Between official shows and off-calendar showcases, the first day of Paris Fashion Week sets the tone. Five brands, five visions of Spring-Summer 2025.
An Early Kickoff
Paris Fashion Week officially kicked off this Monday, September 29. Yet the first collections had already appeared the day before. As with every edition, a parallel network of events revolves around the official calendar, with some designers choosing to get ahead of the game. Such was the case for Rohan Mizra, who unveiled his collection on Sunday.
A former student of the École Duperré, Mizra works at the crossroads of the real and the virtual, of the body and the avatar. He already has several notable collaborations to his name, including with Jean-Paul Gaultier and Mowalola, often centered on 3D accessories. His approach also resonates in the music world, where his creations appear on album covers and in music videos. The red mask-like glasses on La Fève’s album cover? That was him. The transparent cap on Théodora’s? Him again. And his latest coup: a custom-made pair for Beyoncé’s most recent tour.
This season, the designer unveiled “Stonehaven”, an immersive collection presented on a spiral catwalk shaped like an @. Mutant silhouettes, hybrid textures, gore-inspired details: Mizra continues to explore a post-human, dystopian aesthetic that set the tone from this unofficial yet striking opening. Among the show’s surprises was singer Théodora, making her debut on the runway.
Weinsanto’s ‘Irresistible Favorites
Weinsanto opened the day with his collection titled Les Irrésistibles Favorites. True to his world, the designer spotlighted the corseted silhouette, a clear nod to his time at Jean-Paul Gaultier.
This season, contrasts are sharper than ever: fluid, draped dresses coexist with rigid crinolines, sometimes left exposed, creating a subtle tension between structure and movement, opacity and transparency. Even the makeup seemed directly inspired by the 18th century. The casting also drew attention: the presence of figures such as Nicky Doll underlined the brand’s commitment to joyful inclusivity. A message that remains highly relevant in today’s fashion landscape.
Imperfect, so what?
Another highlight of the day was Julie Kegels’s show, staged beneath the Pont de Bir-Hakeim before a handpicked audience, including Rosalía, seated next to Lyas.
The collection, titled Quick Change, lives up to its name. Models looked as though they’d been caught mid-preparation: skirts tucked into underwear, glitter still clinging to skin, T-shirts half on. Some even adjusted their outfits on the spot, letting sleeves slip or shifting layers. Bras were worn over tops, dry-cleaning covers reinvented as oversized bags. An aesthetic of embraced imperfection, of interrupted, almost stolen gestures. A playful rebuff to the ‘clean girl’ cult and its obsession with control, a major trend earlier this year.
The 1980s Make a Strong Comeback
A trend emerged from the very first day: the 1980s are making their way back onto the runways. Strong shoulders, cinched waists, dramatic volumes. Several houses, including Saint Laurent, Vautrait, and Vaquera, are drawing from the same references.
Already initiated last season, the shift toward a more structured silhouette is confirmed at Saint Laurent. The day’s closing show opened with 18 all-leather looks: trench coats buttoned to the neck, oversized biker jackets, straight skirts, puffed sleeves, and XXL bows set the tone.
At Vautrait, the mood was more minimalist, though the references echoed the same era. A flowing white polka-dot dress was shaped by padded shoulders. The jewelry flirted with the absurd, an earring in the shape of an ear, for instance. Scarves were tied over the head, trench coats worn with collars up, and trousers tapered neatly at the ankle.
Finally, Vaquera continues its hyper-active season: after a collaboration with Dsquared2 in Milan and the launch of the fragrance Classique Perdu with Comme des Garçons, the New York label brought to Paris a collection as joyfully chaotic as ever.
On the menu: half-dresses, giant bows worn as belts, oversized necklaces mixing gold, pearls, and stones. A strapless off-the-shoulder dress with puffed sleeves and a scarf tied over the head completed the look, somewhere between an ’80s party girl and a pirate queen.
This season blends past references with innovation. Between the need for anchors and the desire to break away, this tension is set to run as the common thread of the week.
