All the world’s a stage when 4 fashion shows bring theatrics to scenography

The runway is shedding its utilitarian roots and embracing full theatrical spectacle. From circus arenas to Gothic palaces, luxury retail is tapping experienced scenographers to transform fashion shows into immersive performances. Discover how four fashion houses turned catwalks into stages below.

A playwright takes Dior on a journey of scenographic storytelling

The Dior AW25 Womenswear show commenced in the square circus arena; its geometry highlighted by beams of light. Initially, the light focused on a girl sitting on slings bearing the fairytale phrase ‘once upon a time’. The performance unfolded with lighting creating crater-like effects on the floor. Models walked on the rocky topography as a prehistoric era bird crossed the scene. Stones descended from the ceiling, and a transparent iceberg surfaced amidst dramatic lighting and smoke effects from the floor. Black and white light rays bisected the arena during the finale, showered with confetti from the ceiling, finalizing the performance in a classic circus fashion. The show’s scenography was created by Robert Wilson, an American experimental theatre stage director and playwright, who has also worked as a choreographer and sound and lighting designer.

Louis Vuitton swaps audience and stage in a Gothic palace

Louis Vuitton’s Cruise 2026 show unfolded in the Cour d’Honneur, the very heart of the festival. Before it began, the set could have been mistaken for a stage for the upcoming festival. The scenography echoed Festival d’Avignon’s traditional layout: red velvet audience seating, an uplit stage and an atmosphere charged with theatrical expectation. But this was Es Devlin, one of the world’s most experienced scenographers. So, of course, there was a twist: the audience and the stage had swapped places. Guests were seated on stage in seating areas with backs resembling clerical chairs. The models entered from the upper top corner of the courtyard, walking a catwalk that allowed them to be viewed side-on against a backdrop of red velvet.

Seated like movie-goers, Valentino's audience had front row seats to a cinematic show

At Valentino’s AW25 show, the space was entirely drenched in red, referencing the brand’s signature colour while also evoking the horror of films such as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. The surreal set was lit by a grid of white industrial lighting, creating moods that echo the atmospheres typical of David Lynch’s works, whom Michele cited as a reference. The seating for the audience was arranged like the seating in a cinema with a view looking out towards the toilet doors that lined all four walls.

A minimalist opera box brings futuristic aesthetics to Dior Menswear

The set at Dior’s AW25 Menswear show was a perfect intersection of classic architectural theory and Mies van der Rohe’s minimalist ethos. The striking interior functioned as an ideal spatial archetype of a performance space, reminiscent of architectural models beloved by minimalism enthusiasts. Integral to the set were the ‘Opera’ coats featured in the collection – voluminous silhouettes cinched at the waist and borrowed from Dior’s womenswear archives. This reference reinforced the traditional opera house aesthetic of the set while reimagining it with a futuristic vision.

WORDS Hayley Daen

This article is originally available at www.frameweb.com