More than a succession of fashion shows, Paris Fashion Week is becoming a place for meetings and discoveries. Between music, workshops and giant screenings, the capital is redefining the fashion experience so that professionals and amateurs can experience it differently.
Le Café Converse
Designed as a refuge for friends of the brand and industry professionals on the sidelines of the shows, Café Converse did not open its doors to the public, serving instead as a true haven for those looking to combine a break with discovery. This season, the Chuck Lo collection is showcased in a space nestled in the heart of the Marais.
For its second edition, after a major launch in January during Men’s Fashion Week, the café offers a rich experience: customization workshops to personalize your sneakers, a mini Snow Bunny pop-up, and a selection of books carefully chosen by Canal Chouf. More than just a venue, Le Café Converse becomes a space where connections happen naturally, far from the bustle of the runways, encouraging exchanges between creators, journalists and enthusiasts.
Puma x Causier
Puma is innovating this season by moving away from traditional pop-ups and focusing on music as a driver of engagement. Throughout the month of March, the brand is taking over the Causier venue in the 11th district, offering a space for experimentation and discovery around music curation.
The initiative highlights DJs, playlist curators and a variety of musical genres, with a clear objective: sharing. Music becomes a way to create connections, exchange ideas and discover new artistic horizons, transforming a temporary experience into a real community space. The program aims to be inclusive, reflecting the diversity of the Parisian music scene. Address: 50 rue de Montreuil, 75011 Paris.
Le Vogue Café
After London and Milan, Paris now welcomes the Vogue Café, the result of a collaboration between the iconic magazine and Château Voltaire. Located on rue Castiglione, the café becomes a haven of calm and softness amid the bustle of Fashion Week.
From 5 to 7 March, three days of talks gave the audience the chance to hear from major figures in the industry, such as Pharrell Williams, the artist Lee Miller and Alexandre Samson, Head of the Haute Couture Department at the Palais Galliera. Each talk offers an intimate look behind the scenes of fashion and the creative challenges of the year.
A few more controversial points should be noted: the organization of a Watch Party without @Lyas, founder of the initiative, for Antonin Tron’s first Balmain show, as well as very high prices at the café, which was closed to the public on the first day to welcome only press and influencers. Despite these few drawbacks, the Vogue Café remains a place for exchanges and discoveries at the heart of Fashion Week. Will there be season 2? The answer will come in June during Men’s Fashion Week.
Watch Party: copied but not equaled?
After taking over La Caserne with a giant screen, @Lyas is raising the stakes this season by installing the Watch Party at the Théâtre du Châtelet, in the heart of Paris. Each screening can host up to 2,000 people, offering an immersive experience open to a much wider audience than those traditionally invited to fashion shows.
This season, the brand Zomer, led by the duo Danial Aitouganov and Imruh Asha, is holding its show directly inside the theatre, an audacious initiative that illustrates a desire to break down barriers in the industry and make fashion more accessible. At the end of the show, it is even @Lyas who has the honor of greeting the audience, accompanied by two puppets in the likeness of the duo.
Let us remember that traditionally, attending a fashion show requires a personal invitation. The front rows are largely occupied by industry professionals (journalists, buyers, stylists), along with a handful of celebrities and influencers.
In the age of social media, fashion is no longer a closed world: it has become a form of entertainment, a way to connect and to find inspiration. Through his Watch Parties, @Lyas opens the doors of this exclusive universe to a curious audience, allowing everyone to experience fragments of Fashion Week.
While the influencer may now stand within these closed circles, he seems careful not to forget to hold the door open for those who, like him, would like to step inside.
Although exclusivity remains at the heart of the runway shows, Paris Fashion Week is opening up to new forms of participation. Cafés, pop-ups, and screenings offer both professionals and enthusiasts spaces for discovery and connection. Beyond the catwalks, Fashion Week is reinventing itself as a living ecosystem.
