Farewells, new faces at Paris Men's Fashion Week

Men's Fashion Week kicks off in Paris on Tuesday and will feature six days of trend-setting shows, a send-off at Hermes and tributes to the late Italian fashion icon Valentino.

The first day of the Fall/Winter 2026 edition will be dominated by the latest mega-production from famed Louis Vuitton menswear designer Pharrell Williams, as well as mourning one of the biggest names in the industry.

Williams will unveil her collection at the brand's dazzling gallery in western Paris under the shadow of the death of Italian Valentino Garavani, who died on Monday at the age of 93.

The giant of the world of haute couture died at his home in Rome, just four months after the death of the also great Italian Giorgio Armani.

However, in a sign of industrial renewal, French designer Jeanne Friot will take her first steps into the complicated Paris calendar on Monday, and the young stylist told AFP it was “quite an unusual joy and stress” to take part.

Meanwhile, French designer Veronique Nichanian will present her latest collection for Hermes on Saturday after 37 years at the helm.

The 71-year-old Parisian, one of the few women who designs menswear, will leave behind a brand in tremendous financial situation with an image of refined and timeless masculinity that she has helped shape.

Her successor, London designer Grace Wales Bonner, of English and Jamaican descent, represents a generational and stylistic change for the classic family-run French house.

new faces

Many fashion lovers will be paying attention to the Christian Louboutin show on the second day, where Jaden Smith, son of American rapper and actor Will Smith, will present his debut collection.

The model and musician, 27, was introduced as creative director of the famous French brand last September by founder Louboutin, who appears to be preparing to hand the reins to the Gen Z tastemaker.

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The choice is seen as a bold bet on relatively inexperienced youth by the veteran maker of red-soled stilettos, whose ready-to-wear menswear and accessories, analysts say, account for about a quarter of its sales.

On Wednesday, Dior's much-hyped designer Jonathan Anderson will present his second Homme collection, having made his debut in June last year with a widely praised showcase of unisex style.

But the 41-year-old's September women's collection did not convince everyone, and some observers hope it will leave a more decisive mark on Dior and cement the new identity it has begun to outline.

“There is a lot of expectation,” Alice Feillard, director of men's buying at the Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette, told AFP.

The luxury fashion industry has seen a wave of change over the past 12 months at a time of weak international growth following the shopping frenzy of the post-Covid period.

Slowing demand from China, US tariffs on imports and uncertainty about the global economy have weighed on sales of European brands.

kenzo house

New faces like Anderson, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Demna at Gucci or Sarah Burton at Givenchy represent the rise of a new group of couturiers who seem destined to dominate the major houses over the next decade.

Elsewhere throughout the week, Japanese brands from Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake to Mihara Yasuhiro will be present.

LVMH-owned Kenzo will hold a presentation rather than a runway show Tuesday inside the grand Parisian home of late founder Kenzo Takada in the French capital's trendy 11th arrondissement.

The four-storey modernist building, which features a Japanese garden, will host a day-long gathering on design, food and music curated by creative head Nigo.

American designer Willy Chavarría, one of the few who is not afraid to express political opinions, is also returning for his third season in Paris and could have something to say about Donald Trump's presidency on Friday.