Fashion
A distinctly eclectic Paris Fashion Week featuring Leonard, Giambattista Valli, and Vetements
Published
October 4, 2025
Paris Fashion Week entered its fifth day with an especially intense programme. In particular, the womenswear ready-to-wear shows for Spring/Summer 2026 revealed designers’ pursuit of freshness and lightness. Leonard Paris and Giambattista Valli were prime examples. Vetements, for its part, opted for provocation.
Leonard Paris jetted off to California, channelling Hollywood and Beverly Hills, for a festive summer that promises to be scorching. The wardrobe conceived by German designer Georg Lux leaned into evening and cocktail dressing, with fluid minidresses and long, diaphanous gowns cut from airy silks. The pieces floated, at times seeming suspended, rippling with each step in a whisper of intangible fabrics.
“I was inspired this season by muses such as Faye Dunaway and Jerry Hall, but also by the drawings of Puerto Rican fashion illustrator Antonio Lopez,” confided the creative director backstage, who welcomed guests to the elegant private mansion in the 16th arrondissement, where the house has been based since 2018. Clearly, his collection looked as much to the seventies jet set as to Hollywood’s golden age, with draped, diva-worthy, sequinned gowns.
More than ever, prints took centre stage, from Californian palms lifted from the house’s 1980s archives to the Art Deco floral theme developed by Leonard during the 1970s, along with a new red-and-orange poppy motif found on cotton-poplin dresses, but also painted onto a jacket and a transparent recycled-plastic bag, or worked into enamelled metal earrings. And flowers of every shape and in every shade ran through this richly varied collection.
Next summer’s wardrobe is all about volume, with draping, generous balloon sleeves, puffed silhouettes and flared dresses. A few “cricket club”-style striped looks and masculine blazers and suits provide contrast, though they remained thoroughly glamorous, crafted in greige twill embroidered with gold sequins and rhinestones.
Giambattista Valli welcomed guests into the salons of his house, a stone’s throw from the Opéra on Boulevard des Capucines. Baskets brimming with fruit and wildflowers lined the catwalk. The tone was set, as the Italian couturier celebrated nature in all its splendour, infusing his collection with an ingenuous candour.
With their colourful headscarves, blouses and ample petticoats or culottes, or their white lace apron dresses, the models evoked peasant women returning from the fields, or shepherdesses from old tales in search of Prince Charming. Some outfits were strewn with bucolic motifs: flowers, bouquets, fruit, clovers and butterflies.
Natural materials such as linen and cotton dominated, bringing a touch of authentic simplicity to the whole via little dresses, jackets and shorts suits decorated with hand-painted flowers in the manner of Dutch masters such as Vermeer, whose still lifes inspired Giambattista Valli this season.
Ruffles multiplied like petals in delicate dresses with billowing, airy volumes. They come in the colours of summer fruits: peach, raspberry, lemon, cherry, strawberry and plum. Lightness prevailed with shot taffeta and, above all, organza—whether embroidered cotton organza, ruched silk organza or crinkled iterations.
After taking over a McDonald’s on the Champs-Elysées in June 2019, Vetements returned to show on the world’s most beautiful avenue, this time taking over a concrete basement formerly occupied by an Adidas store. In the dim light, a silhouette descended the stairs to cross what looked like a squalid garage, its ceiling interlaced with neon tubes. Face masked by a nylon stocking, the first model appeared in leather trousers and boots, wearing a white T-shirt with a swastika crossed out by a prohibition sign.
For its return to the catwalks after sitting out last season, the brand is looking to make an impact. But its message was, to say the least, muddled. After this opening manifesto look, what followed was a sexist show in which all the women who stepped onto the catwalk were systematically undressed at the back, while the men were not subjected to the same treatment—save for one model whose jeans turned into transparent plastic at the rear, revealing a very chaste pair of white boxer shorts.
Fashion has often explored front/back construction in clothing, but here the experimentation left observers unconvinced. Whether in slip dresses or a tight skirt with a T-shirt, a suit, a printed dress, a severe straight grey skirt, or even a candy-pink ballgown, seen from behind the women were reduced to mere sex bombs, buttocks and legs on full display, covered only in couture tights and sometimes tight shorts or thigh-high boots.
At the back, in fact, garments morphed into high-cut bodysuits, while long dresses were shortened and skirts were either merely tacked at the front without being properly worn, or systematically unbuttoned at the back. Even the classic tweed suit was subverted, the skirt replaced by a pair of tweed briefs—also, of course, high-cut. Elsewhere, trench coats and overcoats open at the back or are stripped of fabric, revealing the lining, as with certain jackets worn by the men.
Two looks, strapped with an enormous cushion—airbag-style—fixed to the front at pelvis level, prompted questions. At the end of the show, coup de théâtre. A final model, dressed in an elegant black crinoline gown entirely open at the back, crossed the catwalk in tears, seeming to buckle under the pain. What was the message here? That this was, in fact, a denunciation of women as objects and of their hypersexualised image? Of the excesses of social media?
By trying too hard to conceptualise, Guram Gvasalia, who took over as the brand’s creative director in 2021 (he succeeded his brother Demna, who left for Balenciaga and is now at the helm of Gucci), risks losing his way.
This article is an automatic translation.
Click here to read the original article.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
The authority raised service charges by an average of 41 per cent in early September through a gazette notification. It was the first first comprehensive revision in nearly 40 years.
Following concerns raised by businesses, Bangladesh’s Chattogram Port Authority will enforce its revised tariff schedule from October 15, a month later than announced initially.
Under the new rates, importers will pay an additional Tk 5,720 per twenty-foot container, while exporters face a rise of Tk 3,045.
The single largest jump is in loading and unloading charges, up from $43.40 to $68 per container.
“To ensure smooth application, the board decided to set October 15 as the effective date. All necessary preparations have been completed,” CPA secretary Omar Faruk was quoted as saying by a domestic media outlet.
Under the new tariff rates, importers will pay an additional Tk 5,720 per twenty-foot container, while exporters face an increase of Tk 3,045. The single largest jump is in loading and unloading charges, up from $43.40 to $68 per container.
The move drew severe criticism from exporters and importers. CPA officials, however, claim that even after the revision, Chattogram’s charges are lower than those of many regional ports.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Sun Chemical will present its comprehensive portfolio of digital textile inks on Stand C111, Hall 6, ITMA Asia 2025 in Singapore (28 – 31 October), underlining its commitment to supporting growth across the textile industry in Asia.
Sun Chemical will showcase its full range of digital textile inks at ITMA Asia 2025 (October 28–31, Singapore), highlighting sustainable, high-performance solutions for fashion, home textiles, sportswear, and sign & display.
With local production and stock across Asia, it ensures reduced lead times, supporting innovation and growth in the region’s textile industry.
Asia remains one of the most important regions for textile production, and Sun Chemical is strengthening its presence within this market through both local manufacturing and distribution. With production capability for reactive inks in Shanghai and local stock availability across Asia, the company ensures reduced lead times and simplified logistics to meet the needs of customers in India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and the wider Southeast Asian market.
At ITMA Asia, Sun Chemical will showcase the following product ranges:
Xennia Amethyst Evo Reactive Inks
This range of inks enable high-volume, efficient production in the fashion and home textile industry, ensuring customers meet their most demanding targets without compromising quality. The innovative formula is designed to improve colour efficiency and strength, while optimising properties to enhance colour balance for advanced colour management and sample matching.
Xennia Sapphire Pigment Inks
Representing a step forward in pigment printing, the inks deliver enhanced colour vibrance, fast performance and durability with ease of use. Developed with sustainability in mind, the range allows users to reduce waste chemicals, lower energy consumption, and eliminate water from the textile printing post-process without compromising application performance.
Xennia Agate Acid Inks
Sun Chemical’s water-based acid dye inks are designed for demanding applications. Suitable for applications such as polyamide, silk, and delicate fashion accessories, Xennia Agate provides consistent performance, controlled penetration, reliable output even in long runs, and a balance of vibrancy with durability, all while keeping maintenance to a minimum.
ElvaJet Series Sublimation Inks
Formulated to deliver sharp, vivid colours and excellent print performance, ElvaJet inks offer compatibility with a wide range of printers for applications from high-fashion and sportswear to home textiles and bold sign & display work.
With a growing presence in Asia, Sun Chemical’s participation at ITMA Asia is part of its wider commitment to digital textile printing and sustainability, supporting innovation and business growth in one of the world’s most dynamic textile regions.
Edri Baggi, Business Lead for Sun Chemical’s Textiles Division, comments: “The textile industry in Asia is evolving rapidly, with increasing demand for innovation, efficiency, and sustainable practices. Our goal is not only to provide inks that deliver exceptional colour and performance but also to work closely with customers and partners to help them unlock new creative and commercial opportunities. We look forward to discussing new opportunities with OEMs and printers to support the high-quality requirements of key textile segments such as fashion, home textiles, sportswear, and sign & display. With our local production and stock, we are well-positioned to deliver innovative, sustainable digital ink solutions while simplifying logistics and reducing lead times for customers throughout Asia. ITMA Asia is the ideal show for us to share ideas, exchange insights and demonstrate how our technology can support the industry’s long-term growth in the Asian region.”
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)
Spot rates from Shanghai to Los Angeles fell 5 per cent to $2,196 per 40ft container, while those from Shanghai to New York dropped 2 per cent to $3,200 per 40ft container.
Drewry World Container Index (WCI) dropped for the sixteenth consecutive week, falling 5.22 per cent to $1,669 per FEU on October 02, the lowest since January 2024.
Spot rates on key Asia–Europe and transpacific routes weakened further, while only New York–Rotterdam gained slightly.
Drewry expects the supply-demand balance to deteriorate in coming quarters, pushing freight rates lower.
Asia–Europe spot rates also declined for the tenth straight week, falling 7 per cent to $1,613 per 40ft container on the Shanghai–Rotterdam route and 9 per cent to $1,804 per 40ft container on the Shanghai–Genoa route. Freight rates on the Rotterdam–Shanghai route eased slightly to $461 from $459 per FEU. Rates fell 1 per cent on the Los Angeles–Shanghai route to $712 per FEU and on the Rotterdam–New York route to $1,796 per FEU. However, freight on the New York–Rotterdam route rose 1 per cent to $847 per FEU.
Carriers are increasing blank sailings and cutting capacity to align with slowing demand ahead of China’s Golden Week holiday, when factories will be shut for eight days from October 01. As a result, East–West spot rates are expected to decline further in the coming weeks.
Drewry’s Container Forecaster projects that the supply-demand balance will weaken in the next few quarters, leading to further contractions in spot rates.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Mark Sanchez hospitalized after stabbing incident in Indianapolis
Glen Powell explains why ‘Chad Powers’ role means so much to him
Right-wing Sanae Takaichi set to become Japan’s first female PM
-
Tech1 week agoXiaomi’s New Phone One-Ups Apple’s iPhone Redesign With a Second Screen
-
Tech1 week agoBroadcast TV Is a ‘Melting Ice Cube.’ Kimmel Just Turned Up the Heat
-
Fashion1 week agoOut and about in Milan: Santoni, Sergio Rossi, and Giuseppe Zanotti
-
Tech1 week agoFacebook, Instagram to offer paid ad-free UK subscriptions
-
Tech1 week agoHeritage Foundation Uses Bogus Stat to Push a Trans Terrorism Classification
-
Fashion1 week agoLevi’s launches LEAP to cut emissions in India supply chain
-
Fashion1 week agoMichael Kors opens new flagship store on London’s Regent Street
-
Tech6 days agoI’ve Been Reviewing Gaming Laptops for Over a Decade. Here’s What to Look for When Shopping