Menswear craze arrives as Paris Fashion Week returns

French-American actor Timothée Chalamet in a daring costume during a film screening during the 79th Venice International Film Festival at Lido di Venezia in Venice, Italy. Image: Marco Bertorello / AFP

T.The fashion juggernaut returns to Paris this week, and menswear remains strong as Saint Laurent rejoins the line-up, even as the industry remains wary of economic headwinds.

The changing world of menswear is evident on red carpets around the world. The likes of Timothée Chalamet and Harry Styles have helped redefine men’s style, ditching the monochrome tux in favor of bold outfits and bright colors.

Just last week, Vogue declared “the night belonged in menswear” at the Golden Globe Awards, and the store has been reporting unprecedented growth in the sector over the past few months.

So the buzz around the menswear shows in Paris starting Tuesday is deafening, with two big hitters returning to Saint Laurent on Tuesday night and John Galliano’s Maison Margiela making its next move. It was boosted by being closed on Sunday.

Saint Laurent has not presented a men’s show on its official calendar since Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello took the helm in 2016, favoring one-off appearances in exotic locations such as Marrakech and Venice. board.

story of inheritance

In Milan, where the fashion shows aren’t over as the industry caravan left for Paris last week, it’s all about who will replace Gucci’s flamboyant creative director Alessandro Michele after his sudden and recent resignation. bottom.

In Paris, the big open question is who will take over Louis Vuitton after Virgil Abloh’s untimely death in November 2021.

When the label announced that Thursday’s show, along with an accompanying film shot by French director Michel Gondry, was being handled by Colm Dillane, the man behind hot young Brooklyn label KidSuper, the fashion world was in full swing. Nista’s tongue shook.

With many worried about a possible recession, tightening environmental regulations and the costly impact of inflation, menswear is looking promising.

“Saint Laurent, Gucci and Givenchy are doing better for men than women,” said Alice Feillard, buying director at Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

“We’ve been seeing this exponential growth for a couple of years…it’s really taking off,” she added.

Also read: From suits to denim to glitter: 10 fashion trends for 2023

a new place of expression

Even men’s underwear is gaining ground in the women’s market.

Salon Internationale de la Lingerie figures show that in the first 10 months of 2022, men’s underwear will grow 3.3% to €400 million ($435 million), ahead of women’s lingerie growth of 2.5% (still prevailing €1.5 million) will be held in Paris this month.

“Menswear has evolved a lot in recent years,” says senior expert Serge Carreira of the Po University of Science.

“It has spawned a major new field of expression, innovation and research for the home.”

Givenchy specifically abandoned haute couture in favor of menswear following the arrival of US designer Matthew Williams, known for his luxury streetwear, in 2020.

They put on a catwalk show on Wednesday, followed by major rival Dior on Friday.

One of the names that often comes up as a possible successor to Louis Vuitton is Grace Wales Bonner, who has her own show on Tuesday.

She, along with fellow Briton Bianca Saunders, is part of a growing trend of female designers focusing on men’s clothing.

There is also hope for the return of award-winning American designer Emily Bourdais, known for her use of recycled materials, who was away from Paris during the pandemic.