As Paris welcomed the Fall/Winter 2025–2026 Haute Couture season, it did so in the wake of a powerful menswear month and with the creative winds of change sweeping through its most revered maisons. From Demna’s farewell at Balenciaga to Glenn Martens’ long-anticipated debut at Maison Margiela, the week unfolds as a convergence of legacies, reinventions, and experimental brilliance.
Demna’s Final Balenciaga Couture Show
Courtesy of BALENCIAGA.
Courtesy of BALENCIAGA.
A powerful swansong and retrospective of one of fashion’s most polarizing and influential voices. Demna’s last collection balanced raw elegance with technical mastery, echoing the sculptural couture that defined his tenure.
Glenn Martens Debuts at Maison Margiela
Courtesy of Maison Margiela.
Courtesy of Maison Margiela.
Taking over from John Galliano, Martens brings his future-focused, material-experimental eye to Margiela’s artisanal tradition, one of the most conceptually charged couture debuts in years.
Schiaparelli: Myth, Gold & Dua Lipa
Courtesy of SCHIAPARELLI.
Courtesy of SCHIAPARELLI.
Daniel Roseberry expands on last season’s Icarus narrative with surrealist couture and celebrity magnetism. Dua Lipa’s presence and the house’s baroque silhouettes continue to blend theatrical costume and Parisian elegance.
Iris van Herpen Returns: “Sympoiesis”
Courtesy of Iris van Herpen.
Courtesy of Iris van Herpen.
After a multi-year exhibition tour, van Herpen returns with Sympoiesis, a couture collection born from nine months of experimental artistry. We loved wearable sculptures that merge biomechanics, aerial poetry, and sustainable innovation.
Chanel – A Transitional Statement
Photo by Hugo Di Zazzo, Courtesy of Chanel.
Photo by Hugo Di Zazzo, Courtesy of Chanel.
The last collection designed solely by the studio before Matthieu Blazy steps in. Introduced by a Malick Bodian short film, the collection reflects a meditative return to 31 Rue Cambon’s codes—feathers, embroidery, and quiet reverence.
Robert Wun – Couture As Cinematic Armor
Courtesy of Robert Wun.
Courtesy of Robert Wun.
Known for his theatrical, emotionally charged silhouettes, Robert Wun’s Fall/Winter couture show delivered high drama—structured gowns, storm symbolism, and poetic detailing that elevated the tension between fragility and strength.
Celine – Michael Rider’s First Step
Courtesy of Celine.
Courtesy of Celine.
Rider’s first collection at Celine merged Phoebe Philo’s minimalism and Hedi Slimane’s bourgeois rock. Though outside the couture calendar, its influence loomed large—especially for editors and buyers pivoting into the week.
Germanier – Les Joueuses
Courtesy of GERMANIER.
Courtesy of GERMANIER.
Germanier closed couture week with a kaleidoscopic invitation to joy. “Les Joueuses” exploded with color, polka dots, recycled raffia, and Hello Kitty cameos—crafted in collaboration with artists from Brazil to Vietnam. A defiant celebration of play, light, and global creativity, even in dark times.
A Vibrant Tapestry of Evolution and Resilience
As the curtain falls on Paris Haute Couture Week Fall/Winter 2025–2026, what emerges is a vibrant tapestry of evolution and resilience. This season proved that couture remains not just a platform for fantasy and spectacle, but also a mirror for the fashion industry’s shifting identities and deeper cultural questions. Whether in the form of Demna’s introspective farewell at Balenciaga or Glenn Martens’ cerebral debut at Maison Margiela, designers leaned into transformation—embracing both the personal and political with fearless conviction.
“Designers leaned into transformation—embracing both the personal and political with fearless conviction,”
Equally, the presence of next-gen visionaries like Robert Wun and Germanier underscored a generational shift. Their work signals a future where couture is not only about opulence, but about storytelling, sustainability, and soul. The boundaries between art, activism, and fashion continue to dissolve, giving rise to collections that are as emotionally charged as they are technically precise.
Ultimately, this couture season didn’t just showcase garments—it introduced new chapters in iconic houses, redefined traditional codes, and reaffirmed fashion’s power to inspire, challenge, and reflect our collective imagination. With change in the air and new voices at the helm, the future of couture feels not only alive—but electrified. Paris, once again, has proven it remains the undisputed heart of fashion’s most daring dreams.
