Paris’s busy fall fashion calendar

Fashion is ready for its fall come-back. September, known in the industry as the ‘fashion month’, will feature the four leading fashion weeks (New York, London, Milan and Paris) with their runway shows, plus countless pop-up store openings, conferences and events to present the new collections for Spring/Summer 2025. In the French capital, Who’s Next will kick off the industry trade show season on Sunday September 8, two weeks before the start of Paris Fashion Week Women, scheduled from Monday September 23 to Tuesday October 1.

Who’s Next celebrates 30th birthday with anniversary edition

Buyers, designers, stylists, trend-setters and fashionistas, please take note: the Who’s Next trade show will fête its 30th birthday with a celebratory edition entitled ‘Bouncy Thirties’ [sic], hosting nearly 1,200 international exhibitors. The show is one of Paris’s must-attend autumn fashion events, and will top the billing in a programme including another four associated shows, Bijorhca, Impact, Curve Paris and Interfilière Paris.

The five shows will be staged at hall 7 of the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, which will welcome a curated list of exhibitors ranging from ready-to-wear brands – in the Trendy, Private, Fame et Exposed sections – plus the beachwear labels from Curve Paris and the lingerie labels from Interfilière. Also on the agenda, jewellery, leather goods, footwear and fabric accessories, a selection of specialised suppliers, and a new section called Loud dedicated to the creative sector, which will host conferences organised by French women’s ready-to-wear federation FFPAPF.

​When: from Sunday September 8 to Tuesday September 10 2024
Where: Hall 7, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 1 place de la Porte de Versailles, Paris (15th arrondissement)

Weinsanto to open Paris Fashion Week

​​Emerging designer Victor Weinsanto will kick off Paris Fashion Week Women with his customary exuberance, staging a runway show in the afternoon of Monday September 23. The official calendar of these nine days brimming with creativity and innovation includes 110 events (71 runway shows and 39 presentations), in which labels will present their women’s ready-to-wear collections for Spring/Summer 2025.

Among the most eagerly anticipated shows, those by rookies like French designer duo Alain Paul (on Tuesday 24) and Italian designer Niccolò Pasqualetti, who will stage his maiden show on Sunday 29. Also on the programme, the creative pair in charge of Ester Manas (showing on Tuesday 24), Alessandro Michele, named creative director at Valentino in April (showing on Sunday 29), the new collection by Uruguayan designer Gabriela Hearst, former creative director of Chloé (on Monday 30), and a busy calendar of presentations, featuring among them the winner of the 2024 Andam prize, Australian designer Christopher Esber. In parallel, at the end of September, a plethora of fashion events will light up the French capital, for example the first Parisian show by Danish label Ganni. 

When: From Monday September 23 to Tuesday October 1 2024
Where: all around Paris

Sphère to showcase new designer generation

In parallel with Paris Fashion Week, the Sphère showroom, run by the French Fashion and Haute Couture Federation (FHCM), will be back at Palais de Tokyo from September 25, with a curated selection of seven young designers. Three of them come from outside France: ABRA from Spain, a label specialised in trompe-l’oeil skirts and oversize bomber jackets, founded in 2019 by Abraham Ortuño Perez; Austrian designer Florentina Leitner with her playful items full of retro charm; and Franco-Canadian duo Paolina Russo and Lucile Guilmard, the creatives behind London-based label Paolina Russo, distinctive for its colourful sportswear.

Sphère will also showcase four emerging French names: Charles de Vilmorin with his fantastical creations (he designed the outfits of the acrobats featured at the Olympics’ opening ceremony) ; young designer Victor Weinsanto with his eponymous  label, whose style pays tribute to the burlesque tradition and the designer’s Alsatian roots; Lucille Thièvre, who founded her eponymous womenswear label three years ago; and Alphonse Maitrepierre from Montpellier, with his uber-creative upcycled fashion.

When: From Wednesday September 25 to Tuesday October 1 2024
Where: Palais de Tokyo, 13 avenue du Président Wilson, Paris (16th arrondissement)

Tranoï celebrates African, Asian design

Parisian trade show Tranoï, which will unveil its brand-new Japanese counterpart in Tokyo on September 4-5, will return to Palais Brongniart from Thursday September 26 to Sunday 29​​. The event’s autumn womenswear session will have a truly international flavour, with 95% of exhibitors from outside France. The Canex section, in an original new setting, will host 20 African ready-to-wear and accessories labels, including Boyedoe from Ghana and vibrant South African labels Rich Mnisi and Judy Sanderson.

Asia will also be in the spotlight, with seven Chinese labels hand-picked by the China Select organisation, a dozen Japanese exhibitors, 10 South Korean brands including Cream Breeze with its flared linen dresses, and five Indian labels. Among other exhibitors, London label Simeon Farrar with its printed sweatshirts, Barcelona label TheAvant, and Maison Faret from Bordeaux, a century-old leather goods producer.

When: from Thursday September 26 to Sunday September 29
Where: Palais Brongniart, 16 place de la Bourse, Paris (2nd arrondissement)

Woman presents selection of international labels

At the end of September, Parisian trade show Woman will be back at its rue de Lancry venue with a directional selection of French and international fashion and accessories labels. Among them, Spanish label Diarte with its soft knitwear, sustainable label Undertake Studio from Valencia, DotLineSurface with its art-inspired, architectural leather goods, 7115 NYC with its oversize grey sweaters, and US brand Avirex with its XXL tops. More exhibitors will be announced in the coming weeks.

When: from Friday September 27 to Sunday September 29 2024
Where: 14 rue de Lancry, Paris (10th arrondissement)

Première Classe: Focus on accessories

Fashion accessories show Première Classe, another event operated by the WSN Développement group, will be held at the end of September at the Tuileries Gardens, with Paris Fashion Week in full swing. The show will host nearly 300 exhibitors from all over the world, including 74 from France.

To complement the looks showcased at the fashion week, visitors to Première Classe will discover womenswear by Inès de la Fressange, hats by Courtois Paris, sophisticated jewellery by Emmanuelle d’Ortoli (a newcomer at the show), high-heeled designer pumps by Italian brand Angela Cusimano, trendy moccasins and boots by South Korean brand Nuosmiq, and delicate jewellery by Japanese brand Decor de Decor.

​When: from September 28 to September 30 2024
Where: Carrousel du Louvre, 99 rue de Rivoli, Paris (1st arrondissement).