After four days of more sweating than I thought humanly possible, I’m here to report that everything you’ve heard about Paris Fashion Week is true: it was very, very hot. For a week dedicated to showcasing clothes, it felt like the only way to make it through the days was to wear as little of them as possible. Still, the show went on, as it must. Alongside the runway presentations themselves, the week saw a slew of events and parties that, despite the heat, still drew large crowds. One of those events was Saucony’s Ride 1 event, where fashion and running-lovers alike came together to celebrate the sportswear brand’s latest shoe franchise. 

Held at Cortado, a popular coffee shop in Le Marais, the night was a continuation of Saucony’s multi-day residency at the neighbourhood staple. Attendees, which included local fashion creators, shoe designers, run club members, and other friends of the brand, came ready to mingle, with the drinking and chatting eventually spilling into the sticky streets. Though there was no formal dress code for the evening, one trend that was inescapable was butter yellow, a hue that fittingly appears on the ProGrid Ride 1. While the shoe is technically a new release, its retro design is a callback to Saucony’s early-2000s silhouettes, including the original Ride 1, whose popularity among sneaker collectors inspired the shoes’ re-launch. 

Aside from the new kicks, the Ride 1 event celebrated another important milestone for the brand: its 10th season activating during fashion week in Paris, where it will soon open a new store. “Paris is so important to us because it’s where fashion, culture and sport combine,” Rob Griffiths, Saucony's Global Brand President, told me earlier that day in the brand’s showroom. “[Fashion week] is the perfect opportunity to embed ourselves in the culture of the city, and events like tonight are about us being seen by our consumers in a relevant and credible way.” 

From the looks of the sun-drenched event, where guests bounced around the street in their new Ride 1s, that embedding seems to be well underway. Here’s what went down. 

FANS WERE THE HOTTEST ACCESORY

Last week in Paris, no item became more coveted than the motorised fan. At the party, fast friends were made by a shared interest in, yes, sneakers, but more importantly, staying cool.

THE SAUCONY COMMUNITY SHOWED OUT

At a certain point, fashion week begins to feel like one big family reunion, with designers, writers and industry folk constantly running into familiar faces in the streets. While that was the case at Ride 1, in true Saucony fashion, people were just as likely to spot friendly faces from their run clubs in the crowd.

DON BRAN WAS ON DECK

Keeping the vibes right music-wise was Paris-based DJ Don Bran. The Paris Groove Society founder’s sounds made it easy to forget, at least for a few hours, all the stickiness and lean into the music. 

RIDE 1'S STOLE THE SHOW

Considering the thousands of steps logged each day, it’s hard to remember why more fashion week parties don’t see sneakers on party-goers’ feet. At Cortado, attendees made a case for the ProGrid Ride 1’s, which were obviously the star of the night.