Summary
- Paris Fashion Week SS26 RTW (September 29 – October 7) will feature a barrage of creative director debuts, including Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Jonathan Anderson at Dior women’s, and Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga. This season comes amidst a global luxury slowdown, which saw LVMH miss H12 forecasts due to declining sales.
- Fashion continues to infiltrate cinema, as Sofia Coppola’s “Marc by Sofia” documentary on Marc Jacobs is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and Jonathan Anderson is confirmed to design costumes for Luca Guadagnino’s AI film, “Artificial.”
- In New York City, Willy Chavarria became the first fashion designer to be named an ACLU Artist Ambassador, and Thom Browne opened a new outpost in the Upper East Side.
Paris Fashion Week to Host Historic Roster of Debuts
Paris Fashion Week, running from September 29 to October 7, will host an unprecedented number of creative director debuts for the Spring 2026 women’s ready-to-wear season. Notable debuts include Matthieu Blazy at Chanel on October 6, Jonathan Anderson presenting his first Dior women’s collection on October 1, and Pierpaolo Piccioli‘s Balenciaga debut on October 4.
Other designers making their debuts in new roles include Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe, Glenn Martens for Maison Margiela‘s RTW, and Duran Lantink bringing Jean Paul Gaultier back to the ready-to-wear schedule. As anticipation builds for these historic debuts, industry leaders are banking on refreshed perspectives to revitalize the luxury landscape.
LVMH Fashion & Leather Goods Sales Fall 9% in First Half of 2025
LVMH missed analyst expectations in the first half of 2025, with net profit down 22% and overall revenue falling 4% year-over-year to €39.8 billion. Their largest division, Fashion and Leather Goods, which is home to brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Loro Piana, saw a 9% sales drop. Following a brief post-pandemic lift in performance, the group and its competitors, Kering and OTB Group, have been affected by an industry-wide drop in luxury spending.
These developments led Hermès to surpass LVMH as the most valuable luxury stock earlier this Summer. The group also faces negative publicity this year, including a labor exploitation scandal affecting Loro Piana, data breaches at Louis Vuitton, and a cultural appropriation controversy at Dior. Consumer negative reactions to price hikes and low confidence are further hindering sales, indicating the luxury slowdown may persist.
Sofia Coppola to Premiere Marc Jacobs Documentary
Sofia Coppola, director of Priscilla (2023), will release a documentary, “Marc by Sofia,” focusing on fashion designer Marc Jacobs at the Venice Film Festival in September. The 97-minute film, titled in homage to the beloved, discontinued Marc by Marc Jacobs line, will debut out of competition between August 27 and September 6.
It traces Jacobs’ rise in the fashion world and offers an intimate look into his decades-long creative friendship with Coppola, which began in 1992 after Jacobs’ Perry Ellis grunge collection. The documentary features rare archival footage, highlighting their collaborations, from Jacobs casting Coppola in early campaigns to their work during his time at Louis Vuitton and more recently at, Heaven.
Willy Chavarria Is the First Fashion Designer to Become an ACLU Artist Ambassador
Willy Chavarria has been named the first fashion designer to become an Artist Ambassador for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). This first-of-its-kind ACLU partnership provides Chavarria with a prominent platform to champion crucial issues such as LGBTQ+ rights and immigrant rights.
His commitment to social justice is long-standing, as evidenced by his recent SS26 Paris runway show, which actively protested immigration crackdowns and drew attention to the inhumane conditions prevalent in detention centers. “Art, music, and fashion can have a tremendous impact on how we realize and promote social justice and human dignity. I’m happy to further utilize my own platform for the empowerment of others,” Chavarria said in a statement to WWD.
Jonathan Anderson Named Costume Designer For ChatGPT Biopic ‘Artificial’
Jonathan Anderson is confirmed as the costume designer for Luca Guadagnino‘s upcoming “AI comedy” film, Artificial, marking their third collaboration after Challengers (2024) and Queer (2024). The movie, loosely based on the story of OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, will explore controversies within Big Tech and the growing infiltration of AI into daily life. Anderson’s previous work on Challengers earned him a Costume Designers Guild Award nomination, solidifying his prowess in cinematic styling. The film is set to star Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, and Cooper Koch, and is currently in pre-production, with an official release date yet to be announced.
Thom Browne Opens New Doors on NYC’s Upper East Side
Thom Browne has opened a new store on New York City’s Upper East Side, located at 898 Madison Avenue. This new shop is exclusively dedicated to the brand’s leather goods and footwear, marking a larger presence for Thom Browne in the area, just a short walk from its 72nd Street flagship.
The store is designed as a “focused, intimate space” to highlight the label’s key accessories, including the Hector Bag and its animal-shaped successors, as well as classic baguette bags in various materials. The boutique also features Mr. and Mrs. Thom Bags and a range of footwear like heritage trainers, signature brogues, and wingtip heels, presented as “objets d’arts”.
