Paris Fashion Week: Dior, Saint Laurent, Vaquera and more highlights
Paris Fashion Week kicked off on Monday with shows from independent brands such as New York-based Vaquera. Marking its 10th anniversary this year, Vaquera offered its tongue-in-cheek take on American sportswear, and presented a collaboration with Japanese sneaker brand Onitsuka Tiger.
A look from the Vaquera spring/summer 2025 collection at Paris Fashion Week. Photo: AFP
In Paris, quintessentially French brands such as Chanel, Hermès and Louis Vuitton always create the most buzz, but this season the most awaited show is that of an Italian house, Valentino, where Alessandro Michele, formerly of Gucci, will make his runway debut later this week.
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Here is what you need to know about the Dior and Saint Laurent shows, which took place on Tuesday.
Italian Instagram artist Sagg Napoli opened the Dior spring/summer 2025 show in Paris with an archery-inspired performance. Photo: AFP
After a graceful haute couture show back in June that celebrated the female body in the lead up to the Paris Olympics, Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri still had sport on her mind for the brand’s spring/summer 2025 ready-to-wear collection.
The designer, whose debut for Dior back in 2016 was inspired by fencing, looked to archery this season.
The show opened with Italian artist Sagg Napoli shooting an arrow – and almost hitting the bull’s eye – on the set, which featured an installation of cut-outs of sentences like, “May the building of a strong mind and a strong body be the greatest work I have ever made.”
A one-shoulder sequinned bathing suit at Dior spring/summer 2025. Photo: AFP
An artist who uses archery in her work, Sagg Napoli represents for Chiuri “a powerful example of contemporary femininity” – something she wanted to convey through the clothes.
Athleticism was the prevailing theme, with bodysuits, tracksuits and sporty ensembles vying for attention with the one-shoulder jackets, soft tailoring, and pleated dresses that have become staples of Chiuri’s repertoire.
