The China Mail - 'New chapter': Paris Fashion Week to showcase industry makeover

The Spring-Summer 2026 season will underline the recent renewal of the top ranks of the global luxury clothing industry. The first Chanel show by Matthieu Blazy is expected to be the biggest highlight.

But VIPs and fashionistas jostling for the highly coveted invitations for his debut show will have to wait until the penultimate day on October 6 to glimpse the work of the 41-year-old Franco-Belgian.

Monday will see collections from Saint Laurent, France's Weinsanto and Belgian Julie Kegels, a newcomer, with the first day of Paris Fashion Week typically packed with VIP and celebrity sightings.

The sector as a whole, facing a slowdown in spending from the world's elite, is banking on the changes at major labels to infuse fresh excitement and hopefully boost sales.

"We're opening a new chapter, not so much for Fashion Week itself, but for what fashion will be over the next 10 years," said Pierre Groppo, fashion editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair magazine in France.

Blazy was poached from Kering-owned Bottega Veneta to take over at Chanel and he faces the daunting task of turning the page on Karl Lagerfeld's decades-long dominance.

The "Kaiser" defined the hugely profitable brand up to his death in 2019 and was succeeded by his longtime co-worker Virginie Viard, who was seen as a successful continuity candidate.

Blazy, who first caught the eye as a designer at Maison Margiela, took one of the most sought-after spots in the fashion business in December and has given almost nothing away about his intentions.

- New era -

Another hotly awaited moment in Paris will be Jonathan Anderson's first women's collection for LVMH-owned Dior, on October 1, after the Northern Irish designer presented a well-received debut men's line in June.

Attention will also turn to Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga, who is succeeding the provocative streetwear-loving Demna, who has switched to struggling Gucci.

The Georgian, who uses one name, went big on the red-carpet glamour with his first collection for Gucci during Milan Fashion Week which wrapped up on Sunday.

Duran Lantink is also set to make his debut during Paris Fashion Week at Jean Paul Gaultier, the brand's first permanent artistic director since its founder retired in 2020.

For Claire Thomson-Jonville, editorial director of Vogue France, "the massive arrival of new creative directors is the sign of a new era: they bring a more global, inclusive and responsible vision, while reinventing the heritage of the houses".

The week will also see the debut of Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe, Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler and Mark Thomas at Carven.

"We can call this a historic Fashion Week," added Thomson-Jonville.

- No 'downtime' -

Some major designers will be showing only their second collections -- often considered by industry insiders as more meaningful than the debuts. They include Sarah Burton for Givenchy, Glenn Martens for Maison Margiela and Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford.

Alongside the newcomers will be collections from Louis Vuitton and Hermes, and the return of long-absent labels such as Celine and Thom Browne, promising a Fashion Week "without downtime", said Elvire von Bardeleben, fashion editor at French newspaper Le Monde.

Victoria Beckham will unveil her latest designs on October 3, just days before the airing of a new three-part Netflix documentary about the former Spice Girl.

The Paris event comes at a turbulent time for the luxury industry, facing slowing demand in China, US tariffs on exports and uncertainty over the global economy.

W.Cheng--ThChM