Paris Haute Couture Week kicks off with debuts from Pierpaolo Piccioli for Balenciaga and Duran Lantink for Gaultier

High fashion returned to the French capital this Monday with the start of a new edition of Paris Haute Couture Week. The event, running from Monday to Thursday, will feature the highly anticipated debuts of Pierpaolo Piccioli for Balenciaga and Duran Lantink for Jean Paul Gaultier. These are the main highlights of a schedule that is once again filled with new additions, welcome returns and notable absences.

Following on from the latest edition of Paris Men's Fashion Week, this event also closes the first part of the year's second major block of presentations before the industry's frantic pace resumes in September. This marks the second edition of Paris Haute Couture Week in 2026, following the event held last January. The showcase returns to the French capital to present the most exquisite collections from the industry's leading brands and fashion houses for the upcoming autumn/winter 2026/2027 season.

A total of 30 fashion houses and designers are scheduled to present their latest Haute Couture collections. This number is a slight increase from the 28 participants in last January's Paris Haute Couture Week and up from the 27 on the calendar for last year's July edition, organised by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM). This highlights the vibrant and dynamic nature of the Parisian and international Haute Couture scene. As per the calendar's regulations, this edition's line-up includes eight members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture; four international 'Corresponding Members' recognised for their excellence; and 18 'Guest Houses', a privilege granted at the discretion of the FHCM to both French and international fashion houses.

Pierpaolo Piccioli debuts for Balenciaga, Duran Lantink for Gaultier, and Maria Grazia Chiuri for Fendi

Delving into the details of this edition's calendar, beyond regulars such as Schiaparelli, Dior and Chanel, the schedule is once again packed with anticipated debuts, welcome returns and notable absences. As previously mentioned, the main highlights are the debuts of Pierpaolo Piccioli as creative director of the historic Spanish house Balenciaga, and Duran Lantink as creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier. The latter is a key brand in the portfolio of the Spanish fashion and beauty multinational, the Puig group.

Breaking down the calendar's special 'subgroups', let's start with the debuting designers and brands. On Wednesday, July 8, Pierpaolo Piccioli is scheduled to present his first Haute Couture collection for Balenciaga. This follows his appointment as creative director of the historic Paris-based house of Spanish origin in May 2025 and the presentation of his debut collection in October of the same year. On the same day, Duran Lantink will present his first Haute Couture collection for Gaultier, following his appointment as the new creative director of the Puig Group brand in April 2025. His appointment was particularly significant, as Lantink became the house's first permanent creative director since its founder's retirement.

In addition to these two main names, two other newcomers are joining the Paris Haute Couture Week calendar for the first time. These are the eponymous fashion house of Indian designer Manish Malhotra, who will close Wednesday's presentations, and Standing Ground, the brand of Irish designer and 2024 LVMH Prize winner, Michael Stewart. Stewart will present the penultimate show on the opening day, Monday, July 6.

In the returns section, the line-up includes Dutch designer Iris Van Herpen, who is back on the official calendar after her absence from last January's edition. Also returning is the couture house ArdAzAei, founded in Stockholm by Swedish-Iranian designer Bahareh Ardakani and Swedish designer Johannes Falk, and the celebrated designer Adeline André. André, at the helm of her eponymous fashion house, will close the programme on the afternoon of Thursday. She also missed the last January edition, having returned in July 2025 after a three-season absence.

Finally, in the absences section, several brands and designers from the January 2026 edition will not be participating this time. These include Gaurav Gupta, Julien Fournié, Phan Huy, Miss Sohee, and Valentino. Following the appointment of Alessandro Michele as its new creative director in March 2024, Valentino has decided to adopt a model of a single Haute Couture collection per year. This will be presented alternately with Balenciaga's single annual Haute Couture collection. Both brands are linked to the Kering group following its purchase of a 30 percent stake in Valentino in 2023. The list of 'major absentees' is completed by Giambattista Valli, who will thus complete a full, tumultuous year absent from the Paris Haute Couture calendar. The brand is restructuring its activities after the Italian designer regained full control of the firm. Spanish designer Juana Martín is also absent, marking a full year without showing on the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar. It remains to be seen whether the Cordoba-born designer will present a collection in the French capital off-schedule, as she did in January. No such show has been announced for this week in Paris so far.

The historic Roman house Fendi also deserves a special mention. The brand last showed on the official Paris Haute Couture Week calendar in January 2024. Following Maria Grazia Chiuri's debut as creative director with her first collection at Milan Fashion Week in February, Fendi will not be participating in this Paris Haute Couture Week either. However, this absence will be offset by an off-calendar presentation. Chiuri will present her first Haute Couture collection for Fendi with a show scheduled for this Thursday, July 9, at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAMC) in Rome. The presentation will mark the Roman designer's Haute Couture debut for the LVMH-owned house. It will also serve as a prelude to the opening of the exhibition 'After un percorso di lavoro. Fendi/Karl Lagerfeld 1985. After steps through work', scheduled for Friday at the same GNMAC in Rome. The exhibition delves into the creative relationship between the Italian house and the celebrated couturier Karl Lagerfeld from 1985 until his death. It will be open to the public from July 10 to October 25, 2026. Guests at Thursday's show will be able to tour the exhibition in a private viewing after the presentation.

Official Paris Haute Couture Week show schedule – autumn/winter 2026/2027