Paris Fashion Week: 6 things to know about the SS22 season

Paris Fashion Week will close a month of shows in New York, London and Milan with a packed schedule of runways and events from September 27 to October 5. FashionUnited narrows down the main moments to look forward to.

Physical shows to return

Paris’ Haute Couture Week brought back physical shows in July and this September, the womenswear season is ready to follow suit. There will be a total of 37 live runway shows out of the 92 events planned on the official schedule. Many industry stalwarts are about to return physically, chief among them Hermès, Chloé, Dior, Givenchy, Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

Balmain to host two-day event

Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing announced a two-day music festival that’ll take place at The Seine Musical to celebrate the creative director’s 10-year anniversary at the helm of the house. Held in partnership with (RED) and Global Fund to help fight against AIDS and HIV, it’ll host a first event open to the public on September 28 followed by a runway show on the 29th. The first 1,200 to donate at least 15 euros to the organisations will get two tickets to the show that’ll welcome up to 3,400 people.

Brands still opt for digital shows

Although many brands have chosen to come back to a physical runway show to present their Spring-Summer 2022 collections, a few of them are sticking to a digital format. Whether they’re looking to gain global exposure, diversify their skills sets or just prefer to opt for a risk-free alternative, online presentations still make for an important part of the schedule this season. Dries Van Noten, Schiaparelli and Maison Margiela are among the ones to choose this framework.

Rita Ora to perform at The Eiffel Tower

Singer Rita Ora has announced a night of live music - mixing fashion and performance - on September 30. She’ll wear bespoke looks from Miu Miu, Lanvin, Fendi and Alexandre Vauthier and a make-up look done by French make-up brand Lancôme. Celebrating Paris Fashion Week in due form, the artist will perform at the top of The Eiffel Tower.

Brands to return… and to debut

This season’s schedule welcomes back some major industry players to Paris: Balenciaga, Valentino and Rick Owens are all planning to showcase their collections in the French capital. Some newcomers have also made their way to the official calendar this autumn with Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Raf Simons and Botter entering the calendar.

AZ Factory to pay tribute to Alber Elbaz

Label AZ Factory will pay tribute to its founder and Lanvin’s former creative director Alber Elbaz, who passed away earlier this year. Dubbed “Love Brings Love”, it’ll be held on October 5 to wrap up a rich and eventful fashion season.