Paris Fashion Week: A Season of Spectacle | StudioXAG

We asked the team what made them stop, stare, and feel, the moments that pushed boundaries, built worlds, and reminded us why fashion still has the power to move people.

Here’s what stuck…

Gemma Ruse, Founder

“Dior completely shifted my expectations. The collaboration with Adam Curtis was fascinating, bringing Dior into this dark, almost cinematic world with an eerie, horror edge. That’s not what you usually associate with Dior, which made it all the more compelling.

Traditionally, Dior feels very more sophisticated and refined, so seeing Jonathan Anderson take it somewhere unsettling and conceptual was exciting. The set itself was striking, minimal yet dramatic, and I couldn’t tell whether the floor was marble or a printed illusion, which added to the intrigue.

I loved the decision to open the show with a short film. It’s unusual to invite guests into a space and then make them watch a two-minute cinematic piece before the runway begins, but it worked. It created this moment of collective focus, everyone seemed totally absorbed, like they were in a cinema.

This season changed my view on Dior, it felt visionary. The sculptural shapes, the sense of drama. It made me curious to see where “spooky Dior” goes next.“

Kevin MacLean, Associate Design Director

“I think Dior has to be in my top three this season. Seeing Jonathan Anderson’s debut for the house was incredible, there was this real sense of anticipation around what he’d do, and I think he totally delivered.

The set was amazing, that upturned triangle in the middle of the space, I loved how it played with form and shape. And the way he mixed that really cinematic horror tension with old film clips running throughout the show, with clips of Dior campaigns, was so unexpected. It had this eerie, almost psychological edge that made you sit up and pay attention.

I don’t know if it was him channeling that feeling of stepping into something huge, because Dior is a massive house, even compared to Loewe, but there was something about that tension that felt very deliberate, almost personal.

And then the way the triangle form became the light for the whole show, I thought that was such a smart move. The whole thing transformed from dark and moody to bright, white, and clean. It was visually stunning and conceptually tight. Just beautiful.“

Xavier Sheriff, Founder

“Stella McCartney really stood out to me this season, it wasn’t one of the most theatrical shows, and by nature, that’s intentional. A massive, heavy set would be wasteful and not great for the planet, and while I do miss that sense of theatre, I think the concept and the design were strong enough that it just shone through.

The show took place in the Centre Pompidou, which is one of my favourite buildings in Paris, it has incredible history and a real creative energy. The whole focus was on impact and sustainability, and nearly every piece had some kind of upcycled or recycled element, which feels so true to Stella as a person and to her brand.

And the Helen Mirren moment, where she opened the show reading Come Together, as she read it, it felt really powerful and she was dressed in an incredible suit, I  loved that.

I was tempted to talk about a couture show because they’re always so dramatic and sculptural, and I do love that. But in the end, Stella McCartney was what stuck with me, everything she designs, what she stands for, and the way she runs her business. She’s very true to herself, and she’s actually walking the walk as well as talking the talk.“

Michael Sim, Associate Design Director

“The show I really loved was Schiaparelli. It was titled Dancing in the Dark, and I l just loved the set. It was very simple, staged in the Centre Pompidou, with really low-level lighting, and the lights illuminated the models beautifully, almost like a stage. It felt very dramatic.

They walked along this dirt path that had been created in the middle of the Pompidou, and it just looked really cool, really elegant, and really beautiful. Daniel Roseberry, the creative director, is a genius in my opinion.

The collection was really elevated and chic, lots of beautiful fabrics layered over one another, amazing dresses and evening gowns, and all with that Schiaparelli creative twist. They always add a surreal moment, unusual cutouts, gold detailing, gold jewelry, those surrealist nods that I just love. I don’t think any other fashion house is doing what they do.

It was super chic and such a beautiful setting for these incredible pieces. You could imagine wearing them to some amazing night out in Paris. I just thought it was beautiful.”

Daniel Wigham, Associate Director of Strategy + Sustainability

“Chanel stole Fashion Week for me this season.

It was Matthieu Blazy’s debut for the house, and he took us on a journey through the cosmos.

Staged beneath the Grand Palais’ iconic 19th-century glass vaults, the show transformed the space into a mesmerising celestial landscape. It was vast and yet pared back: reflective floors and an array of planets glowing quietly within this historic structure.

As he put it, “For this first Chanel show, I wanted to do something quite universal, like a dream, something outside of time, and I was fascinated by the universe of stars, a theme so dear to the House. We all observe the same sky, and I think it provokes the same emotions in us.”

I was astounded by those aerial shots, the moment the entire universe appeared contained within the Palais. Truly breathtaking.”

Amber Dawson, Senior Marketing Manager

“I think my favourite show this season was from Acne Studios. There was something about that contrast, the 70s-style cigar room set against the ecclesiastical grandeur of the church, that just hit differently.

It was staged inside the Collège des Bernardins, this stunning 13th-century space with soaring arches. Then Acne Studios created this moody, wood-panelled, smoke-toned world right in the middle of it. It was intimate, tactile, and a little subversive. It felt like a secret club hidden inside a cathedral.

I loved that tension: the sacred meets the smoky. The whole thing was warm, sensual, and strangely nostalgic. The collaboration with artist Pacifico Silano added another layer, those archival collages, that masculine energy softened by something more vulnerable. It had this push and pull between toughness and tenderness that felt very modern.”

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