Paris Couture Week Kicks Off Amid Pension Protests

PARIS — Another year, another season of social strife in France. Paris haute couture week kicks off on Monday against the backdrop of a record-length strike against pension reform that has paralyzed public transport in Paris since early December. While service was expected to gradually return to normal this week, further strikes have been called for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Across town, couture houses have put in place special measures to make sure their collections are ready on time, with many devising shift systems and putting up staff in hotels and apartments. “Everyday life has been a struggle for everyone, and it’s been a challenge for the maintenance teams in our workshops to come in every day,” said Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel fashion activities and president of Chanel SAS. “We booked a hotel next to the atelier to put up people when necessary, and we also found solutions to ensure this very unpleasant situation does not impact the collection and the teams,” he added. While the class struggle plays out in the streets, Paris designers will be pulling out the stops to display their most exclusive handcrafted creations. Among the expected highlights of the week is Jean Paul Gaultier’s 50th-anniversary show at the Théatre du

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