Cover photo: Saint Laurent Fall Winter 2023 – ph. courtesy firstVIEW.
In an era where digital lighting dominates runways and everyday life, using candlelight for a fashion show is an unconventional choice. It’s a return to the origins, an apotropaic homage to the intimate, sacred atmosphere that transforms a fashion show into a timeless experience. If designers are the soul of the runway, light designers are its heartbeat.
The flickering glow of candles is a poetic choice. It sculpts fabrics, highlights faces, and brings hidden details to life—precious threads that might go unnoticed under artificial lighting. A show becomes a visceral moment where fashion converses with the unconscious, the secret, history, and tradition, culminating in the catharsis of a living flame. But which recent runway shows stood out for their languid use of candlelight? From Dior to Gucci, each has offered its masterpiece of flame-lit storytelling.
Gucci Cruise 2019: Candlelight Among Ancient Roman Tombs
Speaking of ancient rituals, in 2019, Gucci chose the Roman necropolis in Arles for Alessandro Michele’s fashion show—a dark, gothic procession rich in symbolism. Capes, velvets, and embroidered motifs paraded along an illuminated path. «Fuoco, cammina con me»—“Fire, walk with me”—as David Lynch might have said.
Gucci illuminated a visual poem with candlelight, effortlessly weaving medieval iconography into a gothic mood. Accessories caught the light at unexpected angles, while the warm glow softened the marble and necropolitan stones, contrasting beautifully with the opulence of the fabrics. Here, the candle became a bridge between life and death.
Versace Spring Summer 2023: Candlelit Runway Between Dark Brides and Barbie Dreams
Versace’s signature sensual and provocative aesthetic took the spotlight with a prêt-à-porter collection staged amidst candlelight shimmering like fireflies in the dark. The colors? Bridal veils in moody purple rain (with pink and black variations) redefined empowerment with style.
Models like Gigi Hadid, Paris Hilton, and Emily Ratajkowski walked through a glamorous temple where majestic candelabras created an aura of intrigue and beauty. Soft shadows danced across garments touched by the candlelight, amplifying the impact of Versace’s dark palettes and signature glossy fabrics.
Saint Laurent Fall Winter 2023: Candles on the Seine Under the Parisian Night
A highlight of every Paris Fashion Week, Saint Laurent’s Fall/Winter 2023/2024 collection crowned the city’s emblematic Seine with a sea of candles. The flickering flames created a romantic runway, with reflections and shadows turning the models into femme fatales from noir films.
Black dominated, as always. Leather and metal shone with warmth and carnality, evoking the cycle of energy that is both glossy and dark—a Saint Laurent signature. Light designers crafted the glow to graze the models’ timelessly proud faces. The Seine, illuminated by candlelight and draped in total black, became a stage for a fashion king’s homage to a bohemian yet daringly transgressive Paris.
Dior Cruise 2020: Candlelight and Eastern Luxury in Marrakech
Candles and twilight: the defining elements of Dior’s Cruise 2020 show, staged in Marrakech at the El Badi Palace. The runway was a sartorial narrative framed by flames scattered like earthly constellations.
The light traced arabesques and patterns across the fabrics, fusing past and present, tradition and modernity, with embroidery, geometry, and appliqués.
The delicate glow on the models’ faces seemed like an ancient reflection, reviving rituals in the magical city. Marrakech’s aesthetic seamlessly merged with the collection’s elegance and mystery.
Victoria Beckham Spring Summer 2025: Candlelight Minimalism in a Secret Gallery
Victoria Beckham’s minimalist touch met the warm vibrations of candlelight in the Spring Summer 2025 collection, staged in the intimate setting of a secret art gallery. The colours, fabrics, and lines softened, enveloping the show in a hushed, dreamlike atmosphere.
The candlelight was gentle—more a whisper than a shout—eschewing ostentation for a comforting nest of beauty and style. For Beckham, it evoked an enchanted microcosm where one could rediscover oneself in the familiar embrace of fabric and line.
