PARIS — With a record 15 designer debuts this season, fashion month drew more eyeballs than ever.
Fashion search engine Tagwalk said that, with 234 shows for the spring 2026 season, versus 187 for fall 2025, it registered 27 million page views between Sept. 11 and Oct. 14, representing a 28 percent increase season-on-season.
Paris dominated global fashion traffic, accounting for 49 percent of views compared with 25 percent for Milan, 17 percent for New York and 9 percent for London, Tagwalk founder and chief executive officer Alexandra Van Houtte said during a presentation on Thursday.
Views for Paris shows were up 7 percent versus last season, and the French capital accounted for 14 of the top 20 brands, with nine creative directors making their womenswear debuts.
The most-viewed shows worldwide were Chanel, Dior, Bottega Veneta, Valentino and Miu Miu, respectively. The latter lost its number-one spot, which it had held since fall 2023, as it veered in a more conceptual direction.
The brands in the top 20 ranking were Bottega Veneta, in at number three, Celine at number six, Versace at number nine, Tom Ford at number 10, Maison Margiela at number 12 and Loewe at number 14.
Chanel saw a 70 percent traffic jump versus the prior season, climbing to number one from number four as creative director Matthieu Blazy showed his highly anticipated first collection for the house.
Views for the Dior show surged 83 percent versus fall 2025, when it ranked eighth, reflecting interest in Jonathan Anderson’s first womenswear collection.
Backstage at Dior Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear Collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Francisco Gomez de Villaboa/WWD
The data reflected a rise in creativity, as brands with distinctive identities — such as Loewe, Tom Ford or Alaïa — outperformed institutional or contemporary labels, Van Houtte said. “Last season, the collections across many brands felt quite similar,” she noted.
“This season, by contrast, the silhouettes are much more diverse. Brands like Loewe, Balenciaga, Dior and Chanel are each leaning into a distinct aesthetic, showcasing their brand DNA, and these are all major trendsetters,” Van Houtte said. “It makes for a season that feels richer and more dynamic in terms of trends, which are more visible than before.”
Among the brands she expects to have the biggest trickle-down effect on the high street are Chanel, Dior, Saint Laurent and Celine.
Overall, Van Houtte detected a move away from quiet luxury and the ladylike aesthetic, with fewer neutral tones, with the exception of white. Many designers gravitated toward primary and statement colors.
There was a tension between those who went conceptual with looks that covered arms, constrained movement or hid the face, and those who opted for more wearable ideas based on fluid shapes, layering and tactile textures.
Only a fifth of the top 20 brands had female-designed collections, half the level of the previous season.
Ten percent included at least one curvy model, representing a decline of 60 percent versus fall 2025. At French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Givenchy featured curvy models, while at Kering, none of the brands did.
LVMH and Kering joined forces in 2017 to set up a charter for the well-being of models that included measures like banning size-zero models from the catwalk and fashion shoots.
All the brands in the top 20 included at least one older model, up 25 percent compared with fall 2025. Fendi was the most age-inclusive, with 15 older models.
The top face this season was Betsy Gaghan with 33 shows, cementing the U.S. model’s comeback this year after a professional hiatus. Alex Consani walked 16 shows, with her appearance boosting individual look views by 72 percent on average, Tagwalk said.
Courrèges Spring 2026 Ready-to-Wear Collection at Paris Fashion Week.
Courtesy of Courrèges
