Paris — Many Parisians say they fear the 2024 Olympics. In fact, “Cauchmar” is the word most often used to describe the prospect of hosting 15 million tourists in a city that is already Europe's most densely populated. (This forecast is more than double the number of tourists who visited the Paris region in July and August last year).
But it is difficult to separate France's fatalism from real concerns about how the Olympics will affect life in Paris for locals and tourists, including road closures, security checkpoints and price gouging by airlines and hotels. was.
For fashion brands, understanding the situation is extremely important. The upcoming menswear and haute couture season, scheduled for June 18th to 25th, comes as preparations for the games, which open on July 25th, get into full swing.
Over the past year, Paris authorities have been proactive in providing information around the various “yellow zones” and “red zones” (areas surrounded by security checkpoints), as well as various changes to public transport during the Games. It's here.
Still, the infrastructure for the convention won't be completed overnight, and information about how the build-up to the convention will impact Paris Fashion Week is only gradually being revealed, so it's important for brands to plan ahead. It's becoming difficult.
“This is not going to be a small fashion week.”
Paris Fashion Week's organizer, FHCM (Fédération Haute Couture and Mode), has sought to reassure attendees that the week's challenges can be overcome with enough advance planning.
“Security, delivery, casting, production – all of this requires dialogue with brands and authorities to achieve this,” said Pascal Morand, president of FHCM. “But the general feeling so far is that everyone, including the city, wants this fashion week to be a success.”
For more than a year, the federation has been working with authorities such as the Prefecture of the Police, the City of Paris, the Olympic Committee and the French Ministry of Culture to maintain a running list of 260 venues frequently used for fashion weeks and track their status. ing. You will be affected.
This will be no small fashion week. 2024 is going to be a great year for Paris, including Parisian fashion.
The group is strengthening its partnership with the Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art museum in the 16th arrondissement that already hosts a number of shows, to allow more emerging brands to use the vast venue where it already has production and lighting contracts. I hope that it will be put to good use. And security.
Although the official calendar is not expected to be released until late April, the federation says around 90% of brands have confirmed slots for both the menswear and haute couture seasons. Valentino was among the few absent, with the brand canceling its next two shows, citing the arrival of new designers rather than the Olympics.
“This will not be a small fashion week. 2024 will be a great year for Paris, including Parisian fashion,” Morande said.
Robbery in the city center
In February, Condé Nast and FHCM announced that Anna Wintour'strend This June, the World Festival will be held in Paris for the first time during the Haute Couture period. The move sent a signal that despite the disruption, this year's Fashion Week will be as unmissable as ever.
Of course, for that trend It doesn't matter that most traffic in the neighborhood is already blocked to ensure a complete closure of Place Vendôme for the event.
The city recently confirmed that nearby Place de la Concorde will close permanently in June as it is transformed into an “urban sports” venue for events such as skateboarding and BMX. The Concorde, once the site of a guillotine, is now a vast traffic plaza that connects Paris' main arteries, including the Champs-Elysées, the Rue de Rivoli, and the streets along the Seine. Concorde and Tuileries metro stations will also be closed.
Attendees who plan to stay or do business at nearby hotels, such as the Crillon, Meurice, Westin, or even the Ritz in Paris, will need to come prepared with comfortable shoes and a manageable schedule.
The Pont Alexandre III, which connects the Left Bank to venues such as the Petit Palais and nearby Avenue Montaigne, will also be closed in preparation for the opening of the Seine on July 25th. Only the lower quay is scheduled to be closed during June, but preparations are being made along the riverbank and congestion is expected throughout the area.
production challenge
These closed boulevards are compounded by other challenges. Dozens of venues that were originally supposed to host fashion shows were requisitioned for the games.
“The biggest complexities are around the venue, with many of the usual iconic locations being used for the Olympics. The same goes for construction companies and other suppliers… and the police prefecture will be closed for at least two months. “We had previously wanted to investigate the request, but the scrutiny has become even more stringent,” said Emmanuel Heyman, global managing director of production company La Mode en Images. .
“The solution was to start far in advance. We encouraged the biggest brands to make decisions much earlier than they normally would,” Hyman added. Smaller brands, which tend to operate at the last minute, may struggle. “Literally everything is fully booked,” he says.
security, travel expenses
Local and national police forces are expected to be fully mobilized during the Olympics, and fashion brands are being asked to hire private security to assist with arrival traffic and other safety issues. While most big brands already have private security in place, smaller labels often request last-minute approval from the city and still expect police to help with security.
Travel costs are another concern, although airfares to Paris were initially soaring throughout the summer, but many routes have returned to relatively normal levels by the time the games get underway in earnest.
But Olympic price hikes continue to push up prices at full-service hotels, accelerating a phenomenon that has already strained the budgets of fashion and design weeks in Paris and Milan in recent years. Some business addresses like the four-star Westin Paris Vendôme are still within reach (remaining rooms during Men's Week from €400 per night), but palaces like the Hôtel George V Prices start from an eye-watering 2,980 euros.
For Fashion Week goers considering moving into a rented apartment, now may be the time to take the plunge. Many Parisians are taking advantage of the Olympic boom by turning their homes into vacation rentals this summer. That means trendy accommodations. The offer is currently available in areas where the game is less affected.
Is it worth the effort?
This season may present more logistical challenges than previous years, but given the increased international attention to Paris, this season could be an important time for brands to reaffirm their French identity. , it could also be an opportunity to accelerate efforts to forge closer ties with sport.
From the opening ceremony with 160 boats parading down the Seine, to fencing at the Grand Palais and horse-jumping in the Gardens of Versailles, the 2024 Olympics in Paris are sure to be one of the most telegenic sporting events in history .
But factors such as big partnerships between athletes and sportswear brands, the Olympic Committee's long-standing sponsorship deals with the likes of Omega, and LVMH's “premier” partnership with the Paris Games, have kept other designer brands from gaining traction. It can be difficult. The week remains your best bet.
“Right now, it doesn't feel like a drama,'' said Lucien Pages, a fashion spokesperson. She said, “We will exhibit the brands that we want to exhibit.''
“Just because we have the Olympics doesn't mean we shouldn't try to do something great,” Hyman said. “Fashion never stops.”
