Including upcycled materials, ethical production and cultural preservation, designers are proving that sustainable luxury can exist at the highest level of fashion. This season at Paris Fashion Week, sustainable fashion isn’t just a side note, it’s woven into the narrative of the collections.

Here are the haute couture houses leading sustainability at Paris Fashion Week SS26.

Imane Ayissi: Sustainable Fashion Rooted in Culture

London and Paris-based designer Imane Ayissi continues to define haute couture sustainability by centring African textile heritage within luxury fashion. Frequently working with Lyon silk, natural fibres and upcycled materials, Ayissi’s designs balance precision with fluidity, informed by his background as both a dancer and model.

Sustainability for Ayissi goes beyond materials as it is deeply connected to cultural sustainability, challenging the western dominance of haute couture and amplifying African traditions on the Paris Fashion Week stage.

At Haute Couture SS26, Ayissi reminds us that sustainable fashion can be both luxurious and politically meaningful.

Zuhair Murad: Ethical Fashion Within Luxury Craftsmanship

Known for his glamorous red-carpet designs, Zuhair Murad is increasingly aligning luxury with sustainability through ethical initiatives. One of his most impactful projects includes the creation of reusable tote bags in collaboration with Bags of Ethics.

These bags are made from organic, recycled and dead-stock materials and produced in ethical factories that use non-toxic inks and wastewater treatment. In partnership with Fashion Trust Arabia, the project supports emerging designers across the MENA region while encouraging more sustainable consumption habits. It’s a strong example of how sustainable fashion can coexist with luxury at Paris Fashion Week.

Schiaparelli: Recyclable Materials in Haute Couture

Schiaparelli has long been associated with experimentation and surrealism, and sustainability has quietly entered its creative approach. During Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week 2022, the house incorporated recyclable materials into its collections, an early sign of its evolving relationship with sustainable fashion.

While not positioned as a fully sustainable fashion house, Schiaparelli’s willingness to experiment with alternative materials at couture level signals an important shift within luxury fashion. At Paris Fashion Week SS26, this kind of material innovation continues to push the boundaries of what sustainable haute couture can look like.

Aelis: Upcycling History at Paris Fashion Week

Aelis Couture, led by creative director Sofia Crociani, places upcycling at the heart of its couture identity. For its Spring/Summer collection in 2024, presented at the Opera Bastille, the brand collaborated with the Paris Opera Ballet, drawing inspiration from historical costume archives.

Using upcycled materials such as cotton corsets, petticoats and flowing tulle skirts, the collection explored contrasts between lightness and structure. Each garment honoured historical undergarments once designed for protection and movement, while reimagining them through a contemporary lens. Aelis demonstrates how circular fashion can preserve history while shaping the future of haute couture.

Germanier: Circular Fashion Meets Maximalism

Founded by Kevin Germanier, Germanier is one of the most recognisable examples of upcycling in fashion at Paris Fashion Week. A Central Saint Martins graduate, Germanier’s commitment to sustainability began after discovering discarded beads during a placement in Hong Kong, materials that would later become his signature.

Germanier built a couture house centred on repurposed materials, transforming waste into bold, maximalist designs. His work challenges the misconception that sustainable fashion must be minimal or understated.

At Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture SS26, Germanier continues to prove that circular fashion can be theatrical, luxurious and innovative.

Why Sustainable Haute Couture Matters

While haute couture represents a small fraction of the fashion industry, its influence is undeniable. What appears on the Paris Fashion Week catwalk often shapes broader conversations around design, production and values across ready-to-wear fashion.

By embracing sustainable fashion, ethical production and circular design, these couture houses are redefining what luxury means in 2026. Sustainability at this level isn’t about compromise, it’s about intention and longevity.

Because if sustainable luxury can exist at the highest level of fashion, it can exist everywhere.