Each season, Paris Fashion Week welcomes new brands, whether they are joining the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) calendar or presenting their collection on the sidelines.
On Monday, March 2, 2026, students from the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) and the brand Co kicked off the first day of Paris FW March 2026, unveiling their autumn/winter 2026/2027 collections.
23 students from 13 nationalities, part of the IFM’s Master of Arts in Fashion Design and Knitwear Design programme, opened Paris Fashion Week. It was a first for them. Each student presented five or six looks, representing a comprehensive project.
With no commercial stakes and no CSR constraints, as the designs are produced as single units, creativity reigns supreme. Many partners were also involved in the show.
The students benefit from educational support from houses such as Hermès, Chanel, Dior, Loewe, Balenciaga, Alaïa, and Givenchy; support from Défi de la Mode; partnerships with companies like Make Up For Ever Academy and Real Campus by L’Oréal; and sponsorship from a wide network of textile suppliers and manufacturers, notably the Groupement de la Fabrication Française and HModa.
For example, Bérénice Rohrer-Missiaen received support from Rilievi, an Italian company specialising in textile development and material sampling, and from Teintures de France, who embroidered certain pieces based on her drawings.
Her project involved adapting her comic strip onto clothing, inspired by her own hitchhiking experiences and the emotionally charged encounters that left a mark on her. The result is a highly graphic collection characterised by a strong presence of prints.
For “Beyond the Frame”, Rohrer-Missiaen did not hesitate to step outside the dominant aesthetic of slender models.
To push the boundaries even further, Théa Lemaire presented a collection titled “Sale Connes”, a direct reference to a controversial phrase by the first lady.
Finally, to name just a few, Paula Lessel, Borja Fernandez Garcia and Alexis Lopez Angeles chose to integrate the potential of artificial intelligence into their creative research with Limn.ai, an AI research lab, thanks to support from LVMH. They were undoubtedly driven by the need to think outside the box.
In the creative surge that is the IFM show, each look represents a space of freedom won from a fashion landscape subdued and darkened by the international context.
After several Parisian presentations, Co has made its debut on the official FHCM calendar. Founded in 2011 and led by Stéphanie Danan, the brand “Co” stands for “collaboration”. It is now positioned between Los Angeles and Paris.
Co offers a womenswear wardrobe of “emotional minimalism”: clean silhouettes, sculptural volumes, and premium materials like cashmere flannel, which is the brand’s DNA, soft leather, or suede.
The design approach is centred on the concept of wardrobing, with a focus on practicality, longevity, distinction, and a claimed balance between American pragmatism and Parisian refinement.
Among the collection’s pieces, the blazer with particularly voluminous sleeves, creating a balloon effect at the back, could well be a must-have for autumn/winter 2026/2027.
