Bringing the runway in Paris to your home
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is having a lot of major fashion events looking to host events with a digital alternative, including the Paris Haute Couture Show. This will be the first time the Paris Haute Couture will be hosted online on July 6-8.
The host, Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, will be featuring content and videos from accredited couture Maisons on a dedicated platform. The platform will be designed to mimic the flow of physical fashion week including an interactive schedule.
Designers for this digital fashion week will also have to adhere to the Haute couture government-mandated designation for French maisons overseen by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. The Chambre Syndicale sets the rules around the hours of handicraft, embellishment, and creativity with 16 French brand members including Chanel, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, and Givenchy.
There is a separated designation for other international designers including Armani Privé, Fendi Couture, Valentino, and Versace. All 41 of the couture maisons are invited to participate in the digital Haute couture fashion week.
Though all maisons are invited, that doesn’t mean they’ll be participating, let alone having their collections ready in time with a majority of production shut down. Jean Paul Gaultier will be featuring the first of a series of guest-designer collections with Sacai and announced they will be postponing the unveiling in January.
Givenchy will most likely host their next couture show in January as they are without a creative director and stalled production. Balenciaga has also postponed their next couture collection that will most likely debut in January.