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One of the most anticipated names at this year’s Paris Fashion Week may not be one you’ve heard before.

Steven Passaro has earned praise and recognition from LVMH, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, and the French Ministry of Culture, to name just a few.

The French-Portuguese fashion designer graduated from the prestigious Duperré School of Applied Arts in Paris and the University of the Arts London. Before launching his eponymous label, he honed his craft at renowned fashion houses including Hermès, Loewe and Christian Dior.

In an exclusive interview with Euronews Culture, the visionary designer reflected on his creative process, his work, and the evolving landscape of the fashion industry.

Euronews Culture: You initially studied architecture. How did that experience influence your transition into fashion design?

Architecture was kind of my first love. I really developed my mindset around visualizing 3D thanks to the constructions we do in architecture. To me, it was natural to keep the skills of what I’ve been learning in architecture and translate them into fashion.

Your collections feature strong, structured silhouettes and rigid forms. What draws you to this approach?

The way I see it is there are two ways to dress the body.

In the West, they cut fabric to shape a body, and in the East, they have more of this approach to wrap the body with fabric. I really wanted to have this conversation in duality in the silhouette design.

The architecture allowed me to have this kind of tension between the two, where you sometimes have very strong, almost sculptural aspect in the silhouette, but also some fluidity.

The Spring-Summer 2026 collection called Moonlit Lover explored “toxic love” – secret love affairs, late-night obsessions, and illusions that end up hurting more than they heal. The Fall-Winter 2026 collection called Ethereal Shift delved into personal transformation, letting go, and finding meaning in a chaotic world. Where do you seek get your inspiration from?

The collection is always a continuity of the story of the previous season. In French we say “le fil rouge” [guiding thread] – to me, there is no break [between the collections].

I really wanted to build a language that you can evolve and adapt season after season. It’s one big main theme, and each one is a different angle to describe the subject. There is a phase of transformation from a point A to point B, but I think it’s very intuitive work at the end of the day.

There’s some inspiration on psychology, on spirituality. Also what’s happening in the world right now.

The last collection we just presented – I call it the “glimpse” – because it’s that moment where you’re going to step into something, you really want it, but you’re also very afraid of it. It’s the feeling I have towards the world right now, with all the political aspects, where there’s a very good thing happening in the world, but also a very bad thing. It’s this in between tension of “I want to, but I’m afraid to”.

So, hopefully, the next season will be a bit lighter.

Your design process differs from that of many traditional fashion designers. You rely heavily on digital 3D modelling before creating physical prototypes. What led you to adopt this approach, and what advantages does it offer?

At the London College of Fashion, we had a Department for Technology in Fashion, where you can learn about all this technology around the industry, and what people will use in the future.

I came across the software and it was like “Oh, that feels like what I was doing in architecture, but for fashion.” I’ve always been a huge nerd, so to me, it was kind of natural to experiment with it.

The calculation became clear when I started to understand that I can make a pattern in two hours compared to by hand, when it takes me two-three days, or even more.

I like the craftsmanship a lot, so to me it was like “Okay, I’m going to save time on the pattern, to be only digital, and then have the time and the resources for the craft.”

When you do couture and bespoke tailoring, you need time, and be hands on the [sewing] machine and fabric, so the advantage of using the 3D modeling technology was obvious for me.

Innovation and sustainability are both central to your work. How do your collections reflect your vision of environmental responsibility, and what practical measures do you take to make your design process more sustainable?

It is a very important topic for me. The entire phase of product development is thought with this idea in mind of how we can do less harm to the environment.

By using the “Style3D” software, we are able to do virtual sampling and virtual pattern cutting on a digital avatar. This, therefore, reduces the waste.

We use fabrics sourced in Europe that are from LVMH.

Such an approach allows us to focus on the craftsmanship. There’s a lot to learn and we always try to improve the process in this sense.

In 2025, Shein opened a retail space inside BHV in Paris, a move that sparked significant public criticism. BHV described the partnership as a “strategic mistake” and ended the collaboration. What are your thoughts on the growing presence of ultra-fast fashion brands in traditional retail spaces and online?

There is a lot of education that has to be done today for the consumer.

People don’t know how to consume actually good, because if you buy a t-shirt for €3, which I don’t even know how it’s possible to make as even the fabric does not cost this price per metre, after three washes is going to be dead. If you buy a t-shirt for maybe €15-20, you’re going to have, perhaps, 10-20 washes, so it’s going to be cheaper at the end for you.

Now in Europe, even in France, we have a new rule for ultra-fast fashion, which I think is important. There need to be regulations to protect the people and the environment. It’s a very difficult topic to discuss because different people have different budgets to afford garments.

Many major luxury fashion houses are increasingly using AI to create campaign imagery and photoshoots. What is your stance on this?

When it’s big brands or big corporations using it, I find it quite questionable, because they are the ones with the big budget for models, for photographers, stylists and everything else.

If they start replacing a human behind the images with only AI, then a lot of people going to lose jobs. I do not want to replace models with AI. I think it’s nice to gather people, exchange ideas – you get more creative.

If the big brands stop paying models, who is going to pay? Smaller brands. We cannot afford the fees anymore as the modelling agencies double or triple the fees, compared to a year before, for example.

The responsibility is at the different levels of the process. It’s image reputation, industry and impact on other people as well.

You used to give lectures at the French Institute of Fashion, one of the world’s leading fashion schools. What is the most valuable piece of advice you would give to young designers hoping to launch their own clothing brand today?

Do not run. It’s pointless to run. Even if you have the checklist of “I want that magazine, I want that press, I want to be with the fashion week” or whatever – it’s very tough.

You need to be smart on the product design. Make sure you find your audience. You need the right people that surround you: friends, acquaintances you make on your journey and business partners.

Listen to the feedback, but not too much. You need to have kind of a filter.

Take your time. Do not rush. The point is a marathon – not the sprint.

That would be my best advice.

Watch the video in the player above for more from Steven Passaro.

This interview was edited for brevity and clarity.