FSW Briefing: Narrative on the Paris Runways, Milan After Thoughts, and a Luxury Strategy Webinar
FSW Briefing: Narrative on the Paris Runways, Milan After Thoughts, and a Luxury Strategy Webinar
This new weekly briefing from the FSW team highlights key stories and events from this week across luxury, fashion, and retail.
The Fashion Strategy Weekly (FSW) is proud to unveil a new weekly offering, the FSW Briefing. Each week, we will highlight specific news stories and stories from the week, always with an eye towards the “why” and “how” of what’s happening in fashion and luxury.
Paris Fashion Week So Far: More Narrative, Lots of Anticipation
All eyes at Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025 (SS2025) are on Alessandro Michele’s debut at Valentino on Sunday morning at 9:00am EST/3:00pm CEST. Outside of obsessing over what Michele will unveil (and the fact that boho chic will be very alive for spring thanks to Chemena Kamali’s Chloé SS2025 collection), this season has not disappointed.
We have seen several strong examples of IRL+ content strategy in action, showcasing collections as a sinuous outlet for powerful brand storytelling. At Dior, Balmain, and Schiaparelli, in particular, the runway transformed into a rich narrative experience with a heavy return to heritage but in a reinvented way.
Strong women have been a consistent reference point for Maria Grazia Chiuri since she joined Dior. But it’s hard to beat a competitive archer (in this case Italian artist and archer Sagg Napoli) for a literal representation of mythological female warriors. Chiuri’s collection for Dior SS2025 was fierce, expressive, and uncompromising. There was an array of structured black-and-white silhouettes that played with asymmetry but also vertical lines. The collection had a street-inspired athleticism appropriate for the every day but was not softened, suggesting that strength and femininity are inherent for women.
At Balmain, Olivier Rousteing put forth a surrealist collection that was thoughtful and conceptually rich. Rousteing turned garments into canvases for real-life content, quietly (or not so quietly) promoting the recent re-entry of Balmain into the luxury beauty category thanks to a lucrative partnership with Estée Lauder Companies. Gowns with oversized face images were in fact embroidered portraits made from thousands of hand-embroidered pearlescent beads. There were also plenty of references to Rousteing’s own upbringing and early work, including a return to pointy-shouldered jackets and dresses.
Elsa Schiaparelli was known for her surrealistic take on fashion, one that was highly narrative (or at least felt so). Daniel Roseberry has deepened this philosophy for the maison throughout most of his couture collections. While Roseberry’s move into prêt-à-porter is little different, it retains all of the flair, intricate worksmanship, and moments of surprise. There is not a single dull piece in Roseberry’s Schiaparelli SS2025 collection. While there are patterns and shapely silhouettes galore, it is highly cohesive even in its seeming chaos. The Schiaparelli SS2025 collection is a party girl’s dream, full of corseted dresses and tops, zebra print separates, and straight-up fun silhouettes with a lot of shoulder pads.
If the runway is fashion’s most powerful form of content, then these Paris Fashion Week 2025 collections show how the runway can be transformed into a dynamic form of media with an individual collection serving as a chapter or episode in a wider, ongoing series of fashion storytelling. In short, the runway is a critical touchpoint or channel within a brand’s wider content strategy, with each garment serving as an individual piece of content designed to engage and inspire.
Milan Fashion Week After Thoughts
Even though Milan Fashion Week is over, our FSW team has spent most of the week reminiscing on our time there. When in town, we came across the announcement from the Four Seasons. Just in time for Paris Fashion Week, the iconic hospitality brand launched So Chic, Darling!, dubbed “a new personal shopper and stylist experience.” This rare two-hotel programme is available exclusively at Four Seasons Hotel Milano and Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris.
So Chic, Darling! combines style, story, and service into unique itineraries in each city, custom crafted by expert stylists to guide fashion lovers to a different kind of shopping experience. For Milan, renowned art director and stylist Vittora De Carlo has curated a special programme for guests, uncovering vintage boutiques, private showrooms, unique accessory stores, and her favourite perfumery. In Paris, at Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris, Parisian style expert Nathalie Oliver guides guests on a personal itinerary across this iconic fashion capital.
Webinar - Luxury Content Strategy: The What, Why, and How
Finally, we would like to invite our readers to our first webinar, “Luxury Content Strategy: The What, Why, and How” on November 15, 2024 from 9:00-10:00am EST.
In this webinar, FSW co-publishers Bryce Quillin and Jessica Quillin will discuss what luxury content strategy is, why it is crucial for luxury brands, and how to get started. The goal is to help luxury brands understand how to create authentic, consistent content across channels at scale that reflects their brand storytelling and resonates with shoppers.
Join this webinar to gain valuable insights to elevate your brand's content game and to unlock the secrets of a content-first approach to luxury strategy.
To register, tickets for this free webinar are available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/luxury-content-strategy-the-what-why-and-how-tickets-951485939057?aff=oddtdtcreator