Paris Fashion Week: Celebrities and crowds from all over the world have swarmed the French capital to mark the fashion industry’s big comeback amid a post-pandemic spending frenzy.
The final stretch of Paris Fashion Week runs until October 4 and features big names like Chanel, Dior, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Saint Laurent, completing a month of shows that also took place in New York, London and Milan.
As the city of lights fills with designers and executives from the United States and Asia — except China — “the mood is very optimistic,” said Nathalie Lucas Verdier, purchasing director for women’s clothing at French department store Printemps. “I feel like we’re still not really feeling the danger of inflation or recession, or the geopolitical context.”
The packed fashion event gave another boost to local retail following the wave of tourists this summer who took advantage of a weaker euro.
Glamorous fashion shows and funky after-parties take place against a belt-tightening backdrop. Local authorities are preparing for energy-saving measures.
The government of French President Emmanuel Macron has asked companies to reduce their electricity consumption by 10%. The Eiffel Tower’s lights will be turned off an hour earlier than usual, while boutiques owned by LVMH brands will turn off their store lights three hours earlier.
LVMH on Thursday announced a bonus for 27,000 employees in France to help offset inflationary pressures on their budgets.
“We are living in very difficult times,” said Dior stylist Maria Grazia Chiuri. The Dior catwalk featured an imposing cave-shaped cardboard structure, made by artist Eva Jospin.
“It’s been a very intense three years… It’s impossible not to think that this has influenced my work,” said Chiuri, whose pieces emphasize the skill and creativity used to transform ordinary as well as sophisticated materials into art.
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