At this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the buzz extended well beyond the big screen.
Aside from the 22 movies in competition this edition, which ran from May 12 to 23, sectors such as jewelry, wellness, and tech expanded their presence along La Croisette. As for fashion, luxury houses continued to play to their strengths, through red carpet dressing and longstanding partnerships.
While this year’s Cannes Film Festival felt noticeably more subdued ahead of next year’s 80th-anniversary edition, Hollywood’s film presence was lighter than usual, giving a nice play to both auteurs and international cinema. Though a number of Hollywood stars still turned out. Demi Moore, one of this year’s jury members, wore standout looks from Gucci, Jacquemus, and Matières Fécales, all curated by her stylist Brad Goreski. “It was Demi’s festival,” one Cannes-goer noted.
Elsewhere, food and beverage brands got in on the action. Ice cream brand Magnum put on a runway show with celebrity stylist Law Roach, who selected emerging labels like Weinsanto to create looks inspired by the sweet treats, while Nespresso hosted a party with its new global ambassador Dua Lipa at the brand’s beachside activation.
As L’Oréal Paris global president Laetitia Toupet put it: “The Cannes Film Festival has an audience with as much impact and visibility as major sporting events like the Super Bowl or the Olympics.”
Here are the key takeaways from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
Fashion focused on existing partnerships
Fashion brands began doubling down on their presence at Cannes post-pandemic, capitalizing on its cultural cachet and global visibility. But as growth across the luxury sector slowed, houses zeroed in on their existing partnerships with film, rather than launching entirely new initiatives.
This year, Kering continued to reaffirm its commitment to cinema through its Women in Motion initiative. Launched in 2015, the program highlights women’s contributions to the film industry to help advance gender parity. Kering moved its talk and cocktail events from Le Majestic to the Carlton this edition, one of Cannes’s most iconic hotels. Group chair François-Henri Pinault honored actor Julianne Moore with the 2026 Women in Motion Award at a dinner on Sunday night, which was also attended by Kering CEO Luca de Meo. It was de Meo’s first Cannes Film Festival since stepping into the role.
While Saint Laurent Productions, the film production subsidiary of Kering-owned Saint Laurent, did not have a film at Cannes this year, it co-produced Claire Denis’s The Fence. This follows on from the sweeping success of Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez in 2024.
