With Paris Fashion Week in full effect right now – and the BSTN Fam on site (more on that in a bit) – there’s an elephant in the room worth addressing: While PFW has been waving the haute couture flag for over five decades now, there’s an argument to be made that its language – or that of its luxury powerhouses – has long been shaped elsewhere.
That’s because streetwear and sneaker culture didn’t just influence high fashion; they rewired it: Sneakers are now standard issue for every luxury house. Graphic tees moved from the sidewalk to the runway. Allover monogram prints and oversized logo placements: just ask Dapper Dan about it. Collab culture? Guess who made it hot in the first place. Same goes for limited drops. None of that started in ateliers.
The names attached to this world’s Fashion Weeks only underline the shift. Pharrell at Louis Vuitton. NIGO steering Kenzo. Wales Bonner bridging sportswear, tailoring, and cultural research at Hermès Menswear from now on. Even before all of that: Kanye’s long, formative relationship with Paris. Dapper Dan finally getting his due at Gucci – after being sued by the house in the ’80s for the very aesthetic it would later embrace. Or Willy Chavarria sending Jerry Lorenzo down the runway – a moment that felt symbolic, whether planned or not. These appointments weren’t coincidences: they were about injecting street(wear)-born relevance into an industry hungry for new energy.
That’s exactly why Paris Fashion Week matters to BSTN and why we’re back in France as usual. Only this time, we’re reporting live on the ground: Because beyond what happens on the runways, it’s just as telling what’s worn around them. Before the shows, between locations, and long after the lights go down.
With the BSTN Fam in Paris this week, you can look forward to live updates on the movements, moments, and ideas worth paying attention to in the near future. Don’t be afraid of endless runway breakdowns though: it’ll just be a real-time read on where elevated streetwear and culture are heading next.
