Dance, love and rebellion: Jeanne Friot’s fashion fuels

Jeanne Friot opens Paris Men’s Fashion Week

The Fall/Winter 2026–2027 season marks a turning point for Jeanne Friot. Ever since her Joan of Arc 2.0 made an appearance at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games, the fashion designer has been drawing more and more fans to her shows. So much so that she kicked off Paris Men’s Fashion Week this year. For the occasion, she took over the Théâtre du Rond-Point. Sitting down in the dark, on rows of red velvet chairs, guests were momentarily blinded by powerful spotlights, then startled by the pulse of an electrifying soundtrack that introduced the first silhouettes striding across the catwalk.

There was nothing new to discover. The clothes that have made Jeanne Friot’s name in recent years were all there. Purple feather-embroidered jeans, corsets, dresses, skirts, chunky boots made from leather belts, and endless tartan patterns… She hammered home the codes of her fashion universe, sending models onto the stage like soldiers proud to wear the Jeanne Friot uniform. Actually, the latter are not just part of a runway show, but stand for and embody the values and claims that drive the French designer, making her one of the rising stars of the Paris fashion scene. There’s no need to reinvent yourself when what you create already resonates so widely.

It is no accident that the spotlights are on the audience rather than the stage. As the dancers and models unfold a series of T‑shirts printed with slogans that read “Revolution” or “It’s Never Too Late to Fight Fascism”, each spectator is confronted with the anger and tragedies making the news around the world. Those dark realities that everyone absorbs, often in a passive way.

A powerful Fall/Winter 2026–2027 show powered by the Lorraine Ballet

Even before discussing her new collection in her show’s notes, Jeanne Friot addresses the death of Renée Nicole Good, shot dead by a federal ICE agent in the United States on January 7th, 2026. That incident has sparked a national debate over federal law enforcement practices and use of force. She also highlights the rollback of LGBTQIA+ rights around the world and describes a “paralyzing climate,” urging the cultural world to stay alert, resist, and raise the alarm. Thus, she decided to rename her collection “Awake”. In other words, wake up! Perhaps the spotlights will help you.

After the first looks of her show, a group of dancers from the Lorraine Ballet burst onto the stage. Dressed in Jeanne Friot’s new creations, they took over the runway, weaving among the models in a choreography by Maud Le Pladec. Their energy was contagious and galvanizing. The guests filmed, danced, shouted, and applauded as the bodies mingled and intertwined with one another. The show reached its climax when two models kissed passionately in the middle of the Théâtre du Rond‑Point.

“Here, dance, as a symbol of queer celebration, is neither a naive escape nor a mere form of release. It suspends the daily order to open a strategic breach – a space where norms are transformed and bodies reinvent themselves,” the French designer wrote in her press release. Her tartan-print skirts and dresses shimmer with sequins. Coats are oversized, freeing the body from all constraint, while a pair of sneakers inspired by ballet slippers and created in collaboration with Both allows free movement. In short, at Jeanne Friot, norms are thrown away. You can dance to feel free, you can dress up to defend your values. But above all, you can love unconditionally and unapologitically.