Menswear catwalk: first London then Milan, now Paris

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Jun 22, 2015

After London and Milan menswear comes to the Paris catwalks. The French capital will be unveiling its ready-to-wear menswear collections for spring/summer 2016 from Wednesday June 24 to Sunday 28. There are 49 brands on the schedule, compared to 51 in January, as well as some fifteen presentations by appointment.

Valentino, Rick Owens, Louis Vuitton, Yohji Yamamoto, Givenchy, Kenzo, Dior Homme, Hermès, Lanvin and Saint Laurent will all be present, sharing the sharing the stage with emerging talents and other rising stars. However, there will be some notable absences this time around, of both well-known and newer names.

To start with there's Damir Doma, who is leaving Paris where he has shown since 2007. The Croatian-born designer, whose French company was placed in receivership on April 30, has relocated its studio to Milan, where he showed for the first time on June 22.

Another notable absence will be that of Belgian designer Kris Van Assche, who in May announced that he wished to put an end to his ready-to-wear men's line because "times are tough for independent labels."

Following the departure of its artistic director, Aldo Maria Camillo, Cerruti, will also be absent this season. Japanese label Miharayasuhiro, who was part of the January programme, will not be back either.

As for German designer Tillmann Lauterbach, who cancelled his show in January at the last minute, he will not be back this season. Neither will Carven Homme. The brand, whose new menswear artistic director is Barnabé Hardy, passed on the January season as well and is doing so again this time around..

However, these absences will be counterbalanced by the addition of some big names on the programme, such as Balmain, which will walk the Paris men's runway for the first time. The luxury brand's menswear collection designed by Olivier Rousteing will be unveiled on June 27.

Among the younger labels playing among the big boys will be Strateas Carlucci, which will walk the runway for the first time in Paris on June 24. Relatively unknown in France, this Australian label founded by Peter Strateas and Mario-Luca Carlucci has received many awards in the fashion world over the last few years.

Another first to the catwalk, Hood by Air will walk the runway on June 28. This urban brand from Brooklyn is idolised in the United States by celebrities, notably those in the hip hop world, with a strong presence on social media.

Already present in Europe, it is looking for the same notoriety there. Indeed, Hood by Air was already present with a presentation at Paris Fashion Week. And in January it walked the runway in Italy, where it is now manufactured, as a special guest at Pitti Uomo.

Another show to watch out for is the new menswear collection from Maison Margiela designed by John Galliano.
 
Incidentally, the John Galliano ready-to-wear brand is returning to week. No longer belonging to the designer (the label is owned by Christian Dior Couture and designed by Bill Gaytten). The new collection will be unveiled at a presentation on 25 June at the Galerie Particulière, 16 rue du Perche.
 

Another new addition to be noted, the presence of German designer Tom Rebl, who has been located in Milan since 2008. After two seasons on the Italian catwalk, the designer is relocating to Paris in the aim of boosting the brand's internationalisation. He will be unveiling his new collection via a presentation and a temporary showroom.

Finally, among the newer designers the audience will be able to discover French menswear label Etudes Studio and Parisian collective Andrea Crews, who joined the menswear programme for the first time one year ago.