Champagne, caffeine and chaos: Fashion week descends on Paris

If you want to enter an alternate reality for six days, Paris Fashion Week is the place to do it.

When I board my Eurostar from St Pancras on a rainy Tuesday, I'm not sure what to expect from Menswear Spring/Summer 25.

The usual cohort of bleary-eyed commuters from London is this time interspersed with sunglass clad models and frazzled looking PR professionals, desperately trying to keep on top of their emails.

Paris is a changing city - despite being notorized for its art and romance, it has evolved over the decades into a savvy business hub, but one area it will always maintain its devotion to is being one of the greatest fashion scenes on the planet.

And Parisians take their commitment to the cause very seriously, as one stylist told me while surrounded by at least 15 Russian models: "It's a fashion week afterparty, of course we have to go in wearing sunglasses."

Twice a year, designer brands from all backgrounds descend on the city and historic buildings are temporarily co-opted; all for the love of fashion.

One such building is the Unesco building, home to the unveiling of Louis Vuitton's new collection under the creative direction of Pharrell Williams.

As one of the most acclaimed luxury brands in the world, the anticipation at the show matches its surroundings.

Murmerings about star appearance echo the streets, as fans queue down the block, pressing against barriers and standing on tree trunks to catch a glimpse of the show's VIPs.

The front row includes Anna Wintour, Sabrina Carpenter, Burna Boy, Stormzy, Loyle Carner, Tems and Michael Fassbender.

The show celebrates athletic prowess, with reworked football jerseys throughout the designs and nods to the Olympic Games.

At the finale, Williams comes out looking jubilant, mobbed by a crowd of Louis Vuitton crew wearing denim jackets emblazoned with “The World is Yours”.

If Louis Vuitton is a sophisticated older brother, Prototypes is its' rebellious younger sister.

Much like Louis Vuitton, Prototypes pulls its inspiration from the sports and a devotion to football which borders on religious.

The key difference here is that this younger sibling clearly spends her weekends deep in the Berlin clubbing scene. Prototypes is a brand that speaks to the alternative fashion movement.

Since its launch in 2021, it has collected star studded fans such as Playboi Carti and Noah Cyrus. As I sit waiting for the show to start, I ask a journalist why the show is running an hour late":[]}