At Paris Fashion Week, Small Shows Were a Top Trend

PARIS — Paris Fashion Week, traditionally the main event of the monthlong show marathon, featured three of the hottest tickets this season, with new designers bowing at Tom Ford, Dries Van Noten and Givenchy. The snag? Only a handful of people were there to see it.

Indeed, the trend that got the front row buzzing was not the big shoulders, but the small show venues.

Sarah Burton presented her debut ready-to-wear collection for Givenchy at the brand’s historic salons on Avenue George V, in two showings with 300 guests each.

Dries Van Noten invited just under 400 people to see Julian Klausner’s debut at the Opéra Garnier, while Haider Ackermann conjured a private member’s club with low lighting, plush seating and potent dry martinis at his Tom Ford show for 200 guests at the Pavillon Vendôme.  

Even brands with larger venues worked to create a rarefied ambiance, like Dior with its performance in five acts conceived by famed U.S. theater director and playwright Robert Wilson.

“If you go big, you have to do it in a way like Dior did, for instance, to have this theater atmosphere — theater, but not circus,” said veteran luxury executive Sidney Toledano, an adviser to Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which owns Dior among other brands.

“It’s not a moment for circus,” he drily added, referring to the outlook for luxury brands navigating a downturn in demand amid rising economic and political uncertainty.

Budget cuts may seem the most obvious explanation for the switch to smaller venues, but it’s not the only one, according to Pascal Morand, executive president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, French fashion’s governing body.

“I’m not convinced by the budget argument because there are economies of scale, so there is no proportionality. Having 800 guests won’t cost you four times more than 200 guests,” he reasoned.

Rather, designers sought to create a feeling of exclusivity, particularly those showing in the French capital for the first time, he noted.

“This physical closeness reflects a desire to create a form of intimacy associated with quality and know-how,” said Morand, likening it to the exclusivity of made-to-measure haute couture.

“Today, personalization, know-how and uniqueness are three key traits in any sector, not just fashion, and haute couture represents the pinnacle of that. Having said that, this also applies to the experience of the show itself,” he added.

Up close and personal

Lucien Pagès, the PR maven who handled shows for brands including Saint Laurent, Schiaparelli, Courrèges and Nina Ricci, agreed. He oversaw the smallest show so far this year for Jacquemus, which presented its spring 2024 collection during men’s fashion week in January in two shows for 45 guests each.

“It’s not that they didn’t want to invite more people. They just really wanted to have it in the apartment of Auguste Perret,” said Pagès, referring to the Art Deco architect whose historic residence provided the backdrop for the event, attended by the likes of Pamela Anderson, K-pop star Hongjoong and former French First Lady Carla Bruni.

“A show is always expensive, whether you go big or go small,” Pagès added, adding that larger events are not always more pricey. “We sometimes do very big shows that don’t cost a lot, because maybe you’ll save on the production.”

Instead, he believes the current round of cost-cutting coincides with a movement in favor of one-of-a-kind venues, as the overcrowded Paris show calendar fuels competition for locations.

“It’s a mix of financial reasons and a trend toward salon-style shows. There’s a return of this couture spirit where you can see the clothes up close in an intimate setting. And then for some brands, it’s for technical reasons linked to the venue,” he explained.

For instance, Louis Vuitton staged its show in a specially constructed space next to Gare du Nord. Creative director Nicolas Ghesquière teamed with stage designer Es Devlin to transform the courtyard of a disused office building into a sleek train station waiting room.

Only one editor per publication was invited, triggering much grumbling among press in town for the shows.

Bryan Grey Yambao, the influencer known as Bryanboy, said that while the trend was not new, it was certainly more visible this season.

“The thinning of the herd, so to speak, has been going on for the past few seasons, it’s not limited to this season. I think the reason why it’s getting a lot of attention this time around is because of a few blue-chip shows cutting the list,” he said.

Alaïa, The Row, Schiaparelli, Kenzo and Saint Laurent were also among the many brands restricting attendance. The downsizing has extended to the influencer set.

“A lot of the usual ‘million follower’ girls are absent from the shows. But then again, some brands have doubled their influencer invites — Miu Miu felt like influencer central — and it makes absolute sense. These girls move product,” said Yambao, noting that Balenciaga and Valentino also invited more influencers versus last season.

Million-dollar ticket

Then there are the clients. With consulting firm Bain & Company reporting that the luxury sector lost 50 million aspirational customers in two years amid repeated price hikes, courting very important clients, or VICs, has become more crucial than ever.

“Back in the dark ages, the haute couture clients were prioritized. Nowadays it’s all about the VICs and VVVVICs. I’ve seen this shift after the pandemic at the destination shows,” said Yambao, who is also editor in chief of London-based magazine Perfect.

“These VICs spend hundreds of thousands of euros just to be invited to the shows — with some even millions! And in these tough times, I understand why brands prioritize them over press or influencers, some of whom only care about the latest viral moment,” he added.

“I do however like the idea of intimate shows. If I make the cut, great. If I don’t, it’s also not a problem. Being in the room to see the magic of it all has always been a privilege and I am extremely grateful to have seen many incredible shows in the past. However, as we have seen with the democratization of fashion coverage online, one no longer needs to be in the room to make your voice heard,” Yambao remarked.

Morand concurred, noting that the media impact value, or MIV, of the Paris shows as measured by Launchmetrics has tripled over the past three years.

“We’re really in this twin dimension. The houses know that just because they restrict the audience for a show does not mean that it won’t be very widely seen. There can be 200 people in the room and 100 million views online,” he said.

Initial data backs this up. Tom Ford, Dries Van Noten and Givenchy all benefited from the buzz around their shows, with MIV up 215 percent, 45 percent and 96 percent, respectively, versus the fall 2024 season.

The proprietary metric tracks the impact of relevant media placements on online, social and print, inclusive of paid, owned and earned mediums.

“Based on our data from Launchmetrics Events, which powers 85 percent of runway shows, this season saw 23 percent less events, yet the impact of shows continued to grow,” said Alison Bringé, chief marketing officer at Launchmetrics, noting that Paris Fashion Week alone recorded a 53 percent year-on-year increase in MIV.

“With brands taking a more strategic approach to seating, ensuring every guest maximizes visibility has never been more crucial. To stay ahead, brands need a clear understanding of which voices truly drive their performance, so when they’re down to those last few seats, they know exactly who will deliver the highest impact,” Bringé said.

Launchmetrics has introduced a new feature within its tools that assigns MIV to celebrities, media and influencers, among others, so brands can use the data to decide who makes the final cut.

– With contributions from Lily Templeton