Was it embarrassed or just surprised silence?

In any case, nothing could be heard for a millisecond at the table in the fine restaurant La Tour d'Argent on the Seine.

Imran Amed, founder of the “Business of Fashion” website, had held up his cell phone and showed the other guests at the dinner table a memorable scene: how activists stormed the Louis Vuitton catwalk among the models.

A woman walked towards the cameras for a long time with the banner "Overconsumption = Extinction".

A man was pushed back on the way to the catwalk.

His message: "No fashion on a dead planet".

The logos on the banners: Extinction Rebellion, Youth for Climate, Amis de la Terre France.

Alfons Kaiser

Responsible editor for the section “Germany and the World” and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Magazin.

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The protest on the catwalk, barely an hour before dinner in the starred restaurant, had a big impact.

Because when there are ugly scenes during a parade in which security guards have to overpower troublemakers, then the beautiful appearance is suddenly really just beautiful appearance.

So far, these have been more fun activities - for example, when a speedster from “Dandy Diary” ran naked down the Dolce & Gabbana catwalk in 2013, or when comedian Marie S'Infiltre (Marie Benoliel) could only be stopped by model Gigi Hadid at Chanel in 2019.

But now it's getting political.

And then also at Louis Vuitton, the flagship brand of the largest luxury company LVMH, and then also in the Louvre, where LVMH founder Bernard Arnault likes to hold court, and then at the end of the prêt-à-porter week, like an exclamation point .

In 2019, according to Extinction Rebellion on the subject of "overconsumption", every French person bought an average of 42 items of clothing.

Most of the guests at the show didn't need to feel addressed - because they buy a lot more.

Laughter: The activist wore Zara pants

At La Tour d'Argent, the silence dissolved into laughter when Imran told Amed that the activist had apparently been wearing Zara pants. Because most people in the luxury industry agree: The worst are the cheap chains, whose clothes are quickly thrown away and litter the world because they are so cheap; and whose carbon dioxide balance is worse because of the delivery routes, because they can no longer produce anything in Europe, but almost only in the Far East.

The fine brands, you have to give them that, do a lot for image reasons in order to strive for “climate neutrality”. The luxury group Kering (Gucci, Saint Laurent, Boucheron and others) announced on Wednesday that it wants to commit to more sustainability together with Cartier and as many other manufacturers as possible in the "Watch & Jewelery Initiative 2030", including through energy efficiency and Resource conservation. And Michael Kliger, head of the online luxury retailer Mytheresa, who invited guests to the restaurant with a view of Notre-Dame at the end of the prêt-à-porter week, also understands the signs of the times: he recommends Vestiaire in a partnership with the resale platform his customers to bring used products back into circulation: circular economy in exchange for a voucher, but at least. And nevertheless:“This topic will determine the next ten years,” said Imran Amed, who for his part benefits from overconsumption with “Business of Fashion”. His table neighbor, Renaud de Lesquen, managing director of the LVMH subsidiary Givenchy, looked confused. For the fashion scene, the frequently shared videos are more than just a disruption to operations. Because after a year and a half pandemic break, it was actually time to restart. But the hesitant fist greetings, the rare hugs, the few kisses on the cheek already show that the uncertainty is deeper. The fragile structure of people addicted to contact, who reinforce each other with social rituals, the more the self-portrayal threatens their cohesion, now cracks. The joy of seeing you again is subject to change. Most already suspect that it is not enoughfor reasons of climate protection to only show the shows digitally or to allow the defilees to take place in front of a smaller backdrop.