Cruise Collection: the kick-off to summer

Cruise collections first appeared in the 1920s. Popular with the jet set and wealthy customers, they fell into disuse with the democratisation of holidays, before being brought back into fashion in the 2000s. Inseparable from summer, cruise collections have continued to evolve and today represent a real economic challenge.

What is a cruise collection?

The Cruise Collection is not just a summer collection, nor is it a fashion line reserved for passengers on luxury yachts and ocean liners. In fact, the Resort Collection is much more than a line of clothes for holidays. It is an intermediary collection, launched between the autumn-winter and spring-summer ready-to-wear shows, which allows fashion houses to occupy the media field while meeting the needs of a wealthy clientele.

Historically, these collections were designed for wealthy customers escaping winter for the sunny beaches of the Caribbean or the Riviera. American women, in particular, were looking for the right wardrobe: light, elegant, sophisticated, but always chic. The cruise collection developed at the same time as luxury sportswear, invented by designer Jean Patou in the 1920s.

Today, these collections have once again taken on considerable importance. They are no longer confined to holiday wear, and are aimed at a broader clientele in search of pieces that are versatile, comfortable and timeless. They have become a privileged field of expression for the major fashion houses, which take advantage of them to organise spectacular fashion shows in heavenly locations: from Capri to Dubai, from Miami to the temples of Kyoto, each cruise collection is an invitation to travel, between the world of fashion and the art of living.

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Invitations to travel offered by cruise fashion shows

Every year, the major fashion houses redouble their imagination to transform their cruise shows into extraordinary experiences. Much more than a simple presentation of clothes, these events are veritable invitations to travel, where luxury and escape meet in exceptional locations.

The cruise collections are closely linked to the outdoors and a change of scenery. They evoke the sun, the dolce vita and the freedom you feel when you're in paradise. To capture this spirit of escape and refinement, fashion houses compete in creativity by organising their fashion travel in spectacular settings, always outdoors: on a private beach in the Maldives, in the heart of the souks of Marrakech, in front of the ancient temples of Athens or in the courtyard of a Venetian palace.

Each cruise collection is an immersion in a unique aesthetic and cultural universe, where fashion becomes a passport to exotic and inspiring lands.

But beyond the décor, cruise collections are also a strategic challenge for luxury brands. They enable brands to maintain media visibility between major Fashion Weeks and send a strong message to an international clientele that is always on the move. Luxury is no longer consumed only in the hushed salons of Parisian boutiques: it is exported, it adapts to lifestyles and, above all, it must always seek to surprise.

Cruise collections over the years

Cruise collections have become a mainstay of the fashion calendar. Their role has evolved, as has their influence, to the point of redefining the strategies of the major luxury brands.

In the 1920s and 1930s, when Coco Chanel and Jean Patou designed their first cruise collections, the idea was simple: to offer comfortable clothes for their wealthy customers on a trip. The DNA of today's collections was already there: fluid cuts, light fabrics and discreet luxury.

But it was in the 2000s that the cruise fashion show took on a whole new dimension. The major fashion houses quickly realised that it was no longer just about selling clothes, but about telling a story, inviting people to dream and asserting a vision of contemporary luxury. Chanel, a pioneer of the genre under Karl Lagerfeld, transformed its cruise collections into veritable travelling shows: Havana, Saint-Tropez, Versailles... Each destination becomes the setting for a grandiose show in which fashion merges with local culture.
 

Over the years, fashion travel shows have intensified and diversified. Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and Saint Laurent all compete to stage their collections in exceptional locations: Indian temples, deserts, New York rooftops and even futuristic landscapes. Every year, the next destination remains a mystery, adding to the excitement of the media and influencers.

Today, the cruise collection is no longer just an intermediary event; it is a genuine communication and business lever for brands. It enables them to stay close to their international clientele and meet new expectations: timeless, easy-to-wear pieces that are luxurious without being ostentatious. What's more, with new environmental concerns, some brands are reinventing their collections with more sustainable materials and a more responsible approach.

Ever more exciting and exuberant, cruise collections are among the most eagerly awaited events on the fashion planet. These constantly evolving blockbusters reflect the changing face of the fashion industry: between tradition and innovation, between storytelling and pragmatism, between timeless luxury and modernity.