This is Issue 36.

CHANEL - BLAZY TAKES FLIGHT

Matthieu Blazy is beginning to move beyond the conversation surrounding his arrival at Chanel and toward something more important: establishing what his version of the house actually looks like. For Spring 2027, the designer continued loosening some of Chanel’s most recognizable codes, bringing greater movement and freedom to silhouettes while maintaining the craftsmanship that remains central to the house. Tweed and familiar references remained present, but they were treated as materials for experimentation rather than rules that needed to be protected. Even the collection’s 83 individual pairs of shoes reflected the extraordinary level of detail behind the project. A year into his tenure, Blazy’s Chanel increasingly feels less like a reinterpretation of an archive and more like a living fashion house developing a contemporary identity of its own.

BALENCIAGA - COUTURE FOR EVERY DAY

Pierpaolo Piccioli continues to define his Balenciaga by exploring the space between the house’s couture history and the reality of contemporary clothing. For Spring 2027, the designer brought techniques and principles associated with haute couture into pieces designed for everyday life, allowing precision and construction to exist without requiring constant spectacle. The approach creates an interesting bridge between Cristóbal Balenciaga’s architectural legacy and the radically different identity the house developed during the Demna era. Rather than choosing one history over another, Piccioli appears increasingly interested in finding a language capable of acknowledging both. One year into his tenure, the result is a Balenciaga that feels softer and more human while still relying on the technical discipline that made the name important in the first place.

DIOR - JONATHAN ANDERSON LIGHTENS UP

Jonathan Anderson used Spring 2027 to bring a new sense of lightness to Dior, continuing his rapid transformation of one of fashion’s most historically significant houses. Chiffon, fluid construction and references to nature gave the collection a sense of movement that contrasted with the weight traditionally associated with Dior’s archive and institutional identity. After an extraordinary sequence of collections since taking control of the house, the conversation around Anderson is beginning to move beyond the initial shock of his appointment. Each season now adds another piece to a much larger project: determining how Dior’s history can remain visible without controlling its future. Rather than treating heritage as something fixed, Anderson continues to pull it apart, reinterpret it and occasionally ignore it entirely, allowing a different version of Dior to gradually emerge.

COURRÈGES - DREW HENRY DEBUTS

Drew Henry made one of Paris Fashion Week’s most closely watched debuts as the new creative director of Courrèges. Having previously worked within the creative worlds of Phoebe Philo, Jonathan Anderson and Daniel Lee, Henry arrives with experience shaped by some of contemporary fashion’s most influential designers. His challenge at Courrèges is particularly complex. The house carries the futuristic legacy of André Courrèges while its recent identity was significantly reshaped by Nicolas Di Felice, creating two distinct histories for a new designer to navigate. Henry’s first collection began that process by reconsidering the minimalism, sensuality and precision associated with the brand rather than attempting an immediate reinvention. The debut marks the beginning of a new creative chapter and positions Henry as another name to watch as Paris continues its wider generational shift.

RICK OWENS - STONE AND WATER

Rick Owens once again transformed the Palais de Tokyo into something closer to a ritual than a conventional runway show. For Spring 2027, models crossed a long structure above the water while fountains surrounded the presentation, creating a monumental environment that extended the collection beyond clothing. Stone became an important reference, connected to ideas of stoicism, sacrifice and permanence, while Owens continued developing the elongated and architectural silhouettes that have made his universe instantly recognizable. At a moment when fashion shows are increasingly optimized for digital images and short clips, Owens continues to demonstrate the power of physical experience. His shows are not simply environments created around collections, but part of the meaning of the clothing itself. Paris became theatre again, reinforcing why Owens remains one of fashion’s most singular world-builders.

MAISON MARGIELA - MARTENS GETS REAL

Glenn Martens used Spring 2027 to explore a different side of his evolving Maison Margiela. After demonstrating how theatrical and technically extreme his interpretation of the house can become, the designer turned toward a more practical question: how can Margiela’s anti-fashion philosophy translate into clothing people actually want to wear? Familiar house codes remained visible, but the tension shifted toward contrasts between hard and soft, conceptual and commercial, dramatic and everyday. The result did not abandon Margiela’s experimental identity, but instead tested how far that identity can stretch into a functioning contemporary wardrobe. For Martens, this balance may prove particularly important. Margiela has always existed through contradiction, and his challenge is not simply to preserve that history, but to make its unconventional thinking relevant to the realities of a modern global fashion house.