'It's about celebrity clickbait': Beyonce steals the show at Paris Fashion Week
In a year marked by global anxiety and a hunger for fantasy, star power flooded Paris Fashion Week, turning runways into gladiator arenas where A-list icons, K-pop idols and digital megastars became the main event.
Beyonce and Jay-Z didn't just attend Louis Vuitton's blockbuster show – they became the show.
As they swept into the Pompidou Center, cameras flashed and phones shot skyward.
Before the first look even hit the runway, images of the couple ricocheted across the globe. K-pop idols like J-Hope and Jackson Wang livestreamed their arrival to millions, while crowds outside flooded social feeds with every glimpse of a star.
As the industry's spring season wraped up Sunday (June 29), it's clear: Fashion's global audience is focused less on what's worn and more on who's wearing it.
This interplay between celebrity and fashion is hardly new, but in 2025, the desire for escapism and star-driven spectacle is peaking like never before.
"It's about celebrity clickbait, and it's at a tipping point now. Celebrities have replaced the designers and stylists as the tastemakers,' said Anna Barr, a fashion magazine editor who attended shows.
Read more: Fashion bros: Male celebrities flaunt their style at the latest menswear weeks
Beyonce's appearance this week encapsulated a truth that every major brand – from Louis Vuitton to Dior, Hermes to Saint Laurent – now understands.
The real front row isn't in Paris, but on Instagram, TikTok and Weibo. And nothing sells quite like a star.
The pop star's head-to-toe denim – custom Louis Vuitton by Pharrell Williams – wasn't just viral.
Within 24 hours, clips of her arrival amassed millions of views on TikTok, outpacing even Louis Vuitton's own campaign content.
When Williams presented her with a Speedy bag straight from the runway in the Paris dusk, the moment went viral – underlining that Beyonce isn't just an attendee, but a face of Louis Vuitton's creative vision.
But even as Beyonce's look became the week's most shared image, her presence in Paris also sparked debate.
A Buffalo Soldiers T-shirt she wore during her "Cowboy Carter' tour ignited criticism from some Indigenous and Mexican communities, reminding the industry that every viral moment can be a flash point.
This is the new dynamic of luxury – where the most coveted runway seat is now in your hand, and what matters most isn't just what you see, but who you see wearing it.
What once was a private preview for buyers and editors is now a worldwide entertainment event.
Designers don't just stage shows – they produce spectacles. Williams, Louis Vuitton's showman-in-chief, turned his runway into a snakes-and-ladders fantasy with a guest list to match: Beyonce; Jay-Z; K-pop royalty J-Hope and Jackson Wang; reggaeton star Karol G; and Hollywood names like Bradley Cooper and Mason Thames.
Each arrival triggered waves of posts and stories – making the crowd as newsworthy as the collection itself.
The modern runway has become a stage for celebrity, where the applause is measured in views and viral moments, and the line between performer and spectator disappears.
No other force is shifting menswear trends faster than K-pop.
This season, stars like J-Hope, Jackson Wang, GOT7's Bambam and NCT's Yuta were everywhere, livestreaming shows and igniting fashion frenzies from Seoul to Sao Paulo.
These idols are both tastemakers and trend translators, instantly transmitting what they see in Paris to millions of fans. Their attendance has become a commercial event in itself, driving the adoption of new styles on a global scale.
Even the clothes themselves now chase celebrity.
Beyonce's Cowboy Carter moment and Louis Vuitton's nod to Western style sent cowboy hats, flared denim, and rhinestone shirts trending worldwide.
Brands scramble to turn these viral moments into wearable trends – knowing that what Queen Bey wears in Paris will be copied in malls and on apps within weeks.
"We make fashion, but we're a house of travel,' Williams told reporters.
In truth, it's the celebrity's journey through fashion that matters most.
The old fashion cycle is gone. It's been said before. Where trends once took months to trickle down, now a celebrity-worn look can reach the high street soon after the show lights dim.
TikTok and fast fashion brands move at the speed of the repost. At Hermes, even the discreet luxury of woven leather tees and wide trousers took on new meaning as athletes and music stars documented their attendance.
Their posts quickly turn exclusive details into mass-market "must-haves'.
Shein and Temu, the global fast-fashion juggernauts, have weaponised the viral moment – turning celebrity sightings into shoppable trends worldwide, sometimes in a matter of hours.
The result: what debuts on the Paris runway can show up in online shopping carts from Atlanta to Addis Ababa almost instantly.
Beneath the celebrity glow, classic trends endure. Streetwear is still king, with oversized silhouettes, soft tailoring and activewear influences everywhere from Dior to Dolce & Gabbana.
Read more: Cowboy, but make it fashion: Beyonce's tour looks blend country and couture
The Hermes "cool city guy' and Dolce's pajama dressing – rumpled but rich – are direct answers to how men want to live and move now.
But even these trends go mainstream through star power, not just design. The models might debut the look, but it's the front-row faces who make it stick.
The celebrity ascendancy isn't just a front-row phenomenon – it's woven into the industry itself.
When LVMH's Bernard Arnault tapped Williams, a global pop icon, to lead Louis Vuitton menswear in 2023, it wasn't just a creative risk. It was a declaration that celebrity now runs the show.
All this spectacle reflects a bigger shift. Fashion isn't just about what's in – it's about who's in the room, and who's watching.
At Armani in Milan, at Saint Laurent in Paris, at every show, a galaxy of K-pop, Hollywood, and music stars now drive the narrative.
For Gen Z and Alpha, the runway is no longer about aspiration – it's about participation, sharing, and living in the moment. The "show' has become the product.
In 2025, the hottest look in men's fashion isn't a garment – it's the spectacle. In the world's most-watched runway season, celebrity is the new couture, and every scroll puts you in the front row. – AP
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