SPHERE in the Spotlight

Indeed, Paris shone beyond all expectations, and beyond the brightest athletic moments, there was fashion – always playing a part in the celebrations. A trio of divinities in Dior: Lady Gaga and Céline Dion, whose gown featured over 500 meters of embroidered fringe. Aya Nakamura as a golden goddess among the Garde Républicaine. And let’s not forget mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel draped in a French flag, again imagined by Dior, as she sang the Marseillaise from the rooftop of the Grand Palais, and rapper Rim'K in a Louis Vuitton jacket. These images have become truly iconic.

Polemics aside, the opening ceremony was marked by the triumph of fashion, and by showcasing designers chosen by Daphné Burki, costume director, and supervised by Thomas Jolly, artistic director of the event. “It's absolutely remarkable that the team in charge of the ceremonies for the Games had the audacity enlist emerging designers whose work reflects the concerns of our time. This exposure gave these talents exceptional visibility and enabled them to play a central role in events that attract worldwide attention,” points out Serge Carreira, Director of Emerging Brands at the Fédération Française de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. As witnessed by this impressive gallery of colours and emotions: a dress by Alphonse Maitrepierre exquisitely carried off by Farida Khelfa; another by Victor Weinsanto, winner of the 2023 Grand Prix de la Création de la Ville de Paris; the costumes in a kaleidoscope palette by Charles de Vilmorin, who outfitted dancers on stilts; and Jeanne Friot, who dressed Floriane Isser, a Gendarmerie officer, as a masked knight in a magnificent suit of armour combining leather and silver textures.  

This would probably not have been possible without SPHERE, a bi-annual event organised by the FHCM. Since January 2020, the FHCM has been operating, with the support of DEFI and L'Oréal Paris, SPHERE Paris Fashion Week® Showroom. Germanier was part of the SPHERE showroom for three years, from March 2020 right before Covid to March 2023. Louis Gabriel Nouchi was part of the showroom from January 2021 to January 2023, totalling five seasons. Alphonse Maitrepierre will participate in his fifth season, presenting his Spring-Summer 2025 collection, having begun in September 2022. Jeanne Friot arrived to Sphere in June 2022 and took part in her fifth season last June. Finally, Charles de Vilmorin will be celebrating his second season and Weinsanto his first. SPHERE remains dedicated its mandate of supporting young creation, bringing together a range of brands invited to the Official Calendar along with Prize winners, all hand-picked for their creativity and potential for future growth.