Designer Nicolas Ghesquiere appears at the Cruise 2026 collection show for French fashion house Louis Vuitton at the Courtyard of Honor of the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France, May 22, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou

PARIS (Reuters) -Louis Vuitton womenswear designer Nicolas Ghesquiere showed the label's Cruise 2026 collection in the main courtyard of the towering medieval Palais des Papes monument in southern France on Thursday.

The audience sat in risers lining the runway set, with French first lady Brigitte Macron, actors Catherine Deneuve and Cate Blanchett and Vuitton's menswear designer Pharrell Williams in the front row.

Models marched out just after sunset in metallic suit jackets, wide capes with flame-like patterns and gladiator boots covered in mirrored glass. Some looks had extra pleats or rows of chains that added movement and volume, while looser looks included a layered bohemian skirt and wide-sleeved blouse.

Louis Vuitton logo is pictured outside the Palais des Papes on the day of the Cruise 2026 collection show by designer Nicolas Ghesquiere for French fashion house Louis Vuitton, in Avignon, France, May 22, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou

The event from the LVMH-owned label - the world's biggest luxury brand - took place as the luxury industry grapples with a prolonged slump, with a number of fashion brands including Kering-owned Gucci and Balenciaga, privately owned Chanel and LVMH's Dior all recently naming new designers.

A model presents a creation by designer Nicolas Ghesquiere during the Cruise 2026 collection show for French fashion house Louis Vuitton at the Courtyard of Honor of the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France, May 22, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou

Ghesquiere, meanwhile, is set to stay in his position, which he took up in 2013, for several more years after a contract renewal in late 2023.

(Reporting by Mimosa Spencer in ParisEditing by Matthew Lewis)

Cate Blanchett arrives for the Cruise 2026 collection show by designer Nicolas Ghesquiere for French fashion house Louis Vuitton, at the Courtyard of Honor of the Palais des Papes in Avignon, France, May 22, 2025. REUTERS/Alexandre Dimou