5 Brands To Know From Paris Fashion Week On International Women’s Day

Women lie at the very heart of the fashion industry. And yet representation at luxury houses is still lacking—at the very top, the sector remains overwhelmingly male-dominated. All the more impressive, then, are those female designers who have made a name for themselves.

For International Women’s Day, here are 5 brands to know from Paris Fashion Week’s Autumn Winter ‘25 schedule helmed by women. Working on their own terms, they are celebrating handcraft, philosophy, and body positivity. It’s a list of bold, fearless designers shaking up the industry by offering clothing for women, designed by women. What could be more radical?

Ruohan

Ruohan Nie founded her poetic luxury brand in 2021. Its design language is minimalist and centers a neutral color palette, one that speaks to clients looking for something sophisticated, versatile, and timeless. Ruohan stands for understated, quiet luxury, often inspired by travel and art. Showing at Paris Fashion Week since 2022, this season, Autumn Winter 25 spoke in fragments—unfinished thoughts, fleeting moments, the first snow before it melts—shown in a cloister hidden in the Marais. Told across nearly 500 garments, it’s a story that asks the question: could clothing hold the weight of time?

Ashlyn

Paris Fashion Week is always full of surprises. One exceptional find this season is Ashlyn —founded by the South Korean designer Ashlynn Park—which had a number of looks on display in an art gallery in Paris’ first arrondissement. Born in Seoul and now based in New York, Park’s career spans two continents, and over a decade of experience at some of the world’s most influential fashion houses including Yohji Yamamoto and Calvin Klein 205W39NYC under Raf Simons. In 2021, she founded her earth-conscious label focusing on couture-level craftsmanship and intricate pattern-making techniques. The results are timeless, sculptural silhouettes that celebrate powerful femininity.

Róisín Pierce

Themes of female resistance, liberation, and freedom through making are embedded in Irish designer Róisín Pierce’s approach. Her brand, founded in 2020, inhabits a unique space in womenswear—between intergenerational handcraft and textile innovation. A striking signature palette of white unites the work which under Pierce’s eye, resurrects the feminine revolt and resolve scattered throughout Irish history. Autumn Winter ‘25 is a meditation on transience aided by several sources from Proust to Bentley. Smocking, forget me not embroidery and crochet, and ruffles marry with powdered silk velvet, crushed silk, and cotton lace. This season includes a brushstroke of blue added to the artisanal line-up of heirlooms.

Meryll Rogge

Founded in 2020, Meryll Rogge is a contemporary womenswear label based in Belgium. Rogge, an alumna of the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, explores unexpected combinations—sports and outerwear coexist alongside embellished evening wear. The brand is an ode to a playful reinvention of the modern woman through dress: the perfect marriage of practicality and exceptional craft. This season, the collection embraces the rough poetry of derelict architecture and the passing of time. As such, it allows us to consider garments for their architectural and decorative qualities. A collaboration with Ghent-based company Priem sees silk-screened floral patterns leap from interiors to garments, with dresses, skirts, and tops adorned with sophisticated prints and embroideries.

RUIbuilt

Rui Zhou is a designer who appreciates asymmetry, irregularity, and imperfection. In 2019, she founded her brand in New York having already been selected for the semi-final of the H&M Design Award in 2017. Relocating to Shanghai, the provocative brand quickly built a name for boundary-pushing, body-skimming and altering designs. Her interest in Zen Buddhism and the Wabi-Sabi Japanese aesthetic informs her work which considers a garment as a second layer and lends itself to the full-scale empowerment of women. Her tagline? Love what makes you, you. Zhou was the winner of the 2021 LVMH Prize and listed in Forbes’ 2022 30 under 30 Asia.