The upcoming Paris Fashion Week Men’s, set to be staged from June 20th-25th, is primed to deliver a fashion spectacle like never before. The venerable Louis Vuitton, under the new creative directorship of pop icon Pharrell Williams, will be the event’s headliner.
From the 80 labels ready to disclose their Spring/Summer 2024 collections to the eight notable absences, this year’s fashion week will be a significant stage for the industry’s ever-evolving narrative.
The anticipation around Williams’s debut collection for Louis Vuitton is building, given his succession of Virgil Abloh at the luxury label’s menswear division. This milestone moment for the LVMH group’s flagship label has resulted in a shift in the show’s schedule to the opening slot on June 20, an indicator of the event’s gravitas.
As always, Paris Fashion Week Men’s will be a mélange of established luxury brands, rising labels, and fledgling designers. Beyond Louis Vuitton, Dior, Hermès, Givenchy, Loewe and Kenzo, among others, are poised to deliver their interpretations of menswear for the forthcoming season. Meanwhile, names like Botter, Hed Mayner, Grace Wales Bonner, Bluemarble and EGONlab continue to shape the contemporary menswear space with their innovative aesthetics.
Despite notable absences from brands such as Saint Laurent, Maison Margiela, and Casablanca, Paris remains a magnetic epicenter for emerging talent. Burc Akyol, a 34-year-old French designer and finalist for this year’s LVMH Prize, will make his debut on the same day as the Louis Vuitton show. The son of a Turkish tailor, Akyol has already honed his craft at renowned fashion houses like Dior, Balenciaga, and Ungaro before launching his demi-couture label in 2019.
Furthermore, a cavalcade of fresh faces is set to feature in Paris Fashion Week Men’s. Labels such as 4SDesigns, Bed J.W. Ford, Logos Space Programme and C.R.E.O.L.E will present their collections, further showcasing the global reach of the event. Particularly noteworthy is the inclusion of Nigerian designer Adeju Thompson of Logos Space Programme, the recent recipient of the esteemed 2023 Woolmark Prize.
While presentations offer a unique look at a designer’s creative process and the collection’s narrative, runway shows offer a glimpse of the final product’s dynamism. This season, the Paris menswear calendar will welcome Koché for its maiden runway show on June 23. Designer Christelle Kocher’s decision to transition to the menswear calendar is strategic, aimed at increasing visibility and tapping into more substantial buyers’ budgets.
Read more: Valentino set to make a comeback at Milan Fashion Week Men’s
