Steve Barth
French fashion’s governing body, the Federation de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), has moved the dates of next year’s summer Haute Couture week by one week to avoid overlap with the Paris 2024 Olympics. The events were moved to provide ample time and space before the Olympics. The new dates are from Monday, June 24 to Thursday, June 27, 2024, four weeks apart from the global event. The FHCM made this decision to provide the Paris City Council, the Police Prefecture, the Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, and the inter-ministerial delegate for the organisation of major sports events enough time to create and break down spectator stands for the Olympics, given that many of the great catwalk shows in Paris are staged in historic city center locations.
The FHCM has announced the dates for six fashion seasons next year in Paris: two for menswear, women’s ready-to-wear, and couture. Paris Men’s Fashion Weeks will be held from Tuesday, January 16 to Sunday, January 21, and from Tuesday, June 18 to Sunday, June 23, while the haute couture seasons will be held from Monday, January 22 to Thursday, January 25, and from Monday, June 24 to Thursday, June 27. The women’s RTW seasons will be from Monday, February 26 to Tuesday, March 5, and Monday, September 23 to Tuesday, October 1.
Paris is the most visited city in the world and is planning the largest-ever opening ceremony of any Olympic Games. It is expected to draw around two million people to the city over the entire games, and the opening ceremony will be held on water for the first time, along the six-kilometer route, with guests on the lower and upper quays of the Seine. Moreover, the city will also host the next Paralympic Games in 2024, starting on August 28, bringing together 4,400 athletes over 12 days.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is expected to have extra security measures to avoid crowd chaos like the one that happened at last year’s Champions League final at the Stade de France. As a result, around 30,000 police and gendarmes will be on duty throughout the 17 days of the Olympics, and all Interior staff will be barred from taking leave during the games.
Both the Olympic games and Paris Fashion Weeks are unique opportunities for Paris, and Pascal Morand, the executive president of the Federation, said the organization has held a coordination meeting that went well and will have regular meetings to have the best cooperation. Parisian designers, like Chanel, frequently use the Grand Palais for their catwalk spectaculars, but it will be the site for fencing and taekwondo during the Olympics, requiring sequencing of events before and after the games.
Paris is famous for fashion, and designers hope to cooperate with the authorities, including the organizers of the Olympic Games, to create unique and exclusive experiences. It is vital that everyone cooperates to make the Olympics and Fashion Week successful events for Paris, showcasing the best of the city. May the games, and the catwalks, begin.
