This story was updated Oct. 17 at 10:53 a.m. EST

With its blend of runway shows, presentations, after parties and dinners — and the eyes of the world watching it all on their screens — Paris Fashion Week has evolved from an industry gathering to a “cultural event.”

So says Michael Jais, chief executive officer of Launchmetrics, which on Wednesday released data showing that the nine-day event from Sept. 23 to Oct. 1 garnered $629.6 million in media impact value, or MIV, a 26 percent increase over a year ago, further widening its lead over fashion weeks in Milan, New York and London.

The number of Asian celebrities congregating at the Paris shows is also expanding the event’s resonance, with Thailand now ranked third in country rankings after France and the U.S.

Thai celebrities including Nattawin Wattanagitiphat and Sarocha Chankimha, better known as Apo and Freen, accounted for more than 30 percent of global celebrity MIV, Launchmetrics data shows.

Meanwhile, India secured fifth place thanks largely to Alia Bhatt, a British actress of Indian descent who drove nearly $17 million in media coverage by attending Paris shows and walking the runway for L’Oréal Paris.

Brazil has also come onto the radar with Brazilian YouTuber Camila Coelho claiming the top spot in the influencer ranking at $2.3 million. Overall, Brazilian influencers drove $10.2 million in MIV, bested only by France at $10.3 million and the U.S. at $21.5 million.

“The growth is coming more from emerging countries,” Jais said in an interview.

While stopping short of calling influencers over, the executive said the rise of celebrity voices was confirmed by data from the spring 2025 shows.

Top celebrities eclipsed top influencers by a factor of four or five, with Filipino actress Heart Evangelista in the top spot with $10.6 million and Wattanagitiphat not far behind at $10.2 million.

This season, Filipino celebrities overtook South Korean stars, Jais said, while noting that Blackpink member Jisoo still generates the most MIV per placement at $1.7 million, edging out Chankimha at $1.5 million per placement.

Launchmetrics’ proprietary media impact value figure tallies the impact of relevant media placements on online, social and print, inclusive of paid, owned and earned mediums.

TikTok was another clear winner in the attention sweepstakes, with placements garnering on average 7 percent more MIV.

“For brands specifically, although Instagram remains the dominant platform for owned media content, TikTok proved to be the most value-efficient platform,” Launchmetrics said in its report.

Media generated 58 percent of MIV, celebrities 18 percent, influencers 15 percent, owned media 7 percent and partner content 2 percent.

The celebrity voice grew by 3 percent versus a year ago. Still, Jais noted roughly two thirds of the content about Paris Fashion Week relates to the shows themselves and the fashions being paraded.

French magazine Gala — a wiz at celebrity videos on TikTok — emerged as the top media voice with $32.2 million in MIV, 92 percent of it stemming from the video-sharing platform.

American Vogue came in second at $18.7 million, French Vogue in third at $10.6 million, WWD in fourth at $8.5 million and British Vogue in fifth at $7.8 million.

France topped the country rankings with $118.5 million in MIV, as titles like Gala and Vogue Paris leaned into video-first content, especially on TikTok, amassing five times more MIV than the U.S. on the platform.

“Video-first content will continue to shape the social landscape, making its integration into social strategies essential for driving engagement beyond the walls of the show,” Launchmetrics said.

The U.S. came in second at $112.1 million, Thailand in third at $48.2 million, the U.K. in fourth at $46.8 million and India in fifth at $40.9 million.

Luxury giants Dior, Louis Vuitton and Chanel topped the data and insight firm’s top 20 power players, accruing $82.7 million, $52.5 million and $45.8 million in MIV respectively.

Miu Miu, Valentino, Saint Laurent, Loewe, Balenciaga, Balmain and Rabanne rounded out the top 10.

By leaning into top celebrities like Wattanagitiphat, Jisoo, Rosalia and Anya Taylor-Joy, and keeping the Olympic flame alive with a sports-minded collection and live archery display, Dior kept its lock on the top spot, growing its MIV by 41 percent versus a year ago.

Valentino, which garnered $31 million in MIV, benefited from buzz around Alessandro Michele’s runway debut as creative director of the Roman house, and celebrity guests including Chankimha, Harry Styles, Jared Leto and Elton John.

Rabanne, which didn’t even make the top 20 a year ago, zoomed onto the rankings after teasing that it would parade a Handcrafted 1969 Golden Bag, priced at 250,000 euros, earning $1.3 million in MIV. Cardi B’s presence in the front row boosted its fortunes by a further $2.9 million.

Having Travis Scott and Gigi Hadid open its spring show, and Georgina Rodriguez attending, landed edgy Swiss brand Vetements in 13th place with $10.4 million in MIV.