‘I am pinching myself’

Jamaican trailblazer Romae Gordon walked the Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer runway in Paris on Tuesday, a notable moment in her return to international fashion after more than 30 years away from the major catwalks. Her re-emergence began in September 2025 with Versace at Milan Fashion Week and continued with her selection for Chanel’s couture presentation. Speaking with Living while in the City of Light, Gordon said her appearance in the show was both by design and serendipity.

“Last summer I was deeply inspired by Leena Nair’s journey from her 30 years leading Unilever to Chanel without any background in fashion. It represented a seismic shift in the fashion house’s approach to leadership. I read everything I could about Chanel and her story, never imagining that I would soon be invited to be part of the brand’s first couture collection from [Artistic] Director Matthieu Blazy,” Gordon explained.

Inside Paris’ famed Grand Palais, a longstanding centre for arts and culture, the Matthieu Blazy–led fashion house staged a whimsical couture showcase beneath the venue’s soaring glass dome. The space was transformed by a striking art installation, with oversized red and pink sculptural mushrooms serving as centrepieces and creating an Alice in Wonderland–inspired landscape.

The front row also featured familiar A-listers like rapper and fashion icon A$AP Rocky; actresses Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, Penelope Cruz; French singer and model, Vanessa Paradis; singer Dua Lipa, and French First Lady Brigitte Macron.

Early international reviews described the show as a confident reset for the house, noting its balance of lightness and modernity. Critics pointed to the collection’s emphasis on movement, with fabrics appearing fluid and unforced despite the precision of their construction.

Gordon appeared in Look 31, a classic Chanel black jacket worn over a perfectly fitted dress, finished with appliquéd pleated silk details at the hem that mimicked feathers. The look was classic chic, reflecting accents that were central to the collection’s inspiration drawn from nature and birds.

Chanel, Paris, Milan and Versace have long been part of Gordon’s professional orbit. Before returning to the runway, she spent years working behind the scenes, scouting and developing models at Pulse and directing Caribbean Fashion Week. Her work has also included producing fashion shows across the Caribbean, North America and Europe, as well as creating fashion and modelling television programmes. In recent months, however, attention has shifted back to Gordon herself.

Her appearance comes during a pivotal couture season for Chanel, now under the direction of the newly appointed artistic director. For Blazy’s first couture outing, he took an unconventional approach, working without sketches or reference images and constructing each garment directly on the model’s body.

“Haute Couture is the very soul of Chanel. It is the foundation and the full expression of the House. These are clothes that are as much about the wearer as the designer. It’s the clothes worn that give them a true story, their own story and an emotional resonance,” Blazy said of the collection.

The show was cast by Anita Bitton, whose work spans some of the industry’s major fashion houses. Gordon is represented by Select Model Paris, where agents Federica Mennea and Matteo Puglisi worked with Lulu Management to support her placement.

“Romae’s story is fascinating. She is far more than a model, and her spirit is real and natural,” Mennea shared with Living. “We felt she was the right fit for Select, and for major houses like Chanel.”

And for Gordon, the moment is both grounding and surreal.

“Despite a brutally difficult year and a half of life-changing loss and grief, I am pinching myself and in awe of the requests from these important fashion labels. I feel fortunate to be considered; but I am also in great shape, able to fit the sample garments and walk the runway with confidence,” she added.

lifestyle@gleanerjm.com