Four days of runway shows and events, a packed schedule, and sometimes newly established designers who could truly make an impression. Between confirmations, first bold moves, and openly stated commitments, certain names already hint at a Fashion Week where style and politics may converge. Here’s a brief overview and a few bets on what Paris has in store.
Jeanne Friot : Fashion as an engaged medium
Jeanne Friot, the French designer who helped put France in the global spotlight during the Olympic Games, continues to proudly assert her positions. Speaking to Têtu, she explains that she is “defending [her] values and the causes close to [her] heart, by making fashion a medium of struggle.”
Her upcoming collection, titled Awake; quite literally “awakened”, shows that she has no intention of straying from this path this season. With her, an entire generation of designers sees fashion as a tool for activism, a way of addressing the world. One not to be missed.
Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY : Punk, inclusive, and subversive
Charles Jeffrey returns to Paris with his electric universe. The British designer champions alternative scenes and brings visibility to LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities. A master of subversion, he turns the ordinary into a manifesto: royal guards become punk icons, banana peels morph into striking accessories.
Joyful and irreverent, his fashion is inseparable from a political statement. Expect a spectacular runway show because with LOVERBOY, every season is a laboratory of aesthetic subversion.
3.Paradis : A symbolic turning point
Emeric Tchatchoua, founder of 3.Paradis, was recently named a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by Rachida Dati on 14 January. A distinction that carries both symbolic and cultural weight: the designer and his label are now officially recognized for their role in promoting French culture on the global stage.
True to the brand’s colorful, playful DNA, the upcoming collection is shaping up to be a turning point. Like Charles Jeffrey, 3.Paradis highlights creative voices from diverse cultures and backgrounds, sending a clear message to the next generation: dare to dream big, from a very young age.
Walter Van Beirendonck : disturbing and joyful
Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck has already set the tone. His collection Scare the Crow will be presented in a venue whose date, time, and even metro station has been made public. A rare gesture in the usually discreet world of Parisian runway shows.
Following the Aliens of the Autumn–Winter 2025 season, one can expect a show brimming with humour, colour, and eccentricity, joyfully blending social critique with sharp aesthetics. Through his playful silhouettes and offbeat accessories, Van Beirendonck continues to challenge conventions, provoke thought, and turn fashion into a full-fledged spectacle.
Kartik Research : Indian tradition and modernity
Kartik Kumra, founder of Kartik Research, returns to Fashion Week after drawing international attention for customizing a tie for Zohran Kwame Mamdani, the new Muslim mayor of New York City. Far from a trivial gesture, the collaboration reflects a shared Indian heritage between the designer and the elected official. An identity that deeply informs the brand’s DNA.
Kartik Research asserts and elevates Indian craftsmanship, with a particular focus on embroidery, which it reinterprets through a contemporary lens. The silhouettes blend heritage with meticulous detailing, carried by an effortless elegance. This season, the collection is once again expected to unite artisanal rigor with a modern sensibility, proving that fashion can engage in dialogue with tradition while boldly asserting a forward-looking vision.
Willy Chavarria: Love as a manifesto
American Mexican designer Willy Chavarria will present Eterno (“Eternal”), a highly symbolic collection. Christ-like references and slogans such as “Love Will Survive Us” or “Save Us from Ourselves” reflect a meditation on the central place of religion within his dual cultural heritage. In a tense global context, his pieces seem to suggest that beyond divisions, love remains an act of resistance and a political message. What can we expect from Chavarria? A show that is unquestionably critical and poetic.
Between identity statements, cultural nods, and explicit commitments, each runway show may tell a vision of the world. The question remains: how far will menswear go to get itself heard?
