FUSION FIX: One might have been forgiven for mistaking Amiri’s front row for the VIP zone at a summer festival, with talent from around the world mingling and sharing notes on potential collaborations, but with decidedly more dapper outfits.

J Balvin, clad in a turquoise sequin tuxedo suit, was introducing guests to compatriot Colombian reggaeton star Ryan Castro, who wore a double-breasted burgundy velvet number with a floral motif for the occasion. The pair already worked together back in 2022 and word has it a new collaboration could be in the works.

“I’m happy to keep representing the Latino gang,” said Balvin, whose collaboration on sunglasses with Revo, called Nrgy, was to be fêted later in the day at Sugaar. “We’re having this really great dinner, sharing with our peers and people,” said Balvin, who joined guests including Anuel AA, Michael Cooper Jr. and French Montana at the show.

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Lucky Blue Smith, best known in fashion circles for his modeling work but also an accomplished musician, chose a wine-red brocade number, and praised Mike Amiri for offering designs suited to his six-foot-three frame. “It’s got great long pants, which I really love,” he said.

He will be making his first major movie role later this year, he said, but was keeping mum on the details. According to IMDb, he will appear in McG’s “Uglies,” due out in the fall.

“I’m in a very optimistic phase right now, which is really nice,” Smith said. Asked for tips for those with the blues, he suggested, “It always starts with a good mindset and a good attitude. If you don’t have a good attitude, you’re out of luck.”

For Mexican American musicians Alberto Acosta and Adelaido Solis 3rd, of Grupo Frontera, taking in their first Paris Fashion Week, partnership was the name of the game, with three musical tie-ups on their latest EP, out earlier this month. In particular, they chose to highlight their collaboration with Manuel Turizo. “It’s a fusion song, half our style, half his style, and it’s really amazing to see how these two styles fit together,” Acosta said.

They warmly greeted Latino pop sensation Danny Ocean, another Paris Fashion Week first-timer who hails from Venezuela and is currently working on a new album with what he described as a “tropical beach” style, due out next year.

Hailing from warmer climes than Paris, the heat inside the venue did not have them fazed. That was also the case for actor, singer and model Uppoompat, who has a TV series coming out next year, and said that was what he was appreciating most about the week so far. “I come from Thailand, I love the heat,” he said. Asked for tips for those less accustomed to such humidity in Paris, he said, “Stay hydrated, drink a lot of water…or maybe not water.”

Editor’s Note: CNN Style is one of the official media partners of Paris Fashion Week. See all coverage here

CNN —

As the men’s fashion shows wrap up in Milan, today the focus shifts to Paris — where, over runways and presentations across the next five days, some of the world’s biggest labels will attempt to define the future dress codes of menswear.

Over the weekend, designer Jonathan Anderson fanned the flames of his hotly anticipated debut at Dior with a handful of Instagram stories shared via the app’s “close friends” function. Amongst the snippets posted to Dior’s official account was a film photo of ‘80s New York art icon and provocateur painter Jean-Michel Basquiat, as well as American socialite and sister of Jackie Kennedy, Lee Radziwill. Keen-eyed fans noticed that both portraits were shot by Andy Warhol and emblazoned with the original 1948 Dior logo, which was changed to an uppercase version in 2018 — offering an early indication of how Anderson may want to make his mark. Fans guessed further at the direction of the designer after he shared an image of a canary yellow book tote bag designed in the style of the first edition Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” from 1897.

Designer Jonathan Anderson, shown here taking a bow at Loewe Spring-Summer 2025 in Paris, will make his debut at Dior later this week. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Loewe, which typically shows at both women’s and men’s fashion weeks, has new designers in Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The duo were jointly appointed in March as the successors to Anderson, who stepped down as creative director after 11 years. However, the label is absent from the calendar this season as McCollough and Hernandez plan to unveil their new vision in October.

Anderson isn’t the only designer making a debut in Paris this week. Julian Klausner, who took the creative helm at Dries Van Noten at the end of last year, will present his first menswear collection on Thursday, following his first womenswear show for the label in March. Clues on Klausner’s vision for masculinity and menswear may reside in his women’s offering, which was as rich in historical references as it was in color and textile, with tassels, boleros, belts and ornate embellishments attached to outfits.

New York-based label Willy Chavarria will return to Paris for his sophomore show after making his Paris debut in January. Victor Boyko/Getty Images

There is no shortage of returns to look forward to, either. Kickstarting the week is Anthony Vaccarello designing for Saint Laurent, which has taken up an official slot on the calendar (the brand’s last show took place off-schedule, at the tail end of couture week). British designer Craig Green is back after three years away from the City of Light, while buzzy New York-based brand Willy Chavarria is also returning after his Paris debut earlier this year.

Elsewhere, Grace Wales Bonner, Marine Serre and Emily Adams Bode Aujla have reclaimed their spots on the schedule — injecting a fresh, female perspective in the world of male fashion. Bode’s last time showing at Paris Fashion Week Men’s was January 2023 (she staged a co-ed Spring 2025 runway at New Orleans earlier this year) while Serre’s was in January 2024. Bonner — who is celebrating 10 years in the business — returns to the men’s runway for the first time since Spring-Summer 2024 after opting to release a lookbook for Fall-Winter 2025.

And for those interested in starry front rows and celebrity street style, the schedule is bookended by Louis Vuitton (where men’s creative director Pharrell Williams will present his sixth collection) and Jacquemus — both of which have become known for staging blockbuster catwalks.

Beyond the catwalk, which can only be attended with an invitation, Paris’ artistic institutions see an opportunity to engage with the public. On Saturday, Palais Galliera will open its doors to “The Temple of Love,” a new retrospective chronicling Rick Owens’s boundary-pushing oeuvre since launching his label in 1992. The exhibition — which Owens helped artistically direct — is the second retrospective globally dedicated to the Californian designer.

At the Musée des Arts décoratifs, a new show on trailblazing designer Paul Poiret — a key figure in 20th century Parisian haute couture — will also open to the public. Running until January 2026, it marks the museum’s first monograph dedicated to his work. And Demna, Balenciaga’s creative director for the last decade, who is soon to depart for a new job at Gucci, is getting his flowers from parent company Kering via a retrospective staged at their headquarters on Thursday.

Watching the celebrities who sit courtside at NBA games is one of my favorite pastimes. It’s there that I take notes of A-listers’ sporty off-duty looks to source major outfit inspiration for the future.

For Saturday’s New York Knicks game against the Boston Celtics, Bad Bunny made an appearance at Madison Square Garden in a look that felt casual, but—like always—strategically styled.

Seated front row, the “NUEVAYoL” singer wore a sharply tailored, oversized charcoal coat with exaggerated shoulders and a boxy silhouette layered over a crisp white button-down. The precise and clean appearance would feel corporate if it weren’t for his baggy light-wash jorts that hit just above the knee.

He anchored his look with a pair of sculptural, black leather loafers and added some depth with crisp white crew socks. A shift from his most recent bright mustard sneakers and basketball shorts pairing he wore in March to cheer on the Lakers.

Bunny, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, made it known who he was rooting for by accessorizing with a black NBA Champions Knicks cap and added a touch of sleekness courtesy of black sunglasses, which he kept on while watching the game.

Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin // Getty Images

And because he’s nothing if not a man who appreciates a good accessory, he added some gleam with multiple silver rings and a sparkling bracelet.

His appearance at the famous venue comes fresh off his attendance at another iconic scene: the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

For this year’s Met Gala, he wore a chocolate-brown suit from Prada over a caramel-colored shirt and yellow tie. He honored his roots with a carefully curated accessory of a diamond brooch pinned to his suit that was shaped like his island’s national flower, the Flor de Maga.

Who could keep Jung Hoseok, better known as J-Hope and a member of the biggest band in the world BTS; Antoine Dupont, gold medalist and the world’s top rugby player, and Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton — and at times the richest man in the world — waiting in hushed silence?

None other than Queen Bey. Beyoncé Knowles-Carter — on the arm of husband Jay-Z and accompanied by nephew Julez Smith — made a grand arrival at the Louis Vuitton show Tuesday night after all guests had been safely seated for several minutes, and the show had been delayed for an hour-and-a-half from its original start time. One could hear a pin drop until screams erupted outside.

Fresh off three sold-out shows at Stade de France over the weekend, Knowles-Carter is still deep in her “Cowboy Carter” era, arriving in a double denim Texas tuxedo and 10-gallon hat. She was seated front and center in the forecourt of the Pompidou Center modern art museum for men’s artistic director Pharrell Williams’ Indian-inspired collection.

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J-Hope sat beside Spike Lee, who celebrated the world premiere of his latest film “Highest 2 Lowest” at the Cannes Film Festival last month. Since then he’s been bouncing between France and New York City.

“We got a great reception in Cannes, and I was here last week for the French Open,” Lee said, congratulating Coco Gauff on her winning performance. “Now I’m back to support my brother, Pharrell, and it’s a beautiful night here in the City of Light. It’s important, and the best place to be on earth tonight.”

Jackson Wang, who collaborated with Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club and Joopiter for his “Life Is a Race” collection that debuted on Sunday, enjoyed a mini-reunion with his Got7 bandmate Bam Bam in the front row. Both are Louis Vuitton ambassadors.

Bam Bam teased a new album on the horizon. “I would say yes, because we just finished the Got7 stuff,” he said of the band’s album “Winter Heptagon,” released in January. “Now we are slowly coming out [with solo projects] one by one, and my turn is at the end of the year.”

The singer debuted bleached white locks and wore a Louis Vuitton jinbei-inspired wrap jacket. “I don’t know what I’m wearing, but it just looked cool,” he joked. “The traffic was crazy. It said it would take 20 minutes, but I was in the car for two hours.”

Ever-patient pop stars Bam Bam and Wang lingered after the show for nearly half an hour, gamely chatting and taking selfies with every fan who approached before heading backstage to greet Williams.

Basketball star-turned-designer Russell Westbrook also made the front row after spending the day presenting his streetwear label, Honor the Gift, and new upscale line, Westbrook by HTG. “I have a showroom here, so we are showing our spring ’26 collection as well. I’ve been there working all day, then I came out for the show,” he said.

Westbrook finds Williams’ work inspiring. “He is always authentic to who he is. It’s important to stay authentic to who you are, and I think he does that very well.”

Other guests included Bradley Cooper, A$AP Nast, “Squid Game” star Gong Yoo, Steve Harvey and Christian Dior creative director Jonathan Anderson, who will make his highly anticipated debut at the house on Friday.

As the Summer Olympic Games took over Paris in 2024, it was no surprise to see a large number of athletic brands activating around men’s fashion week then.

But the fervor around sport has only increased across the City of Light. Key players, including Nike, Adidas, Puma, Asics, Saucony, Salomon and New Balance, are out in full force this week in a market that has become crucial to their growth strategies.

Jason Faustino, Saucony’s global director of energy and collaborations, said the deep connection between art, music, sneakers and streetwear culture is on full display at Paris Men’s Fashion Week.

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Saucony is hosting a series of activations throughout the week at its 141 Rue du Temple “Sync Space” location. Highlights include a group run with Minted New York, a curated matcha hour with Bronx-born designer Jae Tips, a live Collab Lab hosted by Bimma Williams bringing together for the first time Jae Tips, Marcus Milione of Minted New York, Andrew Chen of 3sixteen and Metagirl, Saucony’s just-announced collab partner, and an end-of-week all-day party with Paris-based Collision Running.

While inside the Sync Space, Saucony noted that guests will have the opportunity to get hands-on with key pieces from the brand’s fall 2025 collection including the Endorphin Speed 5, Guide 7 and Saucony Silo, a lineup blending performance innovation with design sensibility.

Joy Allen-Altimare, global chief marketing officer at Saucony, said fashion week represents more than just a global fashion moment.

“For Saucony, showing up in Paris means engaging not only with key sales partners, but also directly with our passionate community through events with our collaborators, like the Minted New York run experience and Collab Lab with Bimma Williams, which has been so popular we’ve had to wait-list attendees,” Allen-Altimare said.

The Asics Gel-Quantum 360 AMP in collaboration with JJJJound. Courtesy of Asics

Asics is also set to showcase the latest offering from its Sportstyle line at 17 Rue Commines’ three-day activation. In its fourth annual pop-up, the Japanese brand will stage its key styles of the season: the Gel-Quantum 360 AMP in collaboration with JJJJound and the Gel-Kinetic Fluent reinterpreted by Shushu/Tong.

Kentaro Saito, general manager of product development at Asics, noted that for spring 2026, buyers will see elements of the brand’s 2010 running models throughout, including the Gel Kayano 20 model and the new Gel Cumulus model.

“You can also expect to see some of our key silhouettes from spring 2025 in 2.0 versions; showcasing enhanced comfort and visible technological updates, alongside material and color refreshments,” Saito said.

Some of the brand’s long-term partners such as Cecilie Bahnsen and Kiko Kostadinov will be front and center.

But as for the athletic category’s dominance of the fashion week, Saito added that over the last few seasons he has noticed that Paris has become a “great place” for the company to gather its global community of collaborators, media and creatives. “France is one of our largest markets and we are happy to spotlight our partners here,” Saito said.

Puma also unveiled its collaboration with designer Salehe Bembury. Highlighted by the new Velum, Bembury’s first lifestyle silhouette with Puma, the company hosted a public pop-up at 18 Rue Saint Gilles on June 25, where 100 pre-release pairs of the sneaker will be available exclusively. Bembury himself greeted guests and signed the first pairs of his new collaboration. The space is open to the public for the next three days, Puma noted.

Salehe Bembury with his new Puma Velum sneaker in Paris. Getty Images for Puma

To round out the experience, Puma is bringing elements of the H-Street installation, introduced during the recent launch in Seoul, to Paris. Visitors will have an exclusive chance to preview the low-profile silhouette up close, ahead of its official launch later in June.

As for Nike, it is set to host a series of events centered around its signed athlete Faith Kipyogen, who is attempting to break the four-minute-mile record in a race this week. On Thursday, Nike will host a fireside chat with fellow athlete Eliud Kipchoge ahead of a tour of Kipyogen’s Paris headquarters for her “Breaking4” project.

Adidas will also host several events this week. A small dinner will pop up with collaborator Mr. Bailey for his latest shoe slated to drop later this year. Adidas is also showing its newest collections with Willy Chavarria and Y-3 this week.

Brooks is also making a splash in the French capital. Matt Weiss, director of footwear merchandising for North America at Brooks noted that Paris fashion week is an opportunity for the brand to connect with “best-in-class retailers, media, influencers” to showcase what the company is doing with lifestyle and performance lines to a global audience.

“It’s only our second time here, so it is still early, but we come out of this motivated and inspired for what’s to come,” Weiss noted. “We are seeing this space evolve quickly and there are always new corners to find inspiration – the opportunity to tap into that culture is so valuable for our teams.”

As for its activations this week, Weiss said that Brooks hosted a panel with Jeff Staple and Don C. to talk about the past, present, and future of footwear. And for spring 2026, the executive noted that Brooks will launch the Adrenaline GTS 10, a new version of the 2009 silhouette updated with DNA Tuned, its highest performance foam.

Brooks hosted a panel with Jeff Staple and Don C. Courtesy of Brooks

“The lines between performance and lifestyle are blurring, we’re seeing performance worn as an all-day style, and lifestyle incorporating performance elements,” Weiss added. “These worlds no longer need to be mutually exclusive. We see this as a unique opportunity for Brooks to distinguish ourselves, reimagining our heritage styles with the most forward-thinking tech.”

As for Salomon, the French mountain sports brand is deepening its foothold after successful activations last year. The brand, known for its roots in skiing and trail running, sees fashion week as a way to build a bridge from mountain wear to urban city style.

“We have this concept of ‘invented in the mountain, reinvented in the city,’” said Salomon global chief brand officer Scott Mellin.

As a French brand, Salomon sees Paris as “the epicenter…not only of urban-run culture, but obviously of fashion and sports style culture,” said Mellin. “Paris Fashion Week is such a fun place for us to play creatively.”

Salomon is planning to to invest in fashion week events in future seasons, as well as open an office in Paris this fall.

“There’s a kind of overarching narrative of Salomon that starts with our purpose. We exist to unleash the best in people through mountain sports,” he said, reflecting on the brand’s legacy of innovation in materials and performance as well as its cultural relevance. “It’s part of an understanding of cultural integration” of sport products moving into lifestyle. “You nurture that culture and that becomes a business,” he said.

This year’s Salomon’s Paris activation continues its engagement strategy. Last summer in the run-up to the Paris Olympics, the brand focused on unveiling the origins of its S/Lab line of shoes developed in collaboration between designers, engineers and athletes. In January, the brand shifted to a sustainability showcase.

Now Salomon is highlighting the craftsmanship S/Lab, focusing on materials, engineering and functional design — not to mention its cool factor.

An event at Salomon’s Paris Fashion Week pop-up. Courtesy Salomon

This season the brand is hosting three invite-only fashion week events, as well as two public-facing events, including a takeover of popular café Le Progrès and a pop-up store. Salomon brand ambassador chef Guillaume Sanchez will create two dishes there, and there will be a card game and the chance to win some gear.

While the brand’s aesthetic aligns with fashion trends, Mellin said the brand is still staying true to its core. “At the end of the day, we’re not following anybody at Salomon, and we don’t make product to make product. We make product to serve a function in the mountains,” he said. “This is, in essence, the brand equity that we are transferring to our consumers. When you buy something from Salomon, you’re part of the mountains, whether it’s in Paris, Milan, London or Shanghai.”