Two Paris Fashion Weeks scheduled for January mainly, menswear and haute couture, will not feature any live runway shows. This has been done keeping in mind the rules laid down by the government as the second nationwide lockdown was announced in France; informed the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

The decision was taken after discussions between the Préfecture de Police in Paris and the Fédération, which informed the participating houses. It also follows the latest address from French Prime Minister Jean Castex, where he emphasized lockdown restrictions would remain in place in France. Restaurants, cinemas and ski resorts have been closed since December as the country struggles to slow down the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Fédération’s executive president Pascal Morand insists the seasons will continue, albeit overwhelmingly online. He also informed many houses were still deciding on the exact format of their shows but stressed that houses could still present shows with models on the web, though behind closed doors. The federation has a state-of-the-art platform, where people can see every collection on the web. So, everything is in place for it to work.

Paris had already published significant schedules of shows, highlighting the desire of many houses to present collections. There are 71 houses listed on the menswear calendar, including such powerhouse marques as Louis Vuitton, Dior Homme and Hermès, along with influential designer brands as Yohji Yamamoto, Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Vetements, Paul Smith, Loewe and Thom Browne. The couture calendar features 32 houses, such as Chanel, Armani Privé and Jean Paul Gaultier.