Is beauty carving out its own fashion week empire?

For decades, beauty has walked hand-in-hand with fashion to bring a designer’s vision and emotions to life on the runway. Distinguished collaborations like Gareth Pugh and Val Garland, Gucci in the 2000s with Pat McGrath, and Alexander McQueen alongside Peter Philips stand as enduring testaments to this creative synergy. However, in recent seasons beauty has begun to carve out a personality and language of its own. While this industry doesn’t have its own dedicated fashion week, the events and initiatives that unfolded during Paris Fashion Week Women's FW25 suggest it might be on the verge of creating its own space within Paris’s growing prominence. 

Alongside much-anticipated Julian Klausner’s debut at Dries Van Noten and Haider Ackermann’s new era at Tom Ford, beauty trends and marketing initiatives have firmly claimed its place alongside the creativity and storytelling of the runways. A prime example? The upcoming launch of La Beauté Louis Vuitton, slated to debut in Autumn 2025 and helmed by the legendary British makeup artist Pat McGrath as creative director. This announcement alone has the industry buzzing with excitement and eager to analyse its future beauty strategies. Meanwhile, Clarins hosted exclusive beauty events and was involved in Alainpaul’s runway with global makeup creative director Marie Duhart. In addition, Zadig & Voltaire brought their latest fragrance to life at a glamorous soirée in Paris, enlisting the brand’s ambassadors and content creators to amplify the moment. What’s even more intriguing is the rise of niche beauty brands and their sponsorships during this season’s Fashion Month. As highlighted by The Business of Fashion earlier this year, "a decade ago, blue-chip beauty brands like MAC, Nars, Maybelline, and Covergirl dominated New York runways, using the platform to tease new products and spotlight their artists. This season, however, indie beauty labels have taken center stage.” Just as we saw at NYFW, the smaller, innovative players boldly stepped into the spotlight. This situation raises intriguing questions: Is Paris experiencing a similar transformation? And are we witnessing the dawn of a new “fashion week era” for niche and independent beauty brands? 

Fara Homidi, founder and CEO of Fara Homidi Beauty, shared her perspective on this potential shift. Having first worked backstage at Paris Fashion Week in 2017 with Virgil Abloh’s Off-White show, sponsored by L’Oréal; and with Chloé, Mugler, Schiaparelli, Coperni, Victoria Beckham, Gabriela Hearst and Duran Lantink in recent seasons, she’s witnessed a noticeable behaviour. “The evolution of sponsorships that I’m seeing during PFW is that there is less and less of the bigger conglomerates such as MAC, Estée Lauder, and L’Oréal sponsoring. I’m now seeing a lot more niche beauty brands coming in and taking this opportunity to participate and make their mark during such an exciting time. I think there is something more inherently organic when the brands work with beauty brands that they really believe in and align with, rather than just taking a big check. For me, it makes so much sense because I am also the key artist, using my own products that I developed and working closely with the designers to bring their vision to light. It's truly a win-win,” Homidi told nss. 

Fara Homidi’s creative eye was showcased in conjunction with Duran Lantink’s FW25 collection. Her work merged elements of raw animalistic energy with a pristine aesthetic. The makeup design featured a natural matte finish for the skin, accentuated by bushy, untamed brows that evoked a wild elegance. The eyes were subtly smoked out to add depth, while lashes remain bare but curled for a minimalist yet striking effect, using products as the essential face compact, the smudge & contour lip pencil and the lip brush. “Duran Lantink has a refreshing avant garde point of view and is shaking things up in fashion. I really take my time to make sure the brand aligns with mine creatively and that the brands I work with are also pushing the boundaries of luxury and beauty.” 

Moreover, Ottolinger partnered with the independent beauty brand Isamaya, while vegan beauty label Merit joined forces with Paloma Wool. Despite these independent collaborations, L’Oréal maintained its prominent role as an official sponsor of PFW, taking charge of makeup artistry for Atlein’s fashion show. Major beauty brands also made their mark through exclusive partnerships: Shiseido collaborated with Niccolò Pasqualetti, Augustinus Bader teamed up with Chloé, MAC Cosmetics worked alongside Alexander McQueen, Charlotte Tilbury with Nina Ricci, and Anastasia Beverly Hills sponsored Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s new collection. Claudia Soare, the president of Anastasia Beverly Hills, aptly captured the essence of these alliances, stating, “Paris Fashion Week is the pinnacle of luxury and artistry, making it the perfect stage for beauty brands as makeup becomes an essential storytelling tool. Unlike fashion, makeup doesn’t have its own runway, yet it drives trends—especially on social media. Aligning with PFW gives makeup a platform to tell a story and complement designers.” Skincare also took center stage during PFW, with iS Clinical serving as the exclusive skincare partner for Isabel Marant’s FW25 fashion show. Their facialists from M.a.s.c Studio ensured models achieved radiant, runway-ready skin. As iS Clinical explained, “Paris Fashion Week holds a strong appeal for iS Clinical because we thrive amidst innovation and innovative thinkers. Originating from Hollywood, we see Paris as the iconic city it is of luxury, artistry, and timeless elegance. There’s an emotional connection woven into both cities, and at iS Clinical, we always aim to evoke that same connection and feeling through our brand and formulations, achieving radiant, runway-ready skin. As a luxury cosmeceutical brand, we embrace the synergy between high fashion and high-performance skincare, making this an ideal moment to connect with like-minded creatives.”

While the global beauty market may be experiencing a slowdown, Paris Fashion Week remains a powerhouse for collaborations and activations, with both established and emerging local and overseas brands paying attention to a vibrant and "solid" panorama that’s become the buzzword reverberating throughout the city. “PFW is a hub for new beauty trends because the fashion houses are more into experimenting with beauty to get their art and feeling across, rather than always worrying about commerce. It becomes a beautiful place to showcase new up and coming beauty products and techniques.” 

Undoubtedly, niche beauty brands are entering their runway era and cementing themselves as a driving force during Fashion Month. And with major beauty conglomerates diversifying efforts between PFW and its worldwide initiatives, there might be room for further alliances in the upcoming seasons. “I do think there is space for both big and small brands, but I have a feeling that the bigger brands may not be getting what they want out of the exchange, while the smaller brands are making moves to make sure they get the original and authentic content they want/need and that exposure goes a long way for them,” concludes Homidi.