HEAD Genève Fashion Show 2026: 33 Collections, Prix Chloé to Hippolyte Laporte

HEAD – Genève, one of Switzerland’s leading art and design schools, held its annual graduate fashion show on the evening of Friday, 6 November 2026 at its Geneva campus, in the Le Cube hall of Building H. Bachelor’s and Master’s students from the Fashion, Jewellery and Accessories Design department sent 33 collections and around 220 looks down the runway. About 2,500 people watched the two shows at 6:30 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.; the awards were presented after the second show. The most prominent prize, the Prix Chloé, went to Master’s student Hippolyte Laporte for the collection “Anamorphoses”.

According to the list published by the school, 20 of the collections came from the Bachelor programme and 13 from the Master programme. According to FashionUnited’s report, based on the school’s press release, the show served not only as the final assessment for the graduating classes but also as a stage that brought young designers face to face with executives from Europe’s major luxury groups.

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Louis Vuitton, Kering and Richemont on the jury

The collections were assessed by an international jury. It included well-known names such as British designer Craig Green, Kris Van Assche, artistic director of his own label, and The Business of Fashion writer Tim Blanks. The luxury groups were represented by Louis Vuitton design director Marco Russo, Kering’s head of creative talent management Alvise Bullo and Richemont’s director of strategy and growth Patrick Ferrand. Mauro Grimaldi of Richemont, Séverine Saas of the newspaper Le Temps, Bongénie buyer Cyril Jordil and Le Bal des Créateurs artistic director Christophe Durand were also on the jury.

This line-up explains why the school sees the show as a “showcase”: in their very first season, graduates present their work in front of decision-makers from the fashion houses they may one day want to work for.

Awards and winners

According to the results published on the show’s website, the awards were distributed as follows:

Prix Chloé: Hippolyte Laporte, “Anamorphoses” (Master)
Vahabzadeh Foundation Prize: Tanguy Mélinand, “Muddy Sea” (Master)
Bongénie Bachelor Prize: Nassim Arman, “Zéro De Conduite” (Bachelor)
Baume & Mercier Prize: Chiara Bonelli, “Out of the Blue” (Bachelor)
Image / Art Direction of the Collection Prize (Le Bal des Créateurs and KEVIN.MURPHY): Loris Cedolin, “Fais-moi cygne” and Zakarie Boubekeur, “Straycore” (Bachelor)
Jury Prize (supported by The Arrow): Antoine Panabière, “L’autre main” (Bachelor)

It is notable that most of the awards went to Bachelor’s students, while the major brand-named prizes were concentrated on two Master’s collections.

What was in the collections?

As reported by FashionUnited, a large share of the collections was built around materials and function. Upcycled seat belts, salvaged paper and deadstock fabrics were used. Master’s student Catarina Santos Moreira designed modular leather bags that distribute the carried load more evenly across the body in her collection “OVERWORKED: bags to share the load”. Other projects addressed the sensory needs of neurodivergent people or questioned the conventions of classic menswear tailoring.

The show’s set was also student work. Master’s students in space design turned Le Cube into an illuminated installation during a workshop led by French designer Matali Crasset. The music was composed by Romano Bianchi and Village Pipo and performed by the Geneva Chamber Orchestra (Orchestre de Chambre de Genève).

Why it matters

Fashion schools’ graduate shows are among the first places where the industry spots new talent. Just as the shows of Central Saint Martins in London or the Royal Academy in Antwerp are closely watched, HEAD – Genève has in recent years been trying to join this league by bringing names such as Chloé, Kering and Richemont onto its jury and awards. This year, too, pairing the prizes with brands creates a concrete link that opens internship and job doors for graduates.

Seen from Turkey, the picture is instructive: graduate shows at our fashion schools mostly stay within the school, while international juries and brand-backed awards are rare. This model could serve as an example for giving young designers more visibility. Those who want to step into the fashion world can also take a look at our fashion week calendar.

Sources

Image: Buildings H and E on the HEAD – Genève campus (Le Cube, where the show took place, is in Building H; representative image) — Mourad Ben Abdallah, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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