The Download: Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025

Olympic Inspirations at Paris Fashion Week SS 2025: Sports Meets High Fashion

Following Paris’ crucial role as host of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, several found inspiration in the ancient history of the games and modern athletes simultaneously. At Christian Dior (owned by main Olympic sponsor LVMH), Maria Grazia Chiuri joined forces with multidisciplinary artist Sagg Napoli, who used the runway to practise her archery skills. She was not the only modern amazon in sight; models rocked sweat headbands, Adidas-esque stripes, F1-inspired chequered flag patterns and boxing boots. 

Germanier, an ethical luxury brand founded by Kevin Germanier in 2018, turned the stunning golden costume he designed for the Olympics closing ceremony into an entire collection. ‘My previous shows were driven by the materials I’d found but what the Olympics taught me is the power of storytelling,’ the designer told WWD.  

Christian Louboutin hosted its own off-schedule show by joining forces with the French Olympic artistic swimming team, who showcased choreographed routines in vibrant outfits and Louboutin’s new Miss Z red-bottom shoes. The flamboyant spectacle, art-directed by David LaChapelle, combined elements of cabaret and concert in the iconic Piscine Molitor.

More than athleticism, several designers paid homage to the roots of the Olympics and Greek mythology. Alain Paul’s models hid their arms under their tops to open the show like modern Aphrodites, while Giambattista Vali and Christian Wijnants sent dresses that seemed designed for Hercules’ muses down the runway. For more insights on the synergies between the worlds of luxury and sports, head to our Game-Changers: The Future of Sports Fandom macro trend report. 

Fashion as a Marketing Tool: Spectacle vs. Creativity at Paris Fashion Week

For the first time since its opening in 1992, Disneyland Paris hosted a fashion show. Coperni invited guests to the Parisian suburbs for a runway event staged in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Lightning effects, fireworks and even a closing appearance by Kylie Jenner brought spectacle to the event. The collection, filled with Disney references, however, leaned too heavily into commercial branding.

The Mickey Mouse-shaped shoes, a Maleficent-inspired neckline bustier and Disney princess tiara prints failed to reflect Coperni’s typically innovative and tasteful aesthetic. The design team reportedly resorted to sourcing retro Disney merchandise on Vinted, further detracting from the brand’s usual creativity. Still, fashion journalist Luke Leitch described the show as ‘the most magical closing moment of a fashion month I can remember’, after enjoying a ride on Hyperspace Mountain at the after-party.

Meanwhile, the 7th edition of the L’Oréal Paris catwalk, which began in 2016, once again showcased the brand’s top ambassadors, including Anitta, Camila Cabello, Jane Fonda and Eva Longoria. While the show delivered social media buzz and increased brand visibility, it continued to downplay fashion by omitting credit to the designers responsible for the models’ outfits.

Etam, in its annual bid to rival the Victoria’s Secret and Savage x Fenty shows, returned to Paris Fashion Week with an off-schedule lingerie showcase. One segment, titled Brat Winter, demonstrated the lag between social media trends – the brat summer aesthetic surged in June 2024 following Charli XCX’s album release – and brands capitalising on them. The delay underscores how brands are still struggling to keep up with trends to remain relevant.

Drag Queens and Whimsy on the Paris Runways: A Celebration of Playfulness

At Ester Manas, the elephant in the room was not the cost of living crisis or the ultra-competitive landscape for luxury designers, but an inflated elephant on the runway. Models at Ottolinger literally appeared from the mouth of a different inflated animal: a giant shark. The collection featured tops reminiscent of pink inflatable swimming armbands. More blowed-up creations took centre stage at Anrealage, where models dressed in what first looked like raincoats activated a mechanism designed to inflate their outfits and turn them into whimsical floaty creatures.

Joy was definitely the magic word at Duran Lantink, where the beach-inspired collection featured padded swimsuits, handbags worn as bonnets and Napoleonian hats. ‘It was really important to think a bit more about wearability, but still in a very fun way,’ the 2024 winner of LVMH’s Karl Lagerfeld Prize told Vogue. 

World-acclaimed drag queens also brought fabulosity to the runway, with Le Filip opening for Weinsanto, La Grande Dame walking for Germanier, and Plastique Tiara closing the Peter Do show. 

Paris Fashion Week's It-Accessories: From Luxury to Nostalgia

The French capital, home to luxury brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Hermès, was the perfect location to debut new accessories designed for virality. At Ester Manas, purses were covered in their own mini-dresses, creating a more customised allure (and encouraging additional purchases).

Miu Miu sent models down the runway in, believe it or not, sliders and socks, while others sported Y2K-inspired concho belts – who knew these would make a comeback? At Rabanne, stilettos were encased in plastic like miniature raincoats. The brand also unveiled, in their own words, the world’s most expensive bag. This 18-carat solid gold handbag, with a price tag of £208,000 ($280,000, €250,000), paid homage to the brand’s 1969 Nano bag and the late style icon Françoise Hardy, who inspired the purse. The same bag was also replicated in Astier de Villatte’s fired white ceramic and blown glass from Murano’s Venini.

Lastly, the headpieces at Noir Kei Ninomiya were definitely a standout in a sea of quiet luxury. The bronze kettles and watering cans resting atop models’ heads complemented the romantic and alien aesthetics of the collection, featuring outfits such as black rose petal designs and kiss-shaped grids over tulle, creating a poetic and otherworldly atmosphere.