Paris Fashion Week has always thrived in the tension between art and precision. This season, backstage at Chloé and Issey Miyake, that tension took on a new dimension: the quiet collaboration between high fashion and high engineering. Amid racks of diaphanous dresses, sculptural hats, and the flutter of last-minute fittings, Dyson’s Supersonic r hairdryer hummed softly—an unlikely but essential instrument shaping the aesthetic narrative of two of the week’s most anticipated shows.
Backstage, before the lights flare and the music rises, there is always a moment of calm. At Issey Miyake’s Autumn/Winter 2026–27 presentation, held beneath the historic ceilings of the Carrousel du Louvre, that calm felt almost meditative. Stylists moved with deliberate focus, the atmosphere less frantic than architectural—appropriate for a house whose philosophy has long been rooted in form, structure, and materiality.
Leading the hair direction was Holli Smith, who approached the collection with a sculptor’s eye. The show, titled Creating, Allowing, explored the balance between deliberate design and restraint—an idea reflected not only in the garments but in the hair itself.
“Hair is one of the most important parts of any look,” Smith explained backstage, moments before the first model stepped into line. “Much like shoes, it can complete or redefine an entire silhouette.”
The hair echoed the collection’s sharp geometry: sleek lines, controlled volume, and fluid movement that felt almost aerodynamic against the garments’ bold silhouettes. Smith relied on the Dyson Supersonic r, paired with a diffuser attachment, to sculpt each strand with precision while preserving a softness that allowed natural movement to remain visible.
The result was quietly powerful: ultra-sleek low ponytails and sculpted textures that seemed to mirror the tension between control and freedom embedded in Miyake’s design philosophy.
If Miyake’s backstage mood felt architectural, Chloé’s Winter 2026 show, under the creative direction of Chemena Kamali, was something entirely different—warmer, more emotional, steeped in a sense of human connection.
Kamali’s collection, titled “The Devotion Collection,” drew inspiration from traditional costume and folkloric craft. Each garment reflected the time and care of handmaking—embroideries, knitted textures, and motifs that felt less like decoration and more like stories stitched into fabric.
Backstage, the hair echoed that philosophy of individuality and lived experience.
Under the direction of legendary stylist Anthony Turner, the look was deliberately undone. Think windswept movement, soft waves, and natural curls, as though the models had just stepped out of a long journey through open landscapes.
“The inspiration is a woman on a journey,” Turner explained while directing a team of stylists weaving delicate braids through hair. “It’s about nature, the outdoors—hair that feels raw and wind-touched, never overworked.”
Dyson Supersonic r™ Hair Dryer
https://www.dyson.com/hair-care/hair-dryers/supersonic-r
Dyson Supersonic™ Hair Dryer
https://www.dyson.com/hair-care/hair-dryers/supersonic
Dyson Airwrap™ Multi-Styler and Dryer
https://www.dyson.com/hair-care/hair-stylers/airwrap
Dyson Airwrap i.d.™ Multi-Styler and Dryer
https://www.dyson.co.uk/hair-care/hair-stylers/airwrap-id
Dyson Airwrap Co-anda2x™ Multi-Styler and Dryer
https://www.dyson.co.uk/hair-care/hair-stylers/airwrap-co-anda2x
Dyson Beauty
https://www.dyson.com/hair-care
Chloé
Issey Miyake
INSTITUTE 