The Japan Times - Farewells, fresh faces at Men's Fashion Week in Paris

The first day of the Fall/Winter 2026 edition will be dominated by the latest mega-production from Louis Vuitton's celebrity menswear designer Pharrell Williams, as well as mourning for one of the industry's biggest names.

Williams will unveil his collection at the brand's glitzy gallery space in western Paris under the shadow of the death of Italy's Valentino Garavani, who passed away Monday at the age of 93.

The giant in the world of haute couture died at his home in Rome, just four months after the death of fellow Italian great Giorgio Armani.

In a sign of industrial renewal, however, French designer Jeanne Friot will take her first steps on the daunting Paris calendar on Monday, with the young stylist telling AFP it was a "quite an unusual joy and stress" to take part.

French designer Veronique Nichanian will meanwhile present her last collection for Hermes on Saturday after 37 years at the helm.

The 71-year-old Parisian -- one of the few women designing in menswear -- will leave behind a brand in tremendous financial shape with an image of timeless, refined masculinity that she has helped shape.

Her successor, London designer Grace Wales Bonner, who is of English and Jamaican heritage, represents a generational and stylistic shift for the classic family-run French house.

- Fresh faces -

Many fashionistas will be casting an eye on the Christian Louboutin show on day two where Jaden Smith -- son of US rapper-actor Will Smith -- will present his debut collection.

The model and musician, 27, was unveiled as the creative director of the famed French brand last September by founder Louboutin, who appears to be preparing to hand over the reins to the Gen Z trendsetter.

The choice is seen as a bold bet on relatively inexperienced youth by the veteran maker of red-soled stilettos, whose ready-to-wear menswear and accessories are estimated by analysts to account for about a quarter of his sales.

On Wednesday, much-hyped Dior designer Jonathan Anderson will unveil his second Homme collection, having made his debut in June last year with a widely praised show of unisex styling.

But the 41-year-old's womenswear collection in September didn't convince everyone, and some observers expect him to put a more decisive mark on Dior and cement the new identity he's begun sketching out.

"There's a lot of anticipation," Alice Feillard, men's buying director at Paris department store Galeries Lafayette, told AFP.

The luxury fashion industry has undergone a wave of changes over the last 12 months at a time of weak international growth following the bumper buying frenzy of the post-Covid period.

Slowing demand from China, US tariffs on imports and uncertainty about the global economy have all weighed on sales of European brands.

- Kenzo house -

New faces such as Anderson, Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, Demna at Gucci or Sarah Burton at Givenchy represent the elevation of a new stable of couturiers who look set to dominate the major houses over the next decade.

Elsewhere over the week, Japanese brands from Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake to Mihara Yasuhiro will be out in force.

LVMH-owned Kenzo, will hold a presentation instead of a runway show on Tuesday inside the vast Parisian house of late founder Kenzo Takada in the French capital's trendy 11th district.

The four-storey modernist building, which features a Japanese garden, will host a day-long gathering of design, food and music curated by chief creative Nigo.

US designer Willy Chavarria, who is one of a handful unafraid to express political views, also returns for his third season in Paris and might have something to say about Donald Trump's presidency on Friday.

K.Okada--JT