Marni, Casablanca and Peter Do: Paris Fashion Week SS24 is full of first timers

As fashion month quickly descends upon the industry, the federations from each fashion capital have begun to publish their official schedules, giving an insight into what we can expect from their own locations. For Paris, that will seemingly be a roster led by first time exhibitors, who are dominating the French fashion week’s lineup for the spring/summer 2024 season.

Released by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), the provisional schedule runs from September 25 to October 3, and features 67 runway shows and 41 presentations, totalling a generous 108 participants. While the usual staples – such as Christian Dior, Saint Laurent and Balmain – will continue to grace Paris with their presence, there are a number of notable returns to the schedule that had previously skipped the fashion week.

Belgian label Maison Margiela and South Korea’s Kimhēkim are among those that have reappeared, as has Carven. The French brand will be returning to Paris after a five-year hiatus, set to display its first collection by creative director Louise Trotter, who stepped into the role in February after serving in the same position at Lacoste for four years. In addition, Mugler is also back on the schedule, however, according to WWD, will be subtly withdrawing from its ‘see now, buy now’ strategy it had employed in past years.

Mugler, Maison Margiela and Carven return to Paris

Despite these returns hinting at quite a momentous affair, it is the newcomers that are really sparking conversation for this season. Dutch brand Duran Lantink, Belgian designer Marie Adam-Leenaerdt and the UK’s Kiko Kostadinov will be among those hosting runways, while China’s Caroline Hú, Australian designer Christopher Esber, Italy’s Quira and Spanish label Paloma Wool are organising presentations.

Marni is also set to take its first runway steps onto Parisian soil. The Italian brand’s event will be a continuation of its travelling show concept, an idea launched by creative director Francesco Risso in 2021 and has since seen the house host runways in Tokyo and New York. The show in Paris is the third of a four part series, according to Risso, who told WWD last year that he was also mulling a return to Milan for the final iteration of the concept.

New York-based designer Peter Do is another new name on the schedule. Last year, the American brand ventured into menswear for the first time after building solid foundations in womenswear. Do’s entry into Paris will come after his first collection for Helmut Lang is shown in September at New York Fashion Week.

Meanwhile, France’s Casablanca has become a further addition to Paris’ schedule, marking the first time the brand has strayed from the menswear calendar. In a release, creative director Charaf Tajer noted that while menswear remained a core part of Casablanca’s DNA, “the womenswear category has been a natural evolution”. The brand is therefore set to deliver both menswear and womenswear on the French runway, in what it stated was “a new and exciting chapter for the brand”.

Australian designer Christopher Esber will also be making his Paris debut this season, having shown at New York Fashion Week in previous years before becoming an Australian Fashion Week mainstay. Esber has garnered somewhat of an acclaimed status since the inception of his namesake brand in 2010, named as a past recipient of the L’Oréal National Designer Award, the regional Woolmark Prize and Vogue Italia’s Most Talented Designer Award for Australia-Pacific. This year, the brand has also been nominated as Designer of the Year for the Australian Fashion Laureate.

No-shows: Ester Manas and Off White

There are some notable names missing from the roster, however. This includes Ester Manas, a brand led by founders Ester Manas and Balthazar Delepierre, who said in an Instagram post that the “strategic pause” reflected “a commitment to invest in the future”. The duo, who won the special prize for Andam 2023, elaborated: “By avoiding catwalks, we are also underscoring our unwavering commitment to dedicating the time needed to create sustainable collections and products.” The brand is now turning its attention to an expanded collection for March 2024.

Off White is also missing from the line up, yet the reason for its absence has not been revealed. The brand, originally led by Virgil Abloh, named Ibrahim Kamara as the late designer’s successor in May 2022, and tasked him with continuing on Abloh’s vision. A shift at the label was also evident in June of this year, when Cristiano Fagnani was named the new CEO, succeeding New Guards Group co-founder Davide De Giglio.