Brands relying on originality to get noticed

Cutting-edge pop-ups, immersive presentations, trendy after-shows… Every season, Paris Fashion Week – the capital’s must-see fashion event – is an opportunity for many French and international labels to speak out – sometimes in offbeat ways – to unite their community and attract the attention of the press, buyers and trendsetters from all over the world. Here are just a few examples of the original ways in which brands are taking the floor during Women’s Fashion Week, which kicked off on Monday 23 September, with 66 shows on the official programme.

Paul & Joe treats you to a French-style tea time

After devising a refined ballet session and a bucolic musical happening last season, Parisian fashion label Paul & Joe is now organising a gourmet tea party combining the arts and the pleasures of the table.

To present its new women’s collection for Spring/Summer 2025 and a capsule, Paul & Joe is giving a French twist to a classic British everyday item. Accustomed to intimate, offbeat presentations, the brand is announcing an invitation-only tea time on the afternoon of 26 September in its historic showroom at 14, rue des Commines, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, where it has been established for nearly thirty years. In terms of decoration, the brand is banking on the atmosphere of a typical Parisian brasserie terrace, like Café de Flore. And for the occasion, founder Sophie Méchaly called on singer and fashion influencer Hélène in Paris, known for her exuberant looks.

Kujten and Dr Woo’s ‘spicy’ evening 

This Thursday 26 September, the bold cashmere label Kujten will be unveiling its new vintage-style collaboration with the tattoo artist to the stars, Dr Woo, at a lively party. 

This is the first Fashion Week appearance for this flagship of accessible French luxury, which is actively working to raise its profile both in France and internationally. The Parisian brand Kujten is inviting its community to its flagship store at 47, rue Pierre-Charron (8th arrondissement). The programme for this underground evening includes a preview of the unisex capsule designed with the Californian artist, cocktails and petits fours, and a competition to win an exclusive tattoo created by Dr Woo himself.

Avnier celebrates Halloween early

For the launch of its autumn-winter 2024 collection, inspired by the horror films of the 1980s and 90s, the Avnier brand is organising ‘a week of horror in Paris’. 

This autumn, the label, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, is accompanying its new collection with a gory week. From 25 to 29 September, the fashion label co-founded by artist Orelsan (aka. Aurélien Cotentin) and designer Sébastian Strappazzon, winner of the FFPAPF Talents programme, is organising free screenings of several cult horror films at the Brady. It’s not a random choice of venue, as this Parisian cinema, located at 39, boulevard de Strasbourg (in the 10th arrondissement), popularised the fantasy, horror and science fiction genres in France in the 1960s. 

Golden Goose gets Montmartre dancing

The Italian fashion label Golden Goose, known for its creative sneakers with a destroy look, is announcing a trendy, invitation-only after-party in the French capital on Monday 30 September.

It’s off to the Elysée Montmartre, a venue located at 72, boulevard Marguerite-de-Rochechouart in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The Venetian label Golden Goose is transforming this legendary venue on the hillside of Montmartre into a giant electro club for the evening, with a line-up of electro stars including French duo The Blaze, Boombass (from Cassius) and Belgian DJ Nathalie Duchene. A series of high-flying artistic performances to present its new ready-to-wear collection.

Antwerp’s Bernadette takes a gourmet break 

To coincide with Paris Fashion Week, the Belgian fashion brand Bernadette – run from Antwerp by Charlotte de Geyter and her daughter Bernadette – is opening two temporary cafés in the heart of the capital.

Head to 47, rue Cler (7th arrondissement) and 24, rue du Quatre-Septembre (2nd arrondissement) to discover these ‘Bernadette cafés’, flowery places with a preppy, slightly offbeat atmosphere open to the public from 24 September to 2 October. In ‘these cosy sanctuaries in the heart of Paris Fashion Week’, Bernadette offers freshly roasted coffee, teas, including matcha tea, and pastries created by Estonian artist Monika Varšavskaja. As if on cue, the Belgian label has decorated the space in its own image, with flagship products from its lifestyle line such as cosy linen cushions in the Red Blossom print, retro floral tablecloths and handmade ceramics and glassware.

FabriX plunges into the digital fashion era

For the second time during Paris Fashion Week, the FabriX event returns to the capital, offering a unique and immersive experience at the Digital Fashion Roadshow to discover the fashion of the future. 

Visit the Sphère showroom at the Palais de Tokyo (13, avenue du Président-Wilson, 16th arrondissement), from 25 September to 1 October. This experiment in the digital fashion of tomorrow, supported by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), will give visitors a chance to try on designers’ creations in augmented reality: a way of experiencing the new way of consuming fashion through this virtual showcase. The programme includes avant-garde outfits designed by a select group of six French and international talents: Wilsonkaki, Ponder.er, Florentina Leitner, Paolina Russo, Bianca Saunders and Charles de Vilmorin.

Andrea Albrizio organises a giant treasure hunt

Combining the worlds of fashion and gaming, the young designer Andrea Albrizio, at the helm of the ultra-connected label Arntreal, has announced a treasure hunt in the capital on Saturday 28 September. 

To raise awareness of his fashion brand, which is passionate about augmented reality and new technologies and was founded last winter, the 21-year-old designer (a former student of the IFM’s Bachelor of Arts programme and winner of the Prix de l’Entrepreneuriat AMI X IFM 2024) has come up with an original immersive experience combining the physical and the digital. On the programme: a pop-up at La Caserne (in the 10th arrondissement), where limited quantities of some of the pieces will be on display, a first drop of pieces online and a treasure hunt, accessible by registration only. What’s at stake? Participants who recover 25 artefacts scattered around Paris can win 5,000 euros and a voucher for 5,000 euros worth of clothes to treat themselves to his streetwear collection entitled ‘Echoes of Surrealism’.