Haute Couture secrets, Rhode Summer Club, a new Schiaparelli exhibition
+ How to stop getting ignored by fashion companies
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Fashion truly never sleeps. From fall-winter Ready-to-Wear to Resort and Men’s collections, this week, Paris Haute Couture Week took the turn, unveiling the FW25/26 season between Monday and Thursday. I am always in awe of how far designers can push their creative boundaries, but this time it felt like they delivered even more next level couture!
Daniel Roseberry at Schiaparelli, who as always had the honor of opening Couture Week, staged a theatrical presentation “Back to the Future” which featured a beating heart on this red look!!
Two hours later, Iris Van Herpen unveiled Sympoiesis, a collection that visualises “a future where all human design is not just inspired by nature, but integrated with it”. The opening “living look” was embedded with 125 million bioluminescent algae, which was grown in sea-water baths over several months within a specialised nutrient gel.
In his runway debut for Maison Margiela, Glenn Martens sent every one of the 49 runway looks with a matching mask, made from an extraordinary mix of materials—soldered metal, mirrored shards, crystals, thick tulle, feathers, and even plastic, which echoed the early collections of the Maison, particularly the spring-summer 1989 Artisanal show. Talking about stepping in confidently after John Galliano!
The Couture Week also marked the end of Demna Gvasalia’s 10-year tenure at Balenciaga as he unveiled his last collection in the iconic historic salons of the house on Avenue George V in Paris. And Chanel presented the last collection ideated by the Maison’s design team before Matthieu Blazy’s anticipated debut in October. It was presented in the Salon d’Honneur at the Grand Palais, which reminded of Gabrielle Chanel’s original salons at 31, rue Cambon.
What was your favorite couture moment? Let’s chat!
What else happened in the industry this week? 💚
Ulta Beauty acquires Space NK
Source: Vogue Business
The beauty industry has a new hot deal, with Ulta Beauty announcing on Thursday that it has acquired British beauty retailer Space NK from Manzanita Capital, a London investment firm, marking the end of their 23-year collaboration.
Space NK opened its first standalone store in London in 1993 and will continue to operate as such under Ulta Beauty, only now it will have access to Ulta’s brand network, innovative capabilities, and enhanced purchasing power. For Ulta Beauty, the benefit is in making a footprint in a key beauty market and gaining “immediate access to an established UK retail network, avoiding the risk and high cost of building one from scratch,” according to Vogue Business.
Rhode opens a summer club
Source: WWD
Hailey Bieber has picked the perfect summer destination for her billion-dollar beauty brand, Rhode: Mallorca, Spain, where she opened her first-ever beach club at Gran Folies with branded sun umbrellas, beach loungers, towels, and water bottles. The special motive? Celebrate the launch of the new lemontini peptide lip tint and summer blushes. Open through July 23rd.
Prada launches a campaign in Capri
Source: WWD
The sun is also shining for Prada, which took over Lido del Faro, a beach club located in Anacapri and its nearby areas, for a new IRL activation. The Italian luxury house placed colored gozzos that offer guests ice cream and Prada-branded hardware that feature in the latest “Days of Summer” campaign. You can see the activation for a week only until July 13.
Farm Rio launches a resale program
Source: WWD
Another good day for sustainability: Farm Rio is launching its first resale program, called Farm Rio Closet to Closet. It is currently available in the U.S. only, in partnership with Poshmark and ThredUp, but there are plans to expand into other markets soon.
Fendi launches a new high jewelry collection
Source: WWD
Continuing to celebrate its 100th anniversary, Fendi launched a new high jewelry collection (courtesy of Delfina Delettrez Fendi, artistic director of jewelry at the Roman house) which pays homage to Rome and its fountains. Named “Eaux d’Artifice” (wordplay of feux d’artifice in French, aka fireworks), it was inspired by the 1954 namesake short film by Kenneth Anger.
Dior Lady Art project turns 10
Source: WWD
The Dior Lady Art project celebrates its 10th anniversary, and for this new edition, the brand has invited 10 artists to take part, including Marc Quinn and Lakwena from the U.K., Jessica Cannon and Patrick Eugène (U.S.), Eva Jospin and Inès Longevial from France, Ju Ting from China, South Korean artist Lee Ufan, Alymamah Rashed from Kuwait, and Sophia Loeb from Brazil. To mark the big occasion, Dior is releasing a book, due to be published by Rizzoli in October, which will showcase 99 artists’ interpretations of the iconic Lady Dior bag.
A new Schiaparelli exhibition
Source: WWD
The Victoria & Albert Museum in London prepares to welcome its next fashion exhibition: “Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art”, which will be staged at the Sainsbury Gallery from March 21 to November 1, 2026. The exhibition will focus on the history of the house from the founder Elsa Schiaparelli’s days to the current creative direction of Daniel Roseberry, and display more than 200 objects, including garments, accessories, jewelry, paintings, and photographs.
Fashion Career Tip
How to stop getting ignored by fashion companies
Are you scrolling fashion job boards, reading Vogue daily, and watching Fashion Week recaps on YouTube like it’s a movie, wondering if you’ll ever get in the industry?
Perhaps you even applied to 12 (min) internships this month and got maybe one “Thank you for applying” auto-reply. And you gave up.
I was there too. I studied Management Engineering, nowhere near Milan or Paris runways. I didn’t know a single person working in fashion. And when I finally got brave enough to send out my first applications, I got rejected by 20 brands in a row.
I remember thinking: “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.” “Maybe it’s just too hard without experience.” “Maybe fashion only hires people from the inside.”
But none of that was true. Because everything changed when I changed my strategy. Not my degree. Not my experience. Just the way I presented myself.
And now I want to help you do the same.
Here is the truth: You don’t need connections, experience, or another degree to work in fashion; you need a strategy that shows recruiters your potential.
🎓And that’s what I’ll teach you inside my free live webinar this coming Monday and Wednesday where you’ll learn how to:
✅ Stand out from the competition, even with no experience
✅ Get past the “fashion wall” that blocks so many outsiders
✅ Finally get real responses to your applications
🗓 Pick the time that works best for you: Monday or Wednesday
⏰ 90 minutes | Live | Bonus gift if you attend live
Nice Thing 💖
Anne Hathaway on a fashion emergency at Vogue 💅🏻
What to watch this week 🎥
In this 12-minute deep dive, I’m uncovering everything you need to know about Haute Couture: its roots, its rules, and why it’s still the heartbeat of the fashion industry. Whether you’re dreaming of working at Dior or just watching Paris Fashion Week in awe, this video will help you understand the legacy and future of fashion’s highest craft.
You’ll learn:
What “Haute Couture” really means (it’s not just fancy dresses)
Who can officially be called a couture house
Secrets from the Paris ateliers
How Haute Couture influences ready-to-wear and careers in fashion
Why it still matters in 2025
Bonus: I’ll also share curiosities you probably didn’t know about this magical side of fashion…
What to read this week 📚
Want even more haute couture?
In this article, I wanted to dive even more into behind the scenes and show you what haute couture means for fashion workers today. From designers, pattern makers, fabric specialists, stylists, pr, and editors, we explore what this particular week means and the consequences it has on the other segments of the fashion industry.
Fashion Profiles to follow this week
Marie Chaix Fashion stylist
Piergiorgio Del Moro Casting director
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Giada Graziano, Inside Fashion Editor in Chief and Glam Observer Founder
Margarita Skacenko, Fashion Editor & Community Manager
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