It’s been quite a month for fashion: Jaden Smith for Louboutin, Pieter Mulier stepping down from his position at Alaïa (and expected to go to Versace), Paris Couture Fashion Week, and a rather gimmicky (imho) announcement from Thom Browne. Time for a fashion meme roundup!
Fashion Meme Special: Jaden Smith, Pieter Mulier & More
Paris Couture Fashion Week
Alexis Mabille is in hot water over showing a 100% AI collection, Alessandro Michele’s Valentino collection is notably toned down from last season’s, and Chanel is being called boring. What is haute couture without some drama and criticism?
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Jaden Smith for Louboutin
The widely criticised collection by Jaden Smith for Louboutin raises questions (again) about the issue of brands hiring celebrities as creative directors.
The collection itself was very er… referential, with the Vivienne Westwood sack shoes being given a nod, along with the Givenchy shark boots.
This also raises a more important question: why do celebrities get hired as creative director, and not as say, the CFO, the merchandiser, etc. I’ll get into more detail here.
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Thom Browne and the Superbowl
Thom Browne has announced that the Fall 2026 collection will be shown at the Superbowl.
This immediately – to me at least – raises the question of set design vs actual collection design: where do we draw the line between set design being a distraction from clothing design that is rather lacking? Are gimmicky runway shows just a cover for boring, repetitive design? Or are they just a marketing ploy designed to make us talk about the show?
Also, someone pointed out that this Thom Browne dress looks like Jennyanydots from Cats and ngl – they’re totally right.
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Pieter Mulier Steps Down From Alaïa
Pieter Mulier and Alaïa are no more. The rumour is that he is going to Versace – and Maximilian Davis from Ferragamo to Alaïa, Sabato De Sarno to Ferragamo – continuing the creative director musical chairs that seems to have no end.
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And Finally…
And finally, there’s been some subtle digs being thrown around. Pierpaolo Piccioli had this to say about Balenciaga: “I think the cynical and the dark world is no longer young. It’s for pretending to be younger. There’s nothing worse than trying to be cool and not just being yourself.“[1] Am I the only one reading something into that?
More goings on from Paris Couture Fashion Week: Carsten Höller posted on his Instagram page: “I would like to clarify that I was not involved in the mushrooms “sculptures” featured at the Chanel Haute Couture show on 27 January 2026,” noting the he had “received numerous enquiries about [his] possible involvement.” He ended with: “This statement is issued solely to avoid confusion regarding speculations about authorship or involvement.“[2] Oof.
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References
[1] Williams, R. (2026, January 15). ‘Less Cynical, More Human’: Inside Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga Vision. Business of Fashion. [Link]
[2] Höller, C. [@carsten.holler]. (2026, January 29). I would like to clarify that I was not involved in the mushrooms “sculptures” featured at the Chanel Haute Couture… [Photograph]. Instagram. [Link]
London College of Fashion alumna (PGCert Fashion Buying & Merchandising). 15 years in fashion across styling, buying & merchandising, trend forecasting, e-commerce, and marketing. Includes roles at Vivienne Westwood and multi-brand retail stocking 50+ brands including Adidas, Nike, and Puma.
