Alternative views backstage at Paris Fashion Week

Fashion shows can be magical and glamorous events, powerful enough to transport guests and online viewers to a different world – often the world mentally inhabited by the designer while crafting their new collection. It’s a familiar format, even for those who have never attended a show: There are models, clothes, lights, music, and, often, celebrities on the front row. When all goes to plan, the results can be extraordinary. And while the magic may only last some 12 minutes, so much goes into the making of these shows.

Thousands of hours of work and sometimes hundreds of people are involved behind-the-scenes. There’s the designer and the label’s studio team, but also, hair and makeup professionals, set designers, construction workers, public relations representatives, runners, assistants, interns, runway models, fit models, security guards, drivers, and many, many more.

In this photo essay by Cyril Zannettacci, CNN Style goes backstage at Paris Fashion Week’s Fall-Winter 2022 season, which concludes today.

The images that follow include exclusive shots taken ahead of the Balmain, Cecilie Bahnsen, Isabel Marant, Rick Owens and Dior shows. These photographs offer a glimpse beyond, around, and outside the runway, providing an alternative view of fashion week.