5 things to know from the Autumn 2024 couture season

Whether it was because of Olympics-related disruptions, the economy, world events or the creative director merry-go-round, Autumn 2024 couture week felt slightly quieter than usual. This season, designers questioned the purpose and remit of couture bringing a modern interpretation to what is still a very traditional scene.

Here, we break down the 4 things to know from the week.

The numbers

The event ran from 24 to 27 June — a week earlier than usual — to accommodate the Olympic Games. This season’s calendar had 27 houses (compared to 31 last July).

Fendi, Valentino, Maison Margiela, Ronald van der Kemp, Julien Fournié and Gaurav Gupta skipped this couture season for a variety of reasons.

Valentino has a new designer, Ronald van der Kemp will be showing in New York in September, and Maison Margiela has pivoted to showing once a year. Meanwhile, this season marked the return of Thom Browne and Charles de Vilmorin to the schedule.

The stars

There were plenty of celebrities in attendance, including Kylie Jenner and Doja Cat at Schiaparelli, Jennifer Lopez, Jisoo and Xin Liu at Dior, and Michelle Williams and Keira Knightley at Chanel.

It was “bring your child to couture week”, as Vogue put it on Instagram: Cate Blanchett turned up with her son at Giorgio Armani Privé, while Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and Maya Rudolph each hit the Balenciaga show with offspring in tow.

Focus on the clothes — not viral moments

Schiaparelli creative director Daniel Roseberry was clear. “I didn’t want a robot baby, I didn’t want people to talk about anything other than the mastery of the clothes,” he said after the show.

Couture feels like an escape in the uncertain world, and one of this season’s highlights was Giorgio Armani Privé. Armani built his entire collection with pearls, “sensing a widespread need for serenity and constantly seeking a calm”, read the show notes. There was a guided meditation at Balenciaga.

Redefining couture

That said, some designers used this season to question the purpose of couture, its modernity and its remit. Is it a business, a theatre or an experience?

Modernity was key at the Jean Paul Gaultier show by Courrèges creative director Nicolas Di Felice — who is following in the footsteps of other guest designers including Haider Ackermann, Olivier Rousteing, Julien Dossena and Simone Rocha.

There was diverse casting, including some models from the queer community that he found on Instagram. The set was a white box and the collection involved geometric shapes. “When it comes to couture, people expect embellishments. Embellishment doesn’t come naturally for me,” Di Felice adds. “He modernised it; showed another part of me,” Gaultier says after the show. “It’s very refined, with a minimal approach. It gives another dimension.”

Olympics fever and Chanel in transition

The upcoming Paris Olympics and Paralympics were, of course, top of mind this season. On the eve of couture was Vogue World, which celebrated the long-running relationship between fashion and sports.

Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri paid homage to movement in her latest couture collection,

exploring clothing construction and its relationship to the body and sport. “I don’t want to build the body, I want to release it,” Chiuri told Vogue Runway and Vogue Business global director Nicole Phelps, who called her “the most modern couturier working today”.

Elsewhere in the industry this week

• LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault has reportedly built a small personal stake in Swiss luxury company (and LVMH rival) Richemont.
• Size inclusivity in menswear was always a challenge, but for Spring/Summer 2025, we’ve seen a backslide again.
• Lanvin has appointed Peter Copping as artistic director, in charge of womenswear and menswear collections as well as leather goods and accessories.
• On Thursday evening, Christopher Esber, who founded his namesake brand in 2010 and has recently expanded into swim and jewellery, took home the Andam Grand Prize for Fashion.