Paris Fashion Week reveals 10 new labels to join line-up

The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), the governingbody of French fashion, has revealed 10 new labels to join the line-up ofthe upcoming Paris Fashion Week (PFW).

Attending for the first time this season will be French labels Ami,Ester Manas, Mossi, and Vejas; US labels Enfants Riches Deprimés, GabrielaHearst, and S.R Studio LA.CA; British label Wales Bonner; Danish labelCecilie Bahnsen; and Georgian label Situationist. The full officialcalendar will be online later this week.

The upcoming PWF will take place from 28 September to 6 October and,like other leading fashion weeks this season, will be a mashup of physicaland digital events.

Up-and-coming French label Ami will be among the names showcasing itscollections in a physical fashion show, WWD reports. The brand’s designerAlexandre Mattiussi told the fashion publication: “I believe that fashionshows continue to serve as the magical rendezvous for presenting acollection.

“Even if the digital realm can serve to reinforce a creative andartistic message, I believe that the surprise of a fashion show, for thepublic, for the teams that work on the collection, the consumers, andpeople who observe us from the outside - fashion shows remain anexceptional rendezvous.”

Fashion weeks prepare for return of physical shows

The physical versions of leading fashion weeks and trade shows wereforced to cancel in recent months due to health concerns and travelrestrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The sudden upending of thefashion calendar resulted in many event organisers scrambling to launchdigital iterations of the typically physical shows.

PWF went digital for the first time in its history in July, with brandsboth in haute couture and the Paris men's fashion week instead presentingtheir collections via video.

While digital-only fashion weeks have undoubtedly had their upsides - for example they effectively democratised traditionally exclusive events whilesimultaneously slashing huge amounts of carbon emissions related to travel - the industry has undoubtedly missed the physical and theatrical aspects ofthe shows.

And now that lockdown measures have eased, major fashion weeks are preppingfor their first timid steps back into physical formats, albeit for nowthrough a mix of physical and digital spectacles.

Last week, New York governor Andrew Cuomo gave the green light for NewYork Fashion Week to go ahead in September, but under “strict compliance”with the US state's health and safety guidelines. That means outdoor eventsat the show have been capped at 50 people and indoor events have beencapped at 50 percent capacity with no spectators. The event is slated totake place from 13 to 16 September.

Photo credit: Celine AW19 at PWF, Catwalkpictures