Paris Fashion Week 2024: How did it go?

Controlled by the Fédération de la Haute Couture (FHCM), Paris Fashion Week is the most selective in the world. For this year's edition, dedicated to women's ready-to-wear, journalists and guests could attend around 70 fashion shows and 38 presentations on the official calendar.

Launchmetrics, the media analysis platform specialising in fashion and luxury, has just awarded a Media Impact Value (MIV) to the brands that made the most significant impact at this year's show. Top of the list was Dior, with $58.7m in MIV. Maria Grazia Chiuri's show, inspired this year by the mythical Amazons, took place as usual at the Rodin Museum - on 24 September - and once again made its mark. The house capitalised on the momentum of success and visibility achieved by LVMH as a premium partner during the Paris Olympic Games.

Among Bernard Arnault's group's flagship brands, Louis Vuitton ranks second in the Launchmetrics list with an MIV of $37.5m, followed by Miu Miu (Prada group) with $24.4m and Chanel with $21.6m. According to studies carried out by the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM), the six Paris fashion weeks generate around ten billion euros in revenue every year, which corresponds to the total number of confirmed purchase orders.

On average, the collections presented and sold during Fashion Weeks account for between 30% and 50% of brands' annual sales, so it's easy to understand the colossal financial stakes involved. Because times are tough for the luxury sector, industry players and investors watched this year's Paris Fashion Week with particular attention. Among the reasons for this were the many changes in the creative direction of some iconic brands.

Among these, Valentino was particularly in the spotlight, with the first show signed by Alessandro Michele. His maximalist fashion had made Gucci's fortune for seven years, before stagnating and falling sales led to the designer's abrupt departure in 2022. His arrival at Valentino in 2024 raised fears about Michele's ability to renew himself. The Paris show at this latest Fashion Week confirmed the opposite, boosting investor confidence: Alessandro Michele offered a balanced collection that renewed Valentino's image without infringing its timeless codes.

Sean McGirr's show was also eagerly awaited after the young designer took over the reins of the Alexandre McQueen collections at the end of 2023. This is one of the most challenging brands to take over, still very much rooted in the designer's eponymous - provocative, sometimes dark - style. At the same time, the brand is part of the Kering galaxy, which needs a boost to its growth and aspires to more 'neutral' collections: a tricky balance to strike.

For Chloé, designer Chemena Kamali, who presented her first collection in February this year to rave reviews from the press and customers, was equally successful in her second presentation.

Coperni has confirmed itself as one of the brands that has made the most of the 'buzz' phenomenon by getting people talking about it. While the black piece worn by the singer Angèle during the closing ceremony of the Paralympic Games had already set the web ablaze and boosted the brand's sales, the new show organised at Disneyland Paris was one of the week's most talked-about. The choice of venue and the presence of Kylie Jenner, who closed the catwalk, certainly had a lot to do with it.

The noise surrounding Fashion Week didn't die down after the last show. At the end of Fashion Week, LVMH announced that designer Hedi Slimane was leaving Céline, to be replaced by Michael Rider. The 'mercato' of designers promises to shake up the sector in the weeks to come, and will largely determine the financial future of brands in this delicate economic climate.