All you need to know about Cruise Fashion Shows

May and June are the two months we see Cruise Shows hit the catwalks. But what exactly are these collections that flood the internet in between the two main ready-to-wear shows of the year? You may have noticed this is not something every fashion house does, and we mainly see the crème de la crème of fashion take the runway during the Resort season. Houses with strong legacies such as Chanel or Louis Vuitton create these ‘in-between’ shows. 

All you need to know about Cruise Fashion Shows

Where did Cruise collections come from?

These interim shows that we know as Resort collections or Cruise collections originally started for the wealthy clients. The clients would go on a vacation around the Mediterranean Sea during wintertime. Stores would be filled with coats and boots during winter. So, customers needed a mid-season wardrobe to travel to sunny locations. That’s how fashion houses like Gucci, Chanel, and Dior brought cruise collections to life.

Mademoiselle Gabrielle Coco Chanel was actually the first designer to introduce Resort collections back in 1919, inventing the concept of a Cruise show. She designed the collection of light dresses and knits specifically for women who would spend their holidays in Biarritz.

Cruise collections are your holiday wardrobe to live your finest, vacay life. When you think of Resort shows, think of relaxed silhouettes, lightweight fabrics, and statement swimsuits. Whatever you need to soak in the sun in style on holiday, resort collections have it.

Why do brands stage Cruise shows?

Cruise collections are a great opportunity for fashion houses such as Gucci or Dior to charm their global consumers who consistently travel or live in sunny climates all year round. Let’s not forget these huge fashion empires have clients worldwide.

Resort shows also give designers a chance to step back from the traditional fashion week and inject an entirely new must-have mid-season collection into the market. Indeed, in today’s industry witnessing new drops popping every month and high competition, gone are the days where bi-annual fall and spring fashion shows are enough to stay relevant.

Where are Resort collections shown?

As cruise collections focus on holiday mode and resort wear, it’s no wonder that many fashion houses also adapted their locations to suit this theme. Nowadays, it’s common for brands to show their Cruise collections across the globe in luxurious and extravagant destinations.

There are a lot fewer restrictions when it comes to these shows compared to the main fashion weeks in the 4 fashion capitals – New York, London, Milan, and Paris. With no ties to strict industry-regulated fashion month schedules or locations, fashion and luxury houses are free to stage their resort collections on their own terms outside of the industry-regulated fashion week schedules and locations.

Cruise 2024 Shows

Each luxury brand has its own preference when it comes to choosing the location for their Cruise shows.

Last year, Louis Vuitton staged its Resort 2024 runway show on a small private island Isola Bella, one of the Borromean islands on Lake Maggiore in Italy. Nicolas Ghesquiere blended Baroque elements with modernity, and had “botanical references” inspired by the gardens of the 16th-century Borromean palazzo.

Another example is Gucci, which staged its cruise 2024 at the Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul on May 16. For the Italian brand, it was one of the means to strengthen the relationship between Italy and South Korea, its local communities, and collaborations with local talents, as many Korean pop celebrities have recently become Gucci’s ambassadors.

We also cannot forget Chanel’s 2024 Resort show at the Paramount Studio in Los Angeles on May 9. Creative director Virginie Viard chose the Californian city because she was building the collection around the theme of Hollywood, and was inspired by the sports style that is so popular in LA.

Dior staged its Cruise 2024 collection in Mexico City because the founder had a strong connection with the country. His first New Look collection from 1947 included a dress called “Mexico”. In 1950, Monsieur Dior signed a contract with the Mexico City department store “El Palacio de Hierro” to reproduce his collection with local customers in mind. It was such a success he signed Mexican actress María Félix to be a brand ambassador.

Carolina Herrera‘s Resort 2024 show took place in Rio de Janeiro, reflecting the founder’s strong relatioNship with Brazil and the whole Latin American; she was born in Caracas, Venezuela.

Cruise 2025 Collections

Here is what happened in the Cruise 2025 season so far.

Chanel staged the Cruise 2025 show in Marseille. The runway took place on the roof terrace of Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse building.

Sabato De Sarno staged his debut Gucci Cruise show in London. This is where the founder Guccio Gucci started his career as a luggage porter at the Savoy Hotel, and the city now serves as an inspiration to De Sarno.

What can we expect for the rest of the season?

Louis Vuitton will present its Cruise 2025 collection in Barcelona on May 23.

Dior is heading to Scotland to stage the Cruise 2025 show in Perthshire’s Drummond Castle Gardens on June 3.

Max Mara will show in Venice on June 13.

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