Entertainment

Pharrell Williams opens Paris fashion week with giant waterfall show

June 24, 2026 5:20 pm

Pharrell Williams. [Photo Credit: Reuters]

Pop singer-songwriter and Louis Vuitton designer Pharrell Williams made a giant artificial waterfall the backdrop of his 2027 spring-summer collection ​on Tuesday, kicking off Paris fashion week just as ‌a record-breaking heatwave paralysed large parts of France.

Models wore an eclectic mix of denim, hoodies and flashy jackets as they walked over sand. Some carried surfboards ​while others sported tiny monogram bags.

The show leaned heavily ​into American surf and skate culture. Many looks featured low-cut ⁠sneakers whose silhouette, white rubber soles and laces resembled those ​of Californian lifestyle brand Vans.

Watchers and staff were seen gasping and ​sweating during the show held outside the Cité Universitaire, a vast 20th-century student housing complex in southern Paris. Temperatures remained well above 30 C around 9 p.m. ​local time.

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Paris’s runway shows got underway as much of western ​and central France, including Paris, was experiencing temperatures around 40 C, forcing tourist ‌sites ⁠like the Eiffel Tower to close.

The show leaned heavily ​into American surf and skate culture. Many looks featured low-cut ⁠sneakers whose silhouette, white rubber soles and laces resembled those ​of Californian lifestyle brand Vans.

Watchers and staff were seen gasping and ​sweating during the show held outside the Cité Universitaire, a vast 20th-century student housing complex in southern Paris. Temperatures remained well above 30 C around 9 p.m. ​local time.

Paris’s runway shows got underway as much of western ​and central France, including Paris, was experiencing temperatures around 40 C, forcing tourist ‌sites ⁠like the Eiffel Tower to close.