What Is Paris Fashion Week?

What is Paris Fashion Week and how does it work?

Paris Fashion Week is four trade weeks a year, two each for womenswear and menswear, when designer houses show ready-to-wear collections on an official calendar. The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) coordinates it.

The federation has three committees, for haute couture, womenswear and menswear. Its member list sorts houses into members, guests, corresponding members and emerging brands.

Six official weeks a year

The same federation coordinates Haute Couture Week, so Paris hosts six official weeks a year. In 2027, each round runs in the same order: Paris Men’s Fashion Week in January and June, then Paris Haute Couture Week in January and July, then womenswear. As of 2026, the federation has published these dates for 2027.

The official calendar and the “off”

Brands that want a place on the official calendar must apply. A committee then selects them for creativity, international potential and craftsmanship, according to a City of Paris guide last updated in 2023. Past editions have also had what the city calls the “off”: exhibition openings, parties and showrooms around the official programme.

When did Paris Fashion Week start, and what are its milestones?

Paris Fashion Week in its ready-to-wear form dates from 1973, but the trade body behind it traces its roots to 1868. The federation says its womenswear chambre syndicale (trade chamber) was founded on 8 October 1973, after leading couturiers and designers decided to present their ready-to-wear collections together.

• 1858: the couturier Charles Frederick Worth, to whom the federation attributes the origins of haute couture, founds what it calls the first true couture house, at 7 rue de la Paix.
• 1868: the chamber at the federation’s origins is founded, under an earlier name.
• 14 December 1910: it becomes the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne.
• 23 January 1945: a decision makes “haute couture” a legally registered designation of origin in France. Following it, the chamber becomes the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.
• 1960s: a movement of fashion designers working alongside the great couturiers emerges.
• 8 October 1973: chambres for designer ready-to-wear and for menswear are founded. The same day brings the Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode, which unites them with couture.
• 1994 to 2010: the Carrousel du Louvre serves as the event’s hub, according to the City of Paris.
• 2010: high jewellery (haute joaillerie) houses affiliated to the federation join the haute couture calendar.
• 29 June 2017: the federation takes its current name.

The federation’s own pages differ on detail. Its committee page dates the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to 1911 and credits Worth with initiating the first chamber in 1868. Its timeline instead records a 1910 renaming, names no founder for 1868 and ties the haute couture name to 1945.

A City of Paris guide calls the 1973 Battle of Versailles the first Paris Fashion Week. It was a single benefit show on 28 November 1973, held to fund the palace’s restoration. The publicist Eleanor Lambert organised it with the Versailles curator Gerald Van der Kemp. Five French and five American designers took part.

Why does Paris Fashion Week matter?

Paris Fashion Week matters because it is one of the “Big Four” fashion weeks, alongside New York, London and Milan, and because its audience is the trade. A City of Paris guide, last updated in 2023, describes Paris shows as reserved for professionals, buyers and journalists. They are the people who choose what shops stock and what gets written about.

What it offers independent designers

The federation backs young labels directly through its SPHERE Emerging Brands Initiative. Introduced in 2019, it aims to support the growth of 80 young brands. As of 2026, candidates must be under 10 years old with turnover below €5 million. They must also be guest members of the official calendars or winners of major international prizes. The federation holds a SPHERE PFW Showroom at every Paris Fashion Week, with a digital version since 2021. Professionals accredited by the federation are invited, including major buyers and the French and international press.

What does Paris Fashion Week mean for people who buy clothes?

For shoppers, Paris Fashion Week is a preview, not a shop: its ready-to-wear is shown to the trade months before the season it is named for. Three checks help.

• Match the season to the month. Womenswear shown from 27 September to 5 October 2027 is Spring/Summer 2028. The March 2027 week shows Fall/Winter 2027-2028. Couture runs closer to its season: Spring/Summer 2027 couture is shown in January 2027.
• Check “shown at Paris Fashion Week” against the final calendar. The federation posts each season’s final calendar on fhcm.paris. A label missing from it may have shown in the “off” or a showroom, but not on the official calendar.
• Check “haute couture” against the member list. The designation has been legally registered in France since 1945. Only houses approved each year by a dedicated commission, under the aegis of the Ministry for Industry, can become eligible. The federation’s Haute Couture Committee groups accredited houses, judged on craftsmanship, personalisation, collection schedules and the know-how of their ateliers. Its member list can be filtered by Haute Couture.

How can you follow or attend Paris Fashion Week?

As of 2026, the public can follow Paris Fashion Week online through the federation’s site, fhcm.paris, but attending is largely limited to the trade. Each season the site posts the final calendar and links to watch the shows again. Couture week, the 2023 City of Paris guide says, admits only press and clients.