Paris Fashion Week: Hermès shows woven leather tops and trousers; Louis Vuitton shows India-flavored fashions
PARIS — Hermès’ menswear artistic director Veronique Nichanian on Saturday showed a summer 2026 collection featuring airy tops and trousers crafted from woven leather.
Models marched down a sparse set lined with towering mirrors parading high-waisted latticed leather trousers, sleeveless T-shirts, and striped overshirts, sweaters with zig-zag motifs, and trim, bomber jackets in leather. (Watch the show here: https://tinyurl.com/mrxx2btu)
Some wore roped sandals that exposed bare feet, while others had ankle boots in glossy leather or crocodile skin.
Bags were roomy, in canvas with leather straps, matching the browns and beiges that dominated the color palette. Silk bandanas with a fringe completed the outfits.
The audience clapped loudly and cheered when Nichanian popped out for her bow, smiling broadly.
Paris Fashion Week, which included shows from Kering-owned label Saint Laurent, LVMH’s Louis Vuitton, and the highly anticipated debut of Jonathan Anderson at Dior, winds up on Sunday.
A number of high-end labels have brought on new designers as the industry seeks to woo back shoppers who are tightening their purse strings in an uncertain economic environment.
Hermès menswear designer Nichanian, however, has been in her position since 1988. Hermès, which caters to the ultra-wealthy with exclusive handbags like the Birkin, and has outpaced rivals.
LOUIS VUITTON
Louis Vuitton men’s creative director, Pharrell Williams, wove fashion elements from India into his spring-summer 2026 collection, shown outdoors on Tuesday in front of the Pompidou Centre in Paris. (You can watch the show here: https://tinyurl.com/brvh9kyd )
Guests were seated when screaming crowds outside the venue announced the arrival of singer Beyoncé and rapper Jay-Z, who sat in the front row next to LVMH Chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault.
A live orchestra kicked off the show with loud drumming and models filed onto the sprawling, wooden set, parading loose, pleated trousers, striped coats, and embellished workwear.
Bags and jeans were decorated with elephants and palm trees, while suits were worn with chunky leather flip-flops. One model wheeled a purple acrylic trunk down the runway, moving steadily as the Voices of Fire choir sang and danced.
After the show, Williams, a well-known singer and songwriter, hugged Jay-Z before skipping across the runway set — painted like a snakes and ladders gameboard — to greet his family.
The show took place on the first day of Paris Fashion Week, which runs until June 29. — Reuters
