Vogue to host rare joint fashion show for Paris Olympics

Fashion magazine Vogue announced Monday that it will bring together some of France's leading luxury brands for a unique show to mark the start of the Olympic Games in Paris.

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour told AFP the outdoor show will be “a mix of fashion show, entertainment and spectacle… and a few surprises.” It will take place on June 23, International Olympic Day, just over a month before the city hosts the Games.

Participants include France's Jacquemus and Balmain, as well as Louis Vuitton, whose current creative director is hip-hop star Pharrell Williams.

“It's rare that we are together like this,” said Olivier Rousteing, creative director of Balmain, at the press conference announcing the event.

“I have to say that taking over Place Vendôme is pretty legendary,” Williams said, adding that the show would highlight “true French style – what we see on the podium, what we see on the boulevards – in an inclusive spirit.” . “

It is designed as a tribute to 100 years of French fashion, as it marks a century since the city last hosted the Games in 1924. Each decade of French fashion will be combined with Olympic disciplines ranging from athletics and cycling to breakdancing and taekwondo.

Wintour described it as Vogue's third “global event,” following similar large-scale parties in New York and London that the legendary magazine has thrown in a bid to maintain its aura at a time of waning print sales.

The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games will take place on July 26 on the Seine River.