PARIS – For brands looking to make their mark during Paris Men’s Fashion Week, the landscape continued to shift, with new hybrid showcases across town alongside trade shows Man / Woman and Welcome Edition.
“It seems like the energy is back with the trade shows,” said Billy Prendergast, cofounder of London-based retailer Horatio London, shopping for “really well-made, authentic product with an identity. The goalposts are moving, it’s coming back to small makers, you feel more connected to the founders. The consumer is ready for the independents to come back.”
“The Man/Woman show [has become] a must-visit, with a great curation of global fashion and accessory brands that each made intuitive adjacencies for each other,” said Bruce Pask, senior director, men’s fashion at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus, who also praised the “interesting assortment of established and emerging brands” at Welcome Edition. He continued, “We are always scouting for brands that stand out with eye-catching, surprising and original points of view and collections.”
While the market seemed more open to smaller labels once more, geopolitics and trade tariffs were at the heart of conversations. “February/March was a very scary time if you are an international brand,” said Charles Arnett, business development consultant for hemp specialist Jungmaven, which is looking to diversify its supply chain, notably by supporting hemp production in the U.S. “Is there going to be less demand from the end consumer? So far, that has not happened…So far, our meetings have been positive, buyers are committed to continuing with us.”
“Most of my lines are doing really well,” said John Webb of Great HWY Showroom, representing Handvaerk at Man. Buyers were shopping for understandable, easy-to-wear pieces, he said. “There’s a bit of hesitation but people are still ordering. Most of my lines are dear enough not to be affected if prices go up,” he said. “I’m not seeing as many major retailers, but the better smaller chains are still here.”
Man/Woman cofounder and director Antoine Floch said, “Buyers are saying things are tough, but they are ready to fight. According to feedback from exhibitors, they are securing business with existing accounts and meeting new ones; it’s reassuring.”
Highlights at Man included Canadian label Ecole de Pensée, which presented a collection in line with the nonchalant tailoring trend seen on the runways, with textured fabrics and prints and embroideries inspired by Rudolf Steiner. Brand cofounder Marc Garand said he is seeing renewed interest in smaller labels. “Even the big fashion labels can’t predict the future. It opens the door for emerging brands,” he said.
France-based Maison Douillet, originally specialized in accessories made from carefully sourced European fabrics, showcased its growing ready-to-wear offer including workwear silhouettes in innovative textiles like a blend of silk and paper, as well as its first dresses and embroideries.
A design from Maison Douillet / Courtesy of Maison Douillet
James Trivunovic, head of buying and brand at U.K.-based e-commerce player The Great Divide, noted the return to more sartorial styles as well as consumer demand for a more curated offer online. “Since COVID-19, everyone’s been awash with product, they don’t want to scroll through reams of pages anymore,” said.
Elizabeth Morgan, owner of The Norah Store in Manchester, England, said she was looking for U.K. exclusives and brands with an identity. “Our customers are looking for timeless pieces with a unique twist; they want investment pieces and they want to know the story behind the brand. We don’t want pieces that are in every concept store.”
As well as smaller players, Welcome Edition was home to a range of bigger commercial labels, including Dr Martens, Barbour, and Fred Perry. Denim maker Kontoor Brands – owner of Wrangler and Lee since they were spun off from VF Corp., as well as Helly Hansen, acquired this February – was looking to get a read on the business context through its presence. “We wanted to meet people and see what’s going on in the market, particularly in premium level distribution,” said regional sales manager Scott Webster.
Beyond the bigger events, there was a lot going on around town. Pask said highlights of his week included Ryodan Showroom and Tokyo in Paris, both highlighting labels from Japan; Awaykin, featuring Danish brands; Plus Plus, out of New York; Untitled, with British and Asian brands, and Tomorrow Showroom.
“Trade shows and multibrand showrooms in Paris have grown into a vital component of the fashion week as an efficient way to scout and see numerous brands from around the globe in a concise time frame,” said Pask. “Le Marais has become a real menswear bazaar of sorts, a true marketplace.”
Designs from Cachí, showing at Sphere / Courtesy of Cachí
The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode’s Sphere showroom at the Palais de Tokyo featured seven brands this season, with newcomers including Victor Clavelly, who recently collaborated with Rick Owens on exclusive pieces for his fall shows, and Mouty, one of the finalists for the Pierre Bergé Prize at the ANDAM Awards, showing alongside Lazoschmidl, Cachí, C.R.E.O.L.E., La Cage and Ouest Paris.
Inside TranoÏ Showcase, which featured brands under the Saudi 100 Brands umbrella / Courtesy of Tranoï
Mahdi Aridj Photography
Tranoï, meanwhile, continued to promote an alternative format during men’s while sustaining its main women’s show in September and March, as well as newer event Tranoï Tokyo. After its runway show for Japanese designers in January, this season it collaborated with Saudi 100 Brands with a showroom at La Samaritaine, featuring 11 designers bridging ready-to-wear, resort, men’s and streetwear. The 11 labels on display were Mirai, 1886, Rebirth, Awaken, Reem Alkanhal, RBA, Razan Alazzouni, Eleven, Waad Aloqaili Couture, Yasmina Q and Hajruss.
In parallel, La Samaritaine hosted a pop-up for African brands at Galeries Lafayette, part of its Canex collaboration.
“Our aim is for the Tranoï brand to be visible during every Paris Fashion Week,” said Tranoï chief executive officer Boris Provost. “We have our flagship event, Tranoï Woman, and the idea is, during men’s and pre-collections, that we offer different platforms to promote brand collectives from different countries.”
The initiative with Saudi 100 Brands “marks an important step forward in our journey to embed Saudi fashion within global networks in an authentic and sustainable way,” said Saudi Fashion Commission CEO Burak Cakmak. “This initiative is about more than showcasing collections. It is about building cultural capital, fostering long-term industry relationships, and ensuring the stories behind Saudi fashion are seen, heard and understood.”
Another Saudi label, Abadia, founded by Shahd AlShehail, showed its latest collection at a showroom in the 3rd arrondissement.
Over in the 11th arrondissement, at the Maison des Métallos, there was Who’s Next organizer WSN’s Run showroom, backed by ANDAM, with 13 brands showing, twice as many as in January. Among them, Valette Studio, Steven Passarro and Countrymade. After a couple of seasons showing at Man/Woman, Countrymade’s founder and designer Sushant Abrol selected the showcase as he believed it would be a good fit for his elevated yet casual tailoring and innovative textile treatments.
A look from Valette Studio / Courtesy of Valette Studio
Both Steven Passarro and Pierre-François Valette are exploring alternative models to stay afloat in what remains a difficult context for high-end retail. Passarro is seeing growing demand for bespoke pieces, he said, with private customers in the U.S. and China and a growing celebrity following. Valette is also doing more bespoke, he said, and has opened up his studio to work with other brands, attracted to the custom quantities he can produce and short lead times. So much so, he is shortly moving to bigger premises to keep up with demand.
Inside IRL Paris / Courtesy of IRL Paris
There was also IRL Paris, the brainchild of branding specialist Olivier Migda, attracting a mixed crowd from celebrity stylists to trendsetters, buyers and press. The event, a cross between a showroom, pop-up, art gallery and event space, included an activation to celebrate Cat Footwear’s 100th anniversary; the launch of a 3D-printed, hand-built electric motorcycle under J. Balvin and Mattias Gollin’s brand Vita Veloce in collaboration with DAB Motors, as well as spaces for around 70 young creatives. These included bespoke fashion designer Henri Vitté, from France, U.S.-based A1ch3my and Target Audience, from Miami, with a gothic-inspired collection including sound-activated clothing. Many of the designers present have a strong following online, but were presenting to the trade for the first time.
“I mix everything, and don’t distinguish between B2B and B2C,” said Migda. “This is the avant-garde, my aim is to find the next Virgil Abloh.”
Further highlights from the Paris trade shows and showrooms
A look from Mouty / Courtesy of Mouty
Mouty
Category: Menswear
Showing at: Sphere
Story: The parents of young children, couple Bertille and Thomas Mouty wanted to stay playful with their collection for Mouty, inspired by days at the seaside playing in the sand and waves. Finalists for the Pierre Bergé Prize at this year’s ANDAM Awards, their collection combined sporty silhouettes with a combination of sophisticated treatments developed with Les Teintures de France, resulting in standouts like a pair of jeans that looked to be dipped in sand and sea foam and a coated wet-look T-shirt.
Price range: 100 euros to 1,850 euros (retail)
Designs from Good Good Good including a collaboration with Calla / Luke Kuisis
Good Good Good
Category: Menswear
Showing at: Man/Woman
Story: Based in South Africa, Man/Woman newcomer Daniel Sher joined his mother-in-law’s apparel manufacturing business, Together MFK, in 2016 before launching his fun, colorful brand. Highlights in the collection included the Strip-Stripe capsule of sporty patchwork silhouettes made from the company’s fabric waste, as well as the debut of a collaboration with French footwear label Calla on a range of fringed mules made with fabric offcuts from leading designers.
Price range: 20 euros to 540 euros (wholesale)
Designs from Acid Running / Courtesy of Acid Running
Acid Running
Category: Ready-to-wear
Showing at: Welcome Edition
Story: Avid runner Oliver Powe decided two years ago to tap into a gap in the market for stylish attire for joggers. “What was going on in the cycling space was exciting, but running was stuck in that space as having a serious sports focus,” he explained. “The running market is under-served, people are wearing multinational sportswear brands by default.” The label’s graphics have a philosophical theme, with prints focusing on the notions of transcendence and discipline. T-shirts are made with a blend of performance fabric with organic cotton for added comfort. Dual-layered shorts are among the bestsellers. Demand had been strong from lifestyle stores as well as specialist retailers, Powe said. The brand has just closed a Series A funding round and will launch its first women’s products next year.
Core retail pricing: 65 pounds (t-shirts) to 95 pounds (shorts)
A design from Visit
Visit
Category: Baseball caps
Showing at: Welcome Edition
Story: Visit is the new baby out of the stable of French textile firm Groupe JAJ, the European licensee for Schott. Fabrizio Corveddu, co-founder of the Rivieras brand (also part of the JAJ stable), and artistic director Baptiste Feyvant decided to create an irreverent range of vintage-inspired souvenir baseball caps featuring off-the-beaten-track destinations, with colorful designs highlighting places like Colmar, Paris, Tex., and Timbuktu. The six-month-old brand is stocked at Merci and Citadium in France, and is seeing strong demand.
Price: 50 euros (retail)
A look from Bather / Courtesy of Bather
Bather
Category: men’s resort wear
Showing at: Man/Woman
Story: Hailing from Toronto and founded in 2013, this premium swim and resort wear label aims to redefine vacation dressing for men, offering wardrobe solutions to take its customers from the poolside to the street, like matching bathing shorts and camp shirts. A newcomer at Man/Woman, seeking new distribution opportunities after several seasons of having a showroom in Paris, “Our goal is to get more brand exposure in Europe and Asia,” said founder Kyle Kaminsky. Popular styles in the collection included new shorter cuts, linen designs and hand tie-dyed pieces, he said.
Price range: $100 to $250 (retail)
A look from W’menswear / Courtesy of W’menswear
W’menswear
Category: Ready-to-wear and jewelry
Showing at: Welcome Edition
Story: This 10-year-old brand founded by Thai-Australian art graduate Lauren Yates is based in Thailand and works with women in communities across the country to provide them with an income and opportunities for financial emancipation, promoting ancestral techniques. Inspired by men’s cuts and military silhouettes, highlights in the spring 2026 collection included check pieces in a handwoven natural indigo heirloom cotton.
Price range: 95 euros to 800 euros (retail)
