Paris week highlights
Paris made waves: the Elite Model Look contest is set to return in May, Moroccan‑Italian model Malika El‑Maslouhi dominated runways this March, and Nicolas Di Felice left Courrèges after five years—big shifts at the top ( ). The “rider renaissance” look and white lace‑up derby finishers were among the street‑style winners (vogue.com).
Organisers in France mapped out 18 Elite Model Look casting sessions for the 2026 cycle, and the 2025 national partnership resulted in seven new talents signing with Elite Paris. (maxicasting.com) The contest — founded by John Casablancas in 1983 — still markets itself as a pipeline for top talent and lists alumni including Cindy Crawford and Gisele Bündchen on its official pages. (elitemodels.com) Independent tallies put Elite Model Look’s reach at roughly 350,000 entrants spanning about 70 countries annually, underlining the scale of the scouting operation behind the Paris castings. (wikiwand.com) Malika El‑Maslouhi’s March run included a slot in Nina Ricci’s Fall/Winter 2026 lineup at Paris Fashion Week, where industry photographers noted her presence among the season’s repeat faces. (arabnews.com) Agencies list El‑Maslouhi on major rosters — Viva Models among them — and her recent credits include campaigns and editorial covers logged across 2024–25, including Dazed Mena and Vogue Netherlands. (viva-paris.com) Nicolas Di Felice — who took the reins at Courrèges in September 2020 — leaves after reshaping the house with body‑con clubwear, gender‑fluid iterations of classics, and product expansions that included fragrances “Slogan” and “Le Messager.” (designscene.net) Courrèges confirmed Di Felice’s departure came as he intends to “focus on personal projects,” said the brand in a press release, and the label signalled it will name a new artistic director shortly after a CEO change in 2024 under Marie Leblanc. (wmagazine.com) The season’s street‑style surge around the “rider” aesthetic owes much to Michael Rider’s Celine shows, where slim, lace‑up derby flats — notably in white, black and cherry red — were prominent on the runway and quickly copied on the street. (whowhatwear.com)
