New Delhi: Luxury Fashion House Louis Vuitton’s runway for their Men’s Spring-Summer 2027 show is drawing in a huge wave of criticism from the public.
For this year’s show, creative director Pharrell Williams drew inspiration from surf culture, travel, and the shared connection between people and the sea. He decided to put a spin on the classic runway and replace it with a giant artificial Parisian beach instead. Models walked out on the sandy runway, seemingly emerging from within the waves of the ocean.
Louis Vuitton has claimed that their initiative of commitment to sustainability still stands. Through its Regeneration 2030 roadmap, the Fashion House states that they continue to support coral reef restoration in French Polynesia through Coral Gardeners. The water used for the show was sourced through a closed-loop system with minimal wastage, while the sand will be repurposed for volleyball courts in Paris beaches.
Despite the sustainability claims, reactions on social media have been quite negative, with a lot of users finding the show tone deaf, especially at a time like this where there is scarcity of water, global warming, and widespread panic about AI’s consumption of clean water.
On Instagram, Nadège said, “some people don’t have water at home and they use water for this !!!! what a waste!”
On X, another user stated, “Meanwhile, just a few km away children’s pools were being shut down for water conservation during a historic heatwave.”
In another X post, someone commented, “Exodus 14:21 set design.”
Under Pharrel’s Instagram post, a user said, “So France is burning, there are water restrictions, and people are dying, yet Louis Vuitton can create giant waves for a private event right in the middle of the city. You are really asking for trouble.”
(Edited by Janaki Pande)