The catwalk as a prelude: Paris and the codes of a new world

Writing has always been my most valuable tool to stay aligned with my purpose as a founder. As a child, I rewrote the endings of stories that fascinated me, filled the margins of books with impromptu essays, and imagined alternative futures for my favorite characters. That habit of reinventing narratives has stayed with me ever since, and has shaped the way I move through the world. I don't just observe it as it is, but also how it could become. With this monthly column, I reclaim that practice.

Founder diaries is a space for reflection. An intimate look at what it means to be a founder today, especially when living between two cultures and navigating the emotional, political, and cultural changes that are transforming the world. Some months I will write from the front lines of my own journey. Others, I will adopt a broader perspective, as is the case for my first reflection.

Paris Fashion Week as a mirror, warning, and call to action

Last week I felt uncomfortable watching the latest shows of Paris Fashion Week, one of the most influential cultural stages in the world. And what I saw was not just fashion. It was a whole statement.

In the main shows, Céline, Saint Laurent, and other brands, the models looked almost like ghosts. Arms held. Expressionless faces. Bodies wrapped in silhouettes that completely erased the female form. There was a coldness, a surgical precision, a performative containment that felt less like art and more like a silent form of disappearance.

I couldn't help but wonder: Is this an artistic reflection of the darkness of our times? Or is fashion, like so many other industries in 2025, sending an even more unsettling message: to deliberately and conceptually eclipse women?

Let's not forget: women drive between 70% and 80% of global consumer spending. We are the engine of this industry. We are the customer. And yet, only 15% of major fashion brands are led by female creative directors.

So here we are, watching the runways in Paris, the cradle of the elegant and empowered woman, while they make us invisible. The irony is not lost on me.

"From my point of view, when the body, voice, and female identity disappear in the name of "art," especially within an institution like Paris Fashion Week, it is not perceived as groundbreaking. It feels like a way of setting boundaries. And like the prelude to deeper power dynamics."

As the founder of Juno House, I have spent the last few years in spaces where women speak with sincerity, creativity, and determination about the future they want to build. And that's the point: when you are part of a community of women, you learn to detect warning signs earlier. You notice the silence when no one says anything. You sense when trends begin to change, subtly, but significantly.

Let's be clear: I am passionate about fashion. I am not an "insider". But I care, and deeply, about the kind of messages that are sent. And even more, who sends them. Because the problem is not just aesthetic. It reflects what we see on social media and in popular culture:

• The rise of the "trad wife" ideal
• The romantic return of the "goddess of the home"
• The subtle glorification of female silence: her supportive role, her complacent attitude

So yes, Paris Fashion Week may have been dazzling. But it was also a mirror. And a warning.

And what do we do with all this? As leaders and entrepreneurs, we must take note and think about what our role should be in this new stage, to foresee, of course, what will come to us in 2026.

Let's keep observing. Let's keep raising our voices when something doesn't fit, supporting gender equality. Let's keep building, in our businesses, our communities, and our decisions, spaces where women are not only seen, but consciously valued, because one of the roles of the entrepreneur is to solve society's problems.

And now, if what is fashionable is to relegate women from the front row —in this or any other industry—, it is the perfect time to support those who, as leaders or institutions, are committed to making female talent visible.