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This year’s showcase was a lesson in substance over spectacle. Here, we examine three iconic luxury names that made a mark with poignant aesthetics and culturally relevant storytelling.
Published On: July 18, 2025
Paris Men’s Fashion Week is one of the world’s most prestigious displays of mold-breaking menswear innovation – and SS26 has been no exception.
Among the many stunning runway moments and captivating feats of visual prowess we witnessed during the SS26 showcase, three luxury brands, in particular, led the way.
Our unique platform insights focus on three iconic luxury names at this year’s Men’s Fashion Week. These leading names represent a shift towards cultural relevance and away from flash-in-the-pan hype-driven trend marketing.
Here we took a closer look at Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Prada shows, exploring their performance, SS26 creator content initiatives, and the cultural impact they’ve generated.
Global luxury market consumption has receded in recent years, creating a plateau effect that commands a new creative direction for brands looking to remain influential.
We’re in the midst of a new chapter in men’s luxury marketing – an industry evolution that was ever present during Paris Men’s Fashion Week SS26.
Economic factors coupled with a newfound hunger for experiences over pure consumption has seen a rise in the most forward-thinking luxury brands changing creative direction.
The likes of Dior Men – under the direction of Jonathan Anderson – are placing a greater focus on creating meaningful narratives rather than focusing on visual dominance alone.
By aligning aesthetic, talent, and authentic messaging across channels, Dior Men, alongside Louis Vuitton and Prada, are forging deeper bonds with their audience.
Whether you’re talking about creator-led livestreams, front rows crammed with global icons, or APAC megastars activating fan widespread economies, the most impactful moments weren’t just seen, they were felt.
Paris Men’s Fashion Week showed us that emotional and cultural proximity is a key performance driver in men’s luxury. Now more than ever, substance reigns over spectacle and will reward those who remain culturally relevant.
From Dior’s Mingyu Kim to Prada’s ENHYPEN and Louis Vuitton’s Jackson Wang, the week’s top performing APAC talents weren’t merely additive, they were essential.
Our official report data shows that future men’s luxury growth will likely be fueled by fluent, localized creator influence on a global scale.
To connect with popular culture more meaningfully, fashion creators and brands alike are creating fan-centric experiences that transcend the runway.
For instance, during SS26 Paris Fashion Week, Fashion Creator Lyas didn’t receive an invite to Dior’s runway show. In response, Lyas took over a Parisian bistrot on Boulevard Saint-Denis to host a public watch party (with an Open Bar paid for by Meta).
The savvy fan-centric experience generated a significant buzz, earning extensive press coverage and more than 1.2M views via Reels and TikTok.
Read: The Fashion Brand Winners of Wimbledon 2025 (Brands + Influencers)
Our official report focuses on three brands that shined bright at Paris Men’s Fashion Week SS26 – iconic names that signal a cultural shift in men’s luxury fashion.
Here we explore Dior Louis Vuitton, and Prada’s key performance results while highlighting some of each brand’s most attention-commanding creator initiatives.
Jonathan Anderson’s impactful Dior Men’s debut as Creative Director was influential and impactful in equal measure, generating a total of $115.9M in Earned Media Value (EMV).
The newly appointed creative director lived up to industry-wide expectations by merging 18th-century silhouettes with modernist tailoring, hinting at a nuanced shift from logo-led maximalism and toward a more craft-focused narrative.
Anderson’s vision signals a fresh, intellectually-driven chapter for Dior. This poignant change in creative direction was coined by GQ and Vogue Business as Dior’s first attempt since Christian Dior himself to unify the house’s creative identity across categories. A triumph in every conceivable way.
Louis Vuitton has maintained its position as a dominating force in men’s luxury fashion with a head-turning SS26 showcase led by the creative direction of Pharrell Williams.
The leading luxury brand’s cohesive blend of influential initiatives and sophisticated homage to India, partly taking inspiration from the film ‘The Darjeeling Limited’, generated a total of $113.3M in EMV.
By harnessing the collective power of music, celebrity, heritage, and community, Louis Vuitton shared the notion of luxury as a rich cultural ecosystem that reaches far beyond fleeting brand aesthetics alone.
Prada’s SS26’s menswear showcase reaffirmed the brand’s position as a quiet force in culturally-driven storytelling and lavish minimalism.
This year, Prada shone a spotlight on APAC influence, generating a total of $62.6M in EMV. Its ‘Change of Tone’ show was a resounding success and further amplified by targeted creator storytelling, APAC ambassador influence, and an elegant collection with true universal appeal.
This season’s success wasn’t just about who was seen but how the brand’s stories were told – a fresh approach that we believe sets the tone for the brand’s future creative initiatives.
Read: Why Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier & Belmond Are Winning the Luxury Influence Game in 2025
EMV is WeArisma’s proprietary assessment of the potential investment needed for an advertiser to generate equivalent impact.
It’s calculated based on the average rate card or market cost per performance metric of an influencer with certain levels of following, reach, and engagement across platforms (akin to how Media Value is calculated for print advertising).
This metric is dynamically adjusted based on industry averages and weighted based on variables including platform, types of engagement, industry, and seasonality.
Methodology: Our platform captured all EMV data and key performance metrics from Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Prada’s shows at Paris Men’s Fashion Week SS26. The vast majority of these interactions reach beyond traditional tags and brand mentions alone. Our numbers paint a full and accurate picture of campaign activities and coverage at this year’s event.
“Men’s luxury is shifting. Creativity is no longer seasonal, it’s strategic. Audiences want substance, not spectacle. Dior’s SS26 show shows that influence now comes from cultural fluency, consistent storytelling, and ideas that resonate across platforms. The future of luxury will be earned, not bought.”
Paris Men’s Fashion Week SS26 was a masterclass in creative flair and crafting culturally resonate narratives across platforms.
Our three stand out brands have given us a glimpse into what’s to come next in men’s luxury fashion – and we’re excited to see what unfolds in the coming months.
If you’re feeling inspired and you’d like to uncover additional campaign insights, industry trends, influential event influencers, and each brand’s (Dior, Prada, and Louis Vuitton) creator initiatives, download our full Men’s Fashion Week SS26 report.
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