The China Mail - New faces at Tom Ford, Dries Van Noten make debuts in Paris

Julian Klausner, a 33-year-old Belgian, took over at Dries Van Noten last September and his catwalk debut was one of the most hotly anticipated moments of the Fall-Winter womenswear 2025 shows.

Having vowed to do things differently to founder Dries Van Noten, who stepped back last year, observers were watching to see how much Klausner diverged from the house's characteristic bold prints and colours.

Fashion website WWD noted "loud applause" at the end of the show in the Garnier opera house in central Paris, headlining that Klausner had "brought the brand to the next gen (generation) in opulent style".

At Tom Ford, which is showing at Paris Fashion Week for the first time, new creative director Haider Ackermann was also under scrutiny, having taken over recently.

The 53-year-old Frenchman, who has previously worked at Berluti and his own brand, has made headlines by dressing celebrity power couple Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner.

His collection featured long dresses and over-sized softly tailored suits in monochromatic black, white or bright primary colours.

Alix Morabito, chief womenswear buyer at French department store Galeries Lafayette, told AFP it was interesting that the label chose Paris for the show "because it's a brand with a very international and American aura".

She said it reflected a desire to be "closer to French fashion".

Friday will see British designer Sarah Burton take her first bow as chief creative at Givenchy after taking over the reins of the acclaimed French house in September.

Other major international labels that are either bedding in new designers or looking for fresh talent include Chanel, Dior menswear, Bottega Veneta, Celine, Martin Margiela and most recently Gucci.

Dior womenswear creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri is also widely rumoured to be on her way out.

The luxury clothing market as a whole is struggling with slackening demand, most significantly in China, but also in developed markets, due to economic uncertainty.

- 'Rely on me' -

Elsewhere on Wednesday, British designer Stella McCartney showcased her first collection since she bought back full control of her brand from luxury conglomerate LVMH in January.

It took place on the fifth floor of an office building in the north of the capital and saw models walk the runway among chairs, computers and photocopiers.

The daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney said she wanted "to bring the sexy back" to office with clothes that featured power dressing and oversized suits as well as a delicate strawberry-pink, ultra-short dress for a night out.

"I want to be women's friends and I want them to rely on me, and I want them to wear that suit out to a club," she said.

The collection was titled "from laptop to lapdance" and the show finished with a brief pole dance routine.

Among the high-profile guests were French First Lady Brigitte Macron and actors Cameron Diaz and Olivia Colman.

McCartney sounded delighted at buying back the 49-percent stake in her brand owned by LVMH.

"It was always the goal, always the dream. And it's the right time," she told reporters.

Consultants Bain & Company estimates that only about a third of the world's luxury brands experienced growth in 2024 due to "macroeconomic uncertainty and continued price elevation by brands".

E.Choi--ThChM