The season’s return is staged on the gallery walls as well. In September 2026, Paris refreshes its exhibition wardrobe with several new shows devoted to fashion, to its designers, to its imagery and to its know-how. From major institutions to intimate venues, the month offers plenty of material to view couture from every angle.
This new cultural season draws from a range of worlds—from fashion photography and historical artifacts to accessories, crafts, and the evolution of wardrobes—letting us trace the eras as we watch contemporary creation unfold. Behind the silhouettes, stories of makers, personalities, and social shifts reveal how we dress and how we view fashion.
And September brings a slate of highly anticipated openings. Some spotlight big names, others zoom in on a detail, a craft, or a single piece capable of telling an entire era. A program tailored for both sewing enthusiasts and the merely curious.
So, which new fashion exhibitions will set the tone for Paris's cultural season? Here are the ones opening in Paris in September 2026—add them to your cultural calendar right away!
Street food, manga and high-tech beauty: Japan makes its mark in a Paris department store this fall.
What does a konbini look like when it lands inside a grand Paris department store? Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche answers with "Super Japon," its new fall exhibition running from August 29 to October 18, 2026, pairing gourmet discoveries, cult objects, Japanese design, and sensory experiences. [Read more]
This free fashion exhibition in Paris reveals how the hats that headline the major runway shows are created.
Behind a beret, a boater, or a capeline lie hours of work and skills handed down through generations. From September 23 to December 13, 2026, the 19M will host a free exhibition dedicated to Maison Michel, inviting the public to discover the behind-the-scenes of hatmaking. [Read more]
In Paris, this exhibition traces 60 years of fashion through the lens of Irving Penn, opening in September.
Irving Penn makes his mark at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie with PENN & FASHION, running from September 30, 2026 to January 17, 2027. Spanning more than six decades of images, the exhibition shows how his eye reshaped the rules of fashion photography, from Dior and Balenciaga to Issey Miyake, Chanel, and John Galliano. [Read more]
A wardrobe of one’s own: the fashion exhibition on the 19th-century revolution of women’s dress at the Palais Galliera
At the Palais Galliera, the exhibition A Wardrobe of One’s Own: Dissident Femininities in the 19th Century reveals a little-known facet of women's fashion. From September 26, 2026 to February 14, 2027, more than 350 works trace how 19th‑century women appropriated the male wardrobe. An exhibition where clothing becomes a tool for emancipation and for reshaping identities. [Read more]
Rafael Pavarotti Photographer: A Fashion Photography Exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris
Fashion photography takes over the Museum of Decorative Arts with an exhibition dedicated to Rafael Pavarotti. From September 23, 2026, to February 7, 2027, over 200 vibrant prints will showcase, for the first time in France, the career of the Brazilian photographer and engage in a dialogue with the museum's photographic collections. [Read more]
Look, 40 Years of Fashion at the Museum: A Retrospective Couture Exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts
At the Museum of Decorative Arts, the 40th anniversary of the Museum of Fashion is celebrated with "Look: 40 Years of Fashion at the Museum," a must-see fashion exhibition. Forty iconic ensembles take the runway in the nave's central space, surrounded by sketches, patterns, and embroidery, showcasing four decades of style and craftsmanship. [Read more]
Japanese design lands at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs for Paris Design Week 2026.
Japan takes over the Musée des Arts Décoratifs for Paris Design Week 2026. From September 10, four French designers will reveal the creations born from their Kyoto residency, along a curated trail on view through January 2027. [Read more]
A free exhibition triggers chaos at La Gaîté Lyrique during Paris Design Week 2026
Too many objects, moving too fast, looking too alike? La Gaîté Lyrique poses the question with a free exhibition to explore during Paris Design Week, from September 10 to 14, 2026. [Read more]
Paris Design Week 2026 : unconventional, large-format creations that won’t go unnoticed
From XXL proportions to the most unexpected ideas, quirky installations add depth to Paris Design Week, running September 10–19, 2026. [Read more]
A Bastille artists’ enclave opens its studios for a special showcase during Paris Design Week 2026
At Cité des Taillandiers, artisans and designers are opening their studios for a special occasion to reveal their techniques, materials and know‑how on September 11–12, 2026, during Paris Design Week. [Read more]
La Caserne des Minimes embraces textile upcycling for Paris Design Week 2026.
La Caserne des Minimes puts textiles and upcycling in the spotlight with a free exhibition that reimagines everyday objects during Paris Design Week, from September 10 to 19, 2026. [Read more]
A free exhibition spotlights Arab design talents at the IMA during Paris Design Week 2026.
The new wave of Arab design takes up residence at the Institut du Monde Arabe with a free exhibition to discover during Paris Design Week, from September 10 to 20, 2026. [Read more]
Spotlight on Scandinavian design at the Danish House during Paris Design Week 2026
Danish design makes its mark on the Champs-Élysées as iconic brands and up-and-coming labels converge at the Maison du Danemark for Paris Design Week, September 10–14, 2026. [Read more]
Four Marais hotspots to discover the next generation of design during Paris Design Week Factory 2026
La Paris Design Week Factory puts young creators on the map with four venues in the Marais, spotlighting emerging talent and collectible design to discover during Paris Design Week 2026, from September 10 to 19. [Read more]
A design trail inspired by Japan at Le Bon Marché for Paris Design Week 2026
Heading to Japan without leaving the Left Bank! Le Bon Marché puts Japanese design in the spotlight with a curated route that blends installations, furniture and craftsmanship during Paris Design Week, from September 10 to 19, 2026. [Read more]
This free pop-up turns Bastille into a creative lab during Paris Design Week 2026.
In Bastille, JAD brings crafts out of the workshop with a pop-up where know-how, design and DIY brush shoulders during Paris Design Week, from September 9 to 13, 2026. [Read more]
23 up-and-coming designers unveil the furniture of tomorrow at Mobilier National for Paris Design Week 2026.
Here comes the next generation! The Mobilier National unveils the work of 23 freshly graduated designers with Vivement Demain #5, to mark Paris Design Week, from September 9 to 13, 2026. [Read more]
A free exhibition blending design and craftsmanship at Lafayette Anticipations for Paris Design Week 2026
For Paris Design Week 2026, Lafayette Anticipations is hosting a free exhibition exploring materials, techniques, and everyday uses from September 8 to 13. [Read more]
A contemporary sundial takes pride of place in the Jardin du Palais-Royal for Paris Design Week 2026.
Time is measured in shadows and light at the Jardin du Palais-Royal with Wu Bin's Time Pavilion, to be unveiled from September 9 to 20, 2026, on the occasion of Paris Design Week. [Read more]
An olfactory installation takes over the courtyard of the Maison Victor Hugo for Paris Design Week 2026.
Victor Hugo made the stones speak; Anankè now gives them a scent as well. This olfactory installation will fill the courtyard of the Maison Victor Hugo during Paris Design Week, from September 4 to 20, 2026. [Read more]
Design takes center stage in a private salon at Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées for Paris Design Week 2026
To celebrate its tenth anniversary, the dach&zephir studio opens the doors of the Boardroom at Galeries Lafayette Champs-Élysées with Souvenances, a commemorative exhibition to be seen from September 10 to 20, 2026. [Read more]
A welcoming installation unfolds in a private Marais townhouse for Paris Design Week 2026.
Urban furniture takes over the courtyard of a Marais townhouse with an installation designed for sitting, chatting and watching, during Paris Design Week, September 10–19, 2026. [Read more]
Two free installations at the Paris Historical Library for Paris Design Week 2026
At the Historical Library of the City of Paris, design takes to the terrace: a cafe reimagined by around forty designers sits alongside Fibois’ wooden installations at the Hôtel de Lamoignon, from September 10 to 19, 2026, during Paris Design Week. [Read more]
Wood, bronze and gold take over the gardens of the Hôtel de Sully for Paris Design Week 2026
Wood curves and lines loosen at the Hôtel de Sully, where Joseph Walsh installs Arcanum Formæ between the forecourt, the Orangery and the gardens, for Paris Design Week, with a run continuing beyond September 10 to October 25, 2026. [Read more]
These planter-sculptures add a fresh perspective to the Hôtel de Soubise for Paris Design Week 2026.
At the Hôtel de Soubise, the box hedges and the columns welcome new neighbors: Johanna de Clisson’s white sandstone sculptures, on display from September 10 to 19, 2026, for Paris Design Week. [Read more]
The gardens of the Hôtel de Rohan play host to a sinuous sculpture for Paris Design Week 2026.
A wooden ribbon unfurls through the gardens of the Hôtel de Rohan as Pierre Renart unveils Arabesque, a sculptural bench imagined for Paris Design Week, from September 10 to 19, 2026. [Read more]
A monumental textile installation around the July Column at the Place de la Bastille for Paris Design Week 2026
La Bastille unfurls the colors of sustainable design! With The Reprise of the Bastille, 196 flags crafted from used clothing surround the July Column from September 9 to 20, 2026, for Paris Design Week. [Read more]
Art car and ancestral Korean hanji at the Hôtel de la Marine for Paris Design Week 2026
A thousand-year-old Korean paper on one side, a metamorphosed car on the other: the Hôtel de la Marine hosts Hanjimania and Astre Mobile from September 9 to 27, 2026, as part of Paris Design Week. [Read more]
This design exhibition takes over the Arc de Triomphe’s inner chambers for Paris Design Week 2026.
L’Arc de Triomphe hosts "La Tempête," the new exhibition by Jérémy Pradier-Jeauneau, running September 9 to October 4, 2026. Presented for Paris Design Week, it traces an artistic journey through sculpture, installations and design, up to the monument’s acrotère, exceptionally accessible to visitors. [Read more]
Design takes center stage amid the sculptures at the Bourdelle Museum for Paris Design Week 2026
For the first time, the Bourdelle Museum opens its collections to contemporary design with Contrepoint, a free installation by Anthony Guerrée that reinterprets the sculptor's lines during Paris Design Week, from 8 to 27 September 2026. [Read more]
A Parisian townhouse conceals a free immersive installation for Paris Design Week 2026.
A townhouse in the Odéon neighborhood sheds its skin to welcome Hôtel des Possibles, the immersive installation conceived by Maison Kyka for Paris Design Week, running September 10–14, 2026. [Read more]
A monumental bouquet of flowers blooms at the Grand Palais for Paris Design Week 2026.
Design is blooming all over Paris during Paris Design Week, from September 10 to 19, 2026. At the Grand Palais, Uchronia sets the scene with Le Grand Bouquet, an oversized flower to discover from September 11 to 20, 2026. [Read more]
Gulahallat: the Sami contemporary art exhibition at the Finnish Institute for Paris Design Week
L Sami contemporary art makes its way to the Finnish Institute as part of Paris Design Week. Meet at the Nordic Cultural Center from September 11 to October 24, 2026 to discover the free new exhibition, "Gulahallat," and to view the works and crafts of about ten Sami artists, including Hildá Länsman, Outi Pieski, and Marja Helander. [Read more]
All systems go: the exhibition that blends art and fashion at the Swedish Institute for Paris Design Week.
At the start of the season, the Swedish Institute will reveal its shared sense of order, one of the foundations of Swedish culture. Rendezvous from September 2 to October 4, 2026 to discover this free, collective exhibition blending art and fashion, presented for Paris Design Week. [Read more]
Dates and Opening Time
From September 1, 2026 to September 30, 2026
