts of red.
One showstopper: a vivid red gown with a sculpted female torso molded into the back, paired with a necklace shaped like a human heart—covered in red rhinestones and pulsing with simulated beats.
Held at the Petit Palais, the show by American designer Daniel Roseberry attracted a host of celebrities, including rapper Cardi B, who stole the spotlight in a body-hugging black dress with a massive fringed neckline and a live raven perched on her gloved hands.
Under the Sea
Returning to the couture calendar after a year-long break, Iris van Herpen dove into an oceanic dreamscape, making the jellyfish her centerpiece.
In a dazzling show titled Sympoiesis, lasers seemed to sculpt the garments in real time as the models walked.
The Dutch designer showcased body-hugging gowns resembling scales or seaweed, with trailing fish tails and tropical fins. The color scheme channeled the depths of the ocean: marine blues, seaweed greens, black, and silver.
Cameroonian designer Imane Ayissi turned to nature for inspiration in his collection titled Ikorrok, which means “a garden left fallow” in Ewondo.
Ayissi spotlighted raffia in frayed textures and oversized flowers, floral prints, and beaded insects adorning colorful gowns and tailored pantsuits.
Later in the evening, Italian designer Giambattista Valli closed out the first day with a light, ethereal collection of tulle, veils, and draped silhouettes adorned with oversized fabric roses. The pieces appeared in soft pastel tones, described in his show notes as “sun-kissed sorbets.”
Moments before the show, Valli was awarded the medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.
Musical Chairs
With the luxury industry facing an uncertain economy, fashion houses are ramping up creative leadership changes in an effort to reignite growth. These shifts are deeply felt this season, with one of the week’s most anticipated moments being Demna’s final show for Balenciaga on Wednesday.
After ten years at the helm, the iconoclastic Georgian designer, 44, will become the new artistic director of Gucci. The move follows a series of lackluster performances at Gucci, dragging down parent company Kering’s results—even though Kering also owns Balenciaga.
Demna will be replaced by Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, who is set to debut his first collection in October.
Wednesday also marks the debut of Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela, stepping in for John Galliano.
On Tuesday, Chanel will present one final collection designed by its in-house studio, the fifth since Virginie Viard’s departure in June 2024.
Her successor, Matthieu Blazy, named in December, will unveil his first Chanel collection in October.
From now through Thursday, 27 houses will show their creations, including Elie Saab, Armani Privé, Aelis, Viktor&Rolf, Adeline André, and Syrian designer Rami Al Ali—who joins the official calendar this season.
Notable absences include Dior. After a widely followed menswear debut on June 27, Jonathan Anderson is saving his first haute couture collection for January 2026.
Jean Paul Gaultier is also skipping this season, as the house’s new artistic director, Dutch designer Duran Lantink, will debut his first collection in October.
By Marine DO-VALE / AFP
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