Paris Fashion Week Says No To New Shows Model

The governing body of Paris Fashion Week - the Fédération Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode - has announced that it intends to stand by the current system of showing collections six months in advance of them being available to purchase. The announcement directly opposes the recent moves made by brands including Burberry, Tom Ford, and Tommy Hilfiger which have revealed that they plan to show "in season" and make their collections available immediately.

The Federation is said to have consulted its governing body to explore the idea off the back of the CFDA hiring Boston Consulting Group to investigate the potential of consumer-facing shows at New York Fashion Week, reportsWWD. "There is not one person who said it was a problem," said federation president Ralph Toledano of the current system. "Our clientele is educated and informed on how the system works."

Toledano cited multiple reasons for the decision, including: the designer's process ("You cannot ask them to finish the collection and freeze it to show in four months' time"); the trouble of buyers and press viewing collections under embargo and images leaking ("Instead of us controlling our image, our image would be in the hands of pirates"); the complicated supply chain ("It takes several weeks to produce fabrics. It takes some weeks to sew and embellish the garments"); the importance of delayed gratification in the luxury arena ("Desire and dreams are part of the buying process"); and the fact that the French fashion industry is thriving as it is.

Currently, the brands that have agreed to maintain showing spring/summer in October and autumn/winter in March are Dior, Chanel, Chloé, Hermes, Nina Ricci, Agnes B, Issey Miyake, Isabel Marant, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Sonia Rykiel, Dries Van Noten, Leonard, Paul Smith, Maison Margiela and Kenzo.

Toledano did, however, acknowledge that for smaller "lifestyle" and "marketing-driven" brands for whom product is not the sole focus, consumer-facing, in-season shows are a useful promotional tool, although asserted that these aren't brands that show on the PFW schedule anyway, due to its strict selection process which centres on "creativity, craftsmanship and innovation", according to WWD.

Instead, Toledano blamed the current elongated sale periods, calling them "detrimental" to the seasonal supply chain, and revealed the board's intention to curtail the lengthy pre-collections season to a week at most, to reduce the impact it has (as well as the attention it deflects) from the ready-to-wear shows.