Physical shows return to Paris men's fashion week, despite cancelations

At the upcoming Paris men’s fashion week, physical shows are not just going ahead, they will the majority of the week’s 77 events, despite some brands cancelling their catwalk presentations and others opting for digital.

Louis Vuitton will hold two shows, at 14:30 and 18:30 on Thursday, January 20th. The posthumous collection by Virgil Abloh was already 95 percent completed by the time of his unexpected passing last November. Elsewhere Rick Owens, Loewe, Lemaire, Ami and Hermes will go ahead with catwalk presentations with live audiences.

Absent from the official schedule is VTMNTS, the Swiss offshoot of Vetements, which was to show its first catwalk collection during Paris men’s fashion week. A surge of American brands and retailers are also expected to cancel, with Joseph Keefer, a fashion brand consultant and creative director saying on Twitter his showroom in Paris was being cancelled: “Looks like Paris is done an dusted for any North American brands, retailers, reps. Word the last two days is the heavy hitters are all holding off on going. We’re in the process of canceling our showroom space now.”

While the menswear season is notably impacted by the rise of omicron, including Ann Demeulemeester pulling out of Pitti Uomo and tradeshow Project New York cancelled, the February womenswear shows and fashion weeks are thus far still forging ahead without major cancelations.