For better or for worse, three controversies marked Paris Fashion Week. Beyond the glitter and designer clothes, L’Oréal, Hermès, Louis Vuitton and Undercover have been talked about on social networks. And not only for good. The fake invitation from L’Oréal, the butterfly-trapping dresses from Undercover, and Peta’s appearances at the Hermès and Louis Vuitton shows did not go unnoticed. After nine consecutive days of shows, Paris Fashion Week ended this Tuesday, October 3. To conclude the presentation of the Spring Summer 2024 women’s collections, 20 minutes deciphers the three controversies that marked this last edition.
The L’Oréal fashion show (almost) open to all
Sunday, October 1, L’Oréal’s “Walk Your Worth” event took place in the heart of Paris, far from everyone’s applause as had been announced. The cosmetics brand invited its public to attend its fashion show organized under the Eiffel Tower in the heart of Paris. Kendall Jenner, Viola Davis, and Eva Longoria were present to support the brand’s slogan “Walk your value”, which aims to be feminist and inclusive. Announced on September 20, L’Oréal widely publicized the time and location of the event, inviting the public to attend. However, a huge misunderstanding surrounded the promotion of the event, and in reality the parade was not accessible to the public.
Far from the podium and the glitter, spectators without invitations were limited to seeing through a window, a few meters from the parade, the passage of models and celebrities before they went on the podium. In reality, L’Oréal only offered a competition on Facebook, in which five people could win places in the parade provided they made a promotional video. These details remained largely unknown to the public, to the point that several hundred people traveled from all over France to attend the parade. A slight communication hiccup from L’Oréal which tarnished a beautiful parade carrying a strong message of self-acceptance.
Peta’s buzz at the Hermès and Louis Vuitton show
The animal rights association Peta marked this Paris Fashion Week with two interventions that went viral on social networks. The first took place during the Hermès fashion show this Saturday, September 29, where an activist infiltrated among the models, brandishing a sign “Stop exotic skin”. She was quickly intercepted by security, and a spectator snatched her sign. The scene, filmed by witnesses, sparked reactions, particularly concerning the fact that a spectator took the liberty of tearing down the activist’s sign.
The second intervention was orchestrated by the French influencer Jeremstar, during the Louis Vuitton fashion show on Monday October 2. Disguised as a bloody snake, the content creator, followed by more than 2 million subscribers, tried to infiltrate the parade, but he was arrested in the middle of the street on the Champs-Élysées. The images of this incident have accumulated more than 2 million views on social networks, highlighting Peta’s message, which wishes to denounce the use of leather and exotic animal skins by brands.
Previously, the association “For Ethics in the Treatment of Animals” had already taken action during the Burberry fashion shows in London, Gucci in Milan and Coach in New York. However, this time around, both interventions sparked passionate reactions over the tolerance of consumers and those in the fashion industry towards the use of exotic skins by Hermès and Louis Vuitton. A debate which relegated the presentation of the Spring-Summer collections by Hermès and Louis Vuitton to the background.
Undercover and her butterfly dress
The Japanese brand Undercover caused a sensation on Wednesday September 27 with its luminous terrarium dresses. Fairy or nightmarish? The debate remains open. It was in a barely lit parking lot that a series of dresses created by Japanese designer Jun Takahashi was presented.
Made up of a terrarium, the dress places live plants and butterflies under glass. This creation was strongly applauded by critics, notably Vanessa Friedman of the New York Times, who described the parade as “magical”. However, the use of captured living beings in a fashion show is not unanimously accepted outside the fashion world.
Despite these controversies, many other shows went off without a hitch, to the delight of fashion enthusiasts. Fashion Week will make its grand return to the City of Lights in January 2024.