Are watch parties the future of fashion shows?

What cricket is to Mumbai, fashion week is to Paris. If you’ve ever experienced the electric atmosphere of a Mumbai street during a high-stakes match—people crammed into living rooms, shops, or roadside stalls to cheer their team—you’ll understand exactly what’s happening in the French capital each season. Because in Paris, the love of fashion isn’t just a personal passion; it’s a shared obsession, and it’s transforming the way the city experiences Paris Fashion Week.

For decades, Paris Fashion Week has been the pinnacle of style—a biannual event that draws designers, buyers, and editors from every corner of the globe. Its origins date back to October 1973, when the Fédération Française de la Couture organised the first consolidated calendar bringing together Haute Couture, Ready-to-Wear, and Men’s Fashion into a single, unified week. Since then, these shows have become the ultimate stage for designers to present their vision, and for the city to show the world why it remains the fashion capital.

Yet, the shows themselves have always been a rarefied affair. Attendance requires coveted invitations or tickets secured weeks in advance, often limited to industry insiders and heavyweight buyers. But that exclusivity hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm of the city’s true fashion fanatics. Instead, it has inspired them to create new ways to connect with the spectacle they love.

This June, during the much-anticipated Dior Men’s Spring/Summer 2026 show—Jonathan Anderson’s highly publicised debut for the house—Parisian fashion commentator Elias Medini hosted what might become a defining cultural moment: a public watch party at Le Saint Denis bar. The concept was simple yet revolutionary: stream the Dior show live on big screens so fans could watch together, celebrate, and debate every look as it hit the runway. The event garnered popularity online, with viral clips circulating on TikTok and Instagram showing crowds gasping, cheering, and critiquing every outfit in, real time.

 

Viewers from around the world chimed in with enthusiasm. Comments like “If they can do this for football, why not fashion?” and “This is my kinda sport!” flooded social media, highlighting how perfectly this idea taps into the communal joy of fashion. Some pointed out the parallels to sports bars screening the World Cup, while others joked that this was the kind of programming that deserved to play in every gay bar. But beneath the memes and excitement was a clear truth: watch parties are democratising an experience once reserved for a privileged few.

These gatherings are more than just a fun night out—they represent a powerful new way to celebrate fashion’s artistry and bring it back to its roots as a cultural force. In a city where style is as much a language as it is an industry, turning fashion week into a spectator event unites people through a shared love of creativity. It creates space for debates over tailoring and trends, spontaneous conversations between strangers, and a sense of belonging for those who live and breathe fashion.

Paris has always set the tone for what’s next in style, but watch parties show how the city is also redefining how we engage with fashion itself. They prove that the runway doesn’t have to be an exclusive club—it can become a collective experience as visceral and thrilling as a championship game. For many, these gatherings are not just about seeing clothes; they’re about feeling part of a moment, together.

As Paris continues to evolve as the beating heart of global fashion, watch parties offer a glimpse of a more inclusive, joyful future—one where fashion isn’t just something you watch alone on your phone, but an event that brings people together in laughter, awe, and admiration. After all, if fashion is for fashion people, then what better way to celebrate it than side by side?

Lead Image: Getty Images

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