Published
June 29, 2026
On Friday, as temperatures of 38° celsius continued to swelter the capital, Paris Men’s Fashion Week presented two contrasting visions: the fluid Parisian chic of Officine Générale and the show-off dystopias of Vetements.
Officine Générale invites you on a journey
Everyone in Paris is dreaming of water this week—especially the fashion professionals who are roaming the City of Light a bit more than others. Pierre Mahéo, for his show unveiling Officine Générale’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, made that wish come true, at least in part. The founder of the Parisian brand took his gallant young men to the Arsenal lock in the Bastille neighborhood.
Imposing parasols and white benches on the warm cobblestones, two elegant yachts moored along the banks of the Canal Saint-Martin, and the setting of the Parisian canal’s final lock all come together—for the duration of the fashion show—to evoke the atmosphere of a sophisticated beach club. The precision of the Spring/Summer 2027 collection, dubbed “Crossing Paths”, underscored the plunge into the journey.
“Ports, quays, and train stations are places where everyone rushes toward their own destiny. I like to sit down at a nearby table, order a coffee, and watch the ceaseless flow of people: imagining their journeys, deciphering their gestures, studying their silhouettes,” the designer explained in his designer’s note, though he did mention that he hadn’t anticipated such a heat wave, which put the show’s preparations to the test.
But like a true captain, Maheo stayed the course. Officine Générale made use of lightweight, breathable fabrics without compromising its Parisian elegance. A white cotton top worn under a fitted gray double-breasted blazer left open, paired with boxy shorts in lightweight leather; a robe-style coat, cinched at the waist with a black belt and featuring silky cream lapels, was worn over ultra-flowing pants in the same shade or high-waisted, wide-leg chocolate-brown pants, with the jacket draped over the arm alongside a Mao-collar shirt whose button placket was concealed in a light lilac hue: the Officine Générale woman embodied the busy poet, casual chic, or evening elegance.
For men, Mahéo incorporated this pastel lilac into fairly formal shirts, as well as into a desirable ensemble of straight-leg pants and a loose-fitting linen jacket, paired with a bucket hat. His men’s looks were predominantly pants, with cuts that retained volume while allowing the legs to breathe, whether they’re suit pants or pieces made of lightweight canvas. Elegance was expressed through solid-color polo shirts, as well as casually unbuttoned shirts worn with unstructured blazers, overshirts, or lightweight leather jackets.
“As soon as I saw that it would be 38°C, I streamlined the layering, minimized the number of layers, and didn’t pair sweaters with jackets. I didn’t include a suede jacket because it looked too hot… to achieve what made sense. And that proves the collection is adaptable. We have washed-out linen, Tencel, and 210-gram wool. It’s super lightweight, but since last summer we’ve been choosing these materials because we can see that these heat waves are here to stay. For me, that’s a sign that we need to aim to do less but do it better,” the designer explained to FashionNetwork.
An approach that’s paying off. Despite a complex global landscape that’s putting retail initiatives on hold, the brand—whose shareholders include The Untitled Group and BPIFrance—had, according to its founder, its best May ever in its Parisian boutiques, with some stores seeing a 20% jump in sales. It’s a trend that Mahéo hopes will continue through another summer.
It remains to be seen whether his customers will embrace this story, much like the young dandy out on the town who closed the show. Wearing a V-neck knit polo shirt with a thick horizontal stripe in the same navy blue as his suit, paired with a pair of white sneakers, he stepped out onto the light wooden deck of one of the two ships alongside the entire cast.
Vetements: Show-off, Sharon Stone, and a stumble
The stars were just as much a part of the audience as they were of the show at Vetements, late in the afternoon on Friday in a stark underground road tunnel in the Grenelle neighborhood. Singer Maluma, 2026 NBA champion with the NY Knicks Jordan Clarkson, North West, and Thai actors TeeTee Wanpichit Nimitparkpoom and Por Suppakarn Jirachotikul—who broke decibel records upon their arrival— Guram Gvasalia’s dark label once again demonstrated its ability to attract the spotlight.
The designer and CEO of the brand, however, managed to turn the spotlight on his show by having a commanding Sharon Stone—dressed as a formal gothic priestess—close out his dark runway show. The American actress, with tousled hair and smudged punk makeup, strode boldly down the runway wearing a white blazer with massive shoulders over a deconstructed black shirt, paired with a white tie worn inside out and embossed with the brand’s logo. This top contrasted radically with the bottom half, consisting of immense black patent leather thigh-high boots with a fetishistic edge
For its return to the official Paris Men’s Fashion Week schedule (after several off-calendar shows during Women’s Fashion Week), Vêtements delivered a quintessential Vetements show. Gvasalia’s label reaffirmed the hallmarks that have defined its reputation since its founding by brothers Demna and Guram in 2014, and its takeover by Guram in 2021.
Drawing on showbiz tropes, Gvasalia, along with the brand, relished positioning himself as a subversive force, presenting a dystopian, gender-fluid universe inspired by “The Matrix”, in line with his latest shows. In this regard, Gvasalia—who distributes the brand through dozens of luxury retailers worldwide and whose website is currently inactive but promises a new version soon—did not concern himself with seasonal constraints. The reimagined, deconstructed tailoring with disproportionate proportions featured jackets with sleeves that are often too long, worn over oversized shirts with thin stripes for women or a white tank top for men. Skirts and jackets were frayed at the hems. And the oversized, inside-out ties broke up the formal look, as did the pairing with leather pants and satin bomber jackets.
The designer has moved away from sweatshirts and T-shirts with slogans—one of which made a lasting impression last year—opting instead for a understated T-shirt featuring a baby’s face wearing Oakley sunglasses, his eyewear partner for the show, or a gray tie-dye T-shirt emblazoned with “Grève Générale” worn by a young model; closely followed by a giant clad in a green satin bomber jacket with “Polizei” written on the back. But overall, the label—positioned at the very high end of the market—has shifted its offerings toward more mature pieces.
Another striking experiment focused on womenswear, featuring sheath dresses in red, blue, white, or black lace, as if encased in a thick layer of clear plastic film. Unfortunately, the fit and drape of these pieces (and others) were hard to gauge, as the models struggled to walk along the long, uneven, tarred strip that served as the runway. This was a shame, especially since just a few hours before the show, the brand had announced the launch of its shoe line. While the men wore heavy shoes and Asics sneakers reimagined with spikes, Gvasalia’s cyberpunk women trudged painfully along in satin pumps, matte leather ankle boots, or heeled mules. An extreme interpretation of the “anti-luxury” concept?
Vetements appeared notably more at ease with these imposing sleeved pieces—whether raincoats or biker leather—ranging from jackets to jumpsuits that the brand has been offering for several seasons, much like when Travis Scott caused a sensation dressed entirely in leather.
“You must be so proud of him!” Sharon Stone told Gvasalia’s parents as she captured the family reunion backstage after the show. Judging by the designer’s beaming, unmistakable smile, he certainly is.
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