PARIS — Hoping to put U.S. trade tariffs and diplomatic tensions behind them, French luxury brands will gather in New York City in May for an exhibition celebrating 250 years of French and American friendship.
The show organized by French luxury association Comité Colbert will gather a record 65 of its members at The Shed at Hudson Yards, and is part of a yearlong program of cultural events. Participants range from luxury brands like Chanel and Dior to cultural institutions, including the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles.
Scheduled to run from May 26 to 31, shortly after Frieze New York, the “Hidden Treasures, 250 Years of Franco-American Luxury Stories” exhibition will showcase archival objects that reflect the artistic exchanges between the two nations.
“Our houses owe a great deal to the United States. Every one of them has a chapter in its history that involves the U.S., and that’s the story we want to tell. It’s a tribute to America,” said Bénédicte Epinay, chief executive officer of Comité Colbert.
Structured in five chapters, the exhibition is inspired by the history of transatlantic crossings. Each of the 65 houses and institutions will be represented by a shipping crate showcasing a significant item. For instance, Givenchy has selected a pink wool coat designed by founder Hubert de Givenchy for First Lady Jackie Kennedy in the 1960s.
“The key aim of the exhibition is to invite visitors to rediscover this permanent creative dialogue between our two nations, which people sometimes don’t know. At Comité Colbert, we’re used to practicing what we call cultural diplomacy, and that is really at the heart of this initiative,” Epinay said Monday at the Ritz Hotel in Paris.
In tandem with the announcement, Comité Colbert presented a study conducted with strategy and insights consultancy The Heart Monitors to gauge Americans’ emotional attachment to France and Frenchness, even as French brands operating in the U.S. market struggle to deal with the impact of tariffs, distribution challenges and falling prices.
Recent customs data shows French exports to the U.S. fell 13 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, after President Donald Trump’s 15 percent tariff on a broad range of European goods came into effect on Aug. 29.
Sales of French spirits to the U.S. plummeted 47 percent versus the same period a year earlier. Wine exports fell by 39 percent; perfumes and cosmetics by 25 percent, and leather goods by 15 percent, according to the data published by the External Trade Statistics and Analyses Division.
The French Connection
Epinay noted that Comité Colbert’s last major international event, in Shanghai in 2024, similarly coincided with China imposing tariffs on French cognac as part of a tit-for-tat trade war with the European Union.
“It’s precisely when economic or political relations are fraught — and this has been our experience in the 70 years of Comité Colbert’s existence — that it becomes especially important to talk about culture and beauty, and to focus on what brings us together rather than what divides us,” she said.
She added that anecdotal feedback from leading luxury houses suggests their sales to the U.S., the leading market for French luxury goods, have not declined by as much as official government figures indicate. “My impression is that the business climate is much better than what the customs figures suggest,” Epinay said.
Sector leader LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton reported that organic sales to the U.S. rose 1 percent in the fourth quarter, following a 3 percent increase in the third quarter. Over the full year, sales to the U.S. were flat, even as overall group revenues declined 1 percent in organic terms — making it the best-performing region overall.
Kering and Hermès are due to publish fourth-quarter results this week.
Americans’ feelings toward Brand France remain stable, and in some cases increasingly positive, despite geopolitical and economic tensions, according to The Heart Monitors. It surveyed 600 U.S. consumers aged 18 to 60 who purchased French products in the prior year, first in August and September 2025, then in January 2026.
“Frenchness is needed. It’s very alive. It’s just not necessarily with the people we always thought,” said Robin Lemberg, cofounder of The Heart Monitors.
She noted that 61 percent of respondents said French products still feel “worth buying,” even in the context of a 15 percent tariff.
But while their feelings about Frenchness may not be impacted, consumers are sensitive to price, with many reaching a breaking point. Hence, 45 percent of consumers said they would still purchase French products with a 10 percent price increase, but that figure dropped to 27 percent in the event of a 15 percent price hike.
“The data points to a clear disconnect between emotional equity and commercial activation. Americans continue to feel positively toward Frenchness and French brands — even as purchase behavior and market performance lag,” the study found.
A Diplomatic Overture
It suggested that growth will come from activating new, high-potential audiences by emphasizing conviviality and making French brands feel more accessible.
“What the study shows — it’s extraordinarily important — is that, first of all, France is not just for people who have money. It’s also not for show, it’s how I feel about myself — so what was very interesting to us is that the people who spent between $250 and $499 per year were the people who did not want to give it up,” Lemberg said.
The report found the segments most immune to price increases were fragrance, skin care and wine, while the categories consumers were more prone to substitute were food, home goods and liquor. Jewelry and fashion sat in the middle.
Comité Colbert is clearly banking on local interest, with Epinay saying it aims to draw 20,000 visitors to the six-day exhibition. Tickets will go on sale in the coming months, priced $35, with free admission for students, and ads will appear on Fifth Avenue, thanks to a partnership with outdoor advertising giant JCDecaux.
In parallel, the Alliance Française will host a webinar for students, with speakers including Hélène Poulit-Duquesne, CEO of jeweler Boucheron and chairwoman of Comité Colbert; Olivier Gabet, director of the decorative arts department at the Louvre, and Hubert Barrère, artistic director of Chanel-owned embroiderer Lesage.
An opening event in New York on May 26 will be followed by a reception on May 27 at the French ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C., where guests will include a cross-section of U.S. business, cultural and political figures, Epinay said.
Comité Colbert hopes to take the exhibition on tour, with potential destinations including Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago and a city in Texas. It marks its biggest push in the U.S. since a 2018 trip aimed at wooing Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.
However, the event is unlikely to provide a backdrop for a diplomatic détente between Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron, who have been at loggerheads over issues including trade and U.S. foreign policy. Epinay said Macron is expected to attend celebrations of the 250th anniversary of American Independence on July 4.
“It’s a bit complicated to envision our exhibition being visited by Presidents Trump and Macron together, or by the first ladies together, especially since he is coming to the United States on July 4 — at least, that’s the plan. You know that in geopolitics, what’s true today may change completely the next,” she said.
