With brands such as Sacai, Valentino, Giambattista Valli and Coperni skipping Paris Fashion Week – Sacai is taking a break, Valentino showing in Rome, while the other two are not showing amid rumours of financial difficulties – the schedule is a bit thinner this season. But there is still a lot to see, and not just runway shows.The LVMH Prize – one of the most prestigious fashion awards, which also comes with significant financial support – held a presentation and cocktail event to introduce this year’s semi-finalists, including designers from Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and the US.
Delphine Arnault (centre) with the 2026 LVMH Prize semi-finalists, including Hong Kong’s Kinyan Lam. Photo: Handout
Here are highlights from the shows so far.
Leather ensembles were part of the line-up at Rick Owens’ fall/winter 2026 collection. Photo: Handout
Rick Owens, the Paris-based American designer with a cult following, has become so associated with a kind of dystopian and brutalist aesthetic that sometimes it’s easy to forget how approachable and customer friendly his garments are.
While his shows are often singled out for their line-up of characters and otherworldly atmosphere, if you look beneath the layers, quite literally, you see just a bunch of beautifully made pieces that can easily walk from runway to reality.
Rick Owens is a master draper. Photo: Handout
In spite of the apocalyptic mood of the show, from the make-up to the styling, the “towering” looks of his fall/winter 2026 collection were some of the most female-friendly seen on any runway this season. He knows how to put on a great spectacle and also how to deliver clothes you want to wear.
Named Tower, the range focused on elongated silhouettes and dramatic shapes, as is often the case at Rick Owens, but there was also plenty of stuff to buy, from denim cutoffs to sharply cut leather jackets, chunky knits and the perfect tank top that fits just so.
