As a record-breaking heatwave caused mounting deaths in Paris, global luxury group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) became embroiled in controversy after staging a fashion show with a large 8-meter-high artificial waterfall.
According to foreign media including Reuters and Britain's The Independent on Saturday, LVMH presented the Louis Vuitton "2027 Spring/Summer Men's Collection" by renowned musician and designer Pharrell Williams during Paris Fashion Week, which had run since June 23.
Louis Vuitton created an elaborate stage by installing an 8-meter-high artificial waterfall against a sand-covered runway. However, the fashion show was held in the courtyard of the Cité Internationale Universitaire, a large residential complex housing 12,000 students annually. With all of France suffering from an unprecedented heatwave, criticism poured in from politicians and citizens.
Paris Deputy Mayor Mélody Tonolli pointed out, "At a time when everyone is enduring a suffocating heatwave, such an ostentatious display could send a very inappropriate message to the public." A university student living in the dormitory also lamented, "When you see the poor housing conditions and reality we face, and then see the elaborate waterfall Louis Vuitton created right next door, you feel an extreme contradiction."
Heatwave Deaths Exceed 1,300, Events Disrupted One After Another
The record heatwave that recently swept Europe has been leading to casualties. Heatwave-related deaths across Europe were tallied at more than 1,300. In Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic, temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, setting new record highs, and approximately 190 million people across Europe were forecast to be exposed to heat above 35 degrees Celsius.
Event schedules were also affected. The Paris Pride parade was postponed to ease the burden on the medical system caused by the heatwave. As bad weather continued, the Garorock music festival, scheduled to be held near Bordeaux, France, was canceled due to a storm warning. The festival, which had sold about 100,000 tickets, is expected to suffer losses of more than 3 million euros (about 5.2 billion won).
With daily life shaken across Europe by the heatwave and abnormal weather, critics noted that Louis Vuitton's fashion show featuring a large artificial waterfall appeared all the more inappropriate.
Despite "No Water Wasted" Explanation, Citizens Remain Cold
As the controversy grew, LVMH officially explained that no water was wasted.
An LVMH spokesperson said, "The water used in the waterfall was entirely supplied by the city of Paris and brought to the site, then returned directly to the sewer through a system that circulated only internally without any external discharge."
The spokesperson added that the waterfall operation was conducted in compliance with the authorities' heatwave regulations, and that the sand used on the stage would be entirely donated to a beach volleyball court within the dormitory and to recycling companies.
However, despite such explanations, citizens' views remain cold, Reuters reported. In France, criticism continues that luxury brands commercially exploit public spaces under the pretext of promoting Paris as the center of world fashion.
