Brands like Chanel and Dior are using film festivals to preview their upcoming designs, a trend that’s gaining momentum in the fashion industry.

In a bid to create buzz and generate excitement, fashion brands are embracing a new strategy: soft launches and sneak peeks. Rather than waiting for the traditional catwalk shows, designers are now using high-profile events like the Venice Film Festival to showcase their latest creations. Chanel and Dior are among the brands that have taken this approach, using the festival’s red carpets and gondolas to give a glimpse of what’s to come.

Jonathan Anderson, who took over at Dior in June, has been teasing more than a dozen looks on actors including Greta Lee and Alba Rohrwacher. Lee wore a deconstructed minidress that riffed on the brand’s signature bar jacket, while Rohrwacher wore a navy gown with a padded bustle. Meanwhile, Tilda Swinton hinted at what we can expect from Matthieu Blazy, the French-Belgian designer who recently landed the top job at Chanel, when she stepped off a water taxi wearing loosely cut white trousers and a short-sleeved blouse featuring tiny shimmering interlocking CC buttons.

This new approach is not without controversy, however. Some online users have accused Versace of becoming boring, while others say Anderson’s purposefully chaotic pieces for Dior do not exactly scream Hollywood glamour. Amy Odell, a fashion commentator and author of Gwyneth: The Biography, notes that designers will be aware of early criticism, but adds that “not every look is for everybody.”

The trend of soft launches and sneak peeks is not new, but it is gaining momentum. Timothée Chalamet was one of the first to try this approach, wearing Haider Ackermann’s first outfit for Tom Ford to the Golden Globes two months before the designer’s debut show. Other celebrities, such as Vicky Krieps and Julianne Moore, have also worn previews of Louise Trotter’s Bottega Veneta.

A notable moment at the festival was when Amanda Seyfried borrowed the same Versace look worn by Julia Roberts, a move that sparked discussions about sustainability and the role of fashion in the digital age. Elizabeth Saltzman, the Hollywood stylist, shared photos of both stars wearing the look, with Seyfried opting for different shoes to make it her own.

The trend is also influencing how fashion is perceived. As Henrik Lischke, the senior fashion features editor at Grazia, points out, the strategy is similar to the press tour of the Barbie film in 2023, which proved that the more hype you create, the more attention you get. These fashion brands are giving us a glimpse of what to expect, getting people excited long before a look even hits the catwalk.

Ayo Edebiri’s white two-piece from Chanel, which hints at the direction Blazy wants to take the house, is one of the festival’s greatest red carpet hits. And Jacob Elordi’s all-white look from Bottega Veneta, which marks an end to method dressing, has generated plenty of buzz.

As the fashion industry continues to evolve, the use of film festivals as a platform for soft launches is likely to become even more prevalent. With the pressure off and the focus on art house films, designers, stylists, and their Hollywood clients have the opportunity to experiment and have more fun, creating a new era of fashion presentation.