Fashion Catwalks To Reopen In Paris By July
The French government is unwinding coronavirus lockdown policies, enabling live fashion shows to resume in July, according to a fashion industry body reported on Tuesday.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by the French fashion industry body "Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode," the annual Haute Couture Week will take place from July 5 to 8, and fashion houses will be able to host live shows and presentations. Physical displays will be able to welcome visitors depending on how the pandemic progressed, according to government guidelines on public activities.
Since September 2020, when a few brands, including Dior and Chanel, organized a few shows with a live audience, but with a small number of visitors, no big live fashion shows have been held in Paris.
Following the completion of their third lockdown in April and the expected complete reopening of the economy in July, the French are now lifting a curfew and other steps.
Wear labels have experimented with other formats to display their creations, such as short films and one-on-one demos, in recent months, and have unveiled their latest collections in online-only exhibits.
Unlike ready-to-wear fashion weeks, where brands highlight mass-produced garments, Haute Couture week features a small group of designers who showcase one-of-a-kind, handmade outfits.
In times of stability, the federation of couture houses reports that Paris' different fashion weeks produce about 1.2 billion euros for the national economy per year.
The revival of physical fashion shows in Paris is being praised by Chanel, which expects to stage a show with guests during the French capital's couture week in July.
As France continues to loosen lockdown restrictions, eventually beginning May 19, the luxurious house is preparing to stage its first public appearance in nine months. The Palais Galliera, a design museum that reopened briefly in October with a large-scale retrospective on Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, has been selected as the venue.