A handful of British and American designers (Tommy Hilfiger, Tom Ford, Burberry and many more) have already started to embrace the see now, buy now schedule this season, but French designers are not jumping on the bandwagon just yet.
According to WWD, the administrative body of French fashion designers (Fédération Française de la Couture du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode) considered the schedule change but then opted to reject it.
The proposition was evaluated by a task force consisting of CEOs and executives from Chanel, Dior, Hermès and Saint Laurent. Representatives from Balenciaga, Lanvin, Nina Ricci, Maison Margiela and more are on the board of the Federation, which unanimously voted against the new schedule.
"Our clientele is educated and informed on how the system works," president of the Federation Ralph Toledano told WWD. He believes the wait between collections showing on the runways and hitting stores builds up excitement for customers. This counters the reasoning used to support see now, buy now, which claims consumers lose interest in the long wait for runway to go retail.
Toledano explained that the new schedule works for "marketing-driven brands," but would compromise the quality of work by French fashion designers, calling Paris "the highlight of fashion weeks all over the world."
However, some French brands may still switch up their calendar. Vetements plans to show new collections two months before the traditional ready-to-wear season. According to Toledano, the Federation will organize pre-season shows in Paris.
