The giant waterfall built by Louis Vuitton angered Parisians who were sweltering in the scorching heat

In Paris luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton received strong criticism last week, as an eight-meter, artificial waterfall structure was built at the brand’s Paris Fashion Week men’s show, while the townspeople sweltered in the heat of more than 40 degrees.

The massive structure served as a background for the musician-songwriter by Pharrell Williams at the 2027 men’s spring-summer collection show. The models of the surf-themed show walked on the “sand beach” brought to the catwalk.

The installation was set up in the area of ​​the Cité Universitaire university campus. About 12,000 students live on campus.

The show the criticism raised was directed at whether the LVMH group owned by Louis Vuitton had the right to waste water during the extreme heat, when the townspeople were urged to use water sparingly. Reuters and The Independent.

A representative of LVMH told Reuters that the water was pumped from the Paris water supply network and diverted back into the sewer system. According to the group, the sand used in the show is also collected and recycled for reuse on the beach volleyball courts.

In addition, Parisians were increasingly annoyed by the harnessing of public spaces for private use. The structure limited residents’ access to some of the campus facilities, although they also pay rent during fashion weeks.

Deputy Mayor of Paris responsible for the living conditions of Cité Universitaire students Melody Tonolli told Reuters he understood the criticism.

“I understand the public’s reaction, privatization has been poorly explained, and the message sent in the middle of a heat wave is very unfortunate,” Tonolli said.

Some of the campus residents have felt that they have been treated unfairly for a reason.

“When you see where we live and how we live, Louis Vuitton’s activities are a complete paradox,” says a student living on campus Emma Keller told Reuters.

of The Guardian according to a small group of people protested outside the screening area on Tuesday and 1,300 Parisians signed a petition against the private use of public spaces.

of Paris according to fashion week representatives, organizing shows in public spaces owned by the city raises the image of Paris as the fashion capital of the world, but even in previous years, the shows have not pleased all city residents.

Williams’ first Louis Vuitton show in June 2023 was held on the historic Pont Neuf bridge in Paris. At that time, some French politicians loudly disapproved of taking the bridge for private use.