Fashion week delivers a familiar mix of spectacle, anticipation and star power, wherever it takes place.
From New York and Paris to London, cities come alive as designers unveil their latest collections and models and celebrities gather to see the trends first-hand.
Yet beneath the glamour and front-row flashbulbs, tempers can sometimes rise.
In 2026, fashion week has already produced a series of headline-making diva moments.
From Zendaya’s unexpected etiquette misstep involving France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron to Jennifer Lopez’s apparent frustration with the weather, this year’s events have offered no shortage of drama.
Here, Our News Outlet looks back at the most uncomfortable incidents and fiery clashes to emerge from the 2026 fashion-week season.
Zendaya and Brigitte Macron
Zendaya has faced widespread criticism after remaining seated while greeting Brigitte at the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week.
The 30-year-old Spider-Man actress was seated in the front row at the Louvre when Brigitte, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, came over to meet her.
Footage appears to show Zendaya initially unaware of Brigitte as she spoke with another guest. She then looked up, smiled and acknowledged her.
Still seated, the actress said, ‘Hello, pleasure to meet you’ before shaking the First Lady’s hand.
Zendaya has drawn criticism for remaining seated while greeting Brigitte at the Louis Vuitton show during Paris Fashion Week
Zendaya also remained seated when Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s CEO, greeted her shortly before Brigitte approached
The moment quickly sparked a heated online argument over whether Zendaya should have stood.
One X user posted the clip with the message: ‘Zendaya, girl…. you gotta get up when the First Lady of France is trying to say hello to you.’
The post attracted 27,000 likes and prompted a wave of discussion in the comments.
Several users insisted that the guest’s identity was irrelevant, arguing: ‘You stand when you greet anyone, basic manners.’
Others came to the Hollywood star’s defense, questioning: ‘why should she stand up for her?’
Some commenters also noted that Zendaya had stayed seated moments earlier when Bernard Arnault, chief executive of LVMH—the world’s largest luxury-goods group and owner of Louis Vuitton—came to greet her.
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez, meanwhile, appeared visibly annoyed after being asked to put away her umbrella at the Stella McCartney show during Paris Fashion Week last month.
The 57-year-old A-lister was seated in the front row of the outdoor runway show beside British comedian and actress Diane Morgan, 51.
As the rain poured, staff asked guests to take their cumbersome umbrellas down as the show prepared to start.
A female guest sitting behind Jennifer discreetly informed her of the request and she mouthed ‘Oh’ before deciding to keep her umbrella up.
JLo appeared to be very frustrated after she was ordered to take down her umbrella at the Stella McCartney show during Paris Fashion Week last month
The A-lister, 57, was seated in the FROW alongside British comedian and actress Diane Morgan, 50 and Stella’s husband Alasdhair Willis, 56, the empty seat next to JLo had been saved for Anna Wintour but she was a no-show
At one point her long-term bodyguard held her umbrella over her head for her as she typed on her phone.
Seconds later, the star looked angry as she was asked to take it down and sheepishly handed the giant cover back to staff behind her.
When Lopez first arrived, she was dismayed to see her seat was wet and stood by as her bodyguard dutifully dried the seat for her.
Lopez was pictured with an empty seat next to her as she awkwardly sat next to Stella’s husband, creative consultant Alasdhair Willis, 56, and Diane, with barely a word shared.
The empty space belonged to Vogue icon Anna Wintour, 76, although she did not turn up.
Jacob Elordi
Paris Fashion Week also saw Jacob Elordi erupt at paparazzi during a romantic outing with girlfriend Kendall Jenner after she had walked at the L’Oréal show.
The Australian actor, 29, and his American girlfriend, 30, were enjoying a stroll through the French capital when they were approached by photographers who began snapping away.
The Euphoria actor was not impressed by the interruption to his date night and did not mince words when confronting them.
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‘Wait, wait, wait. Can we just walk home!’ an unimpressed Elordi snapped at the photographers.
Paris Fashion Week also saw Jacob Elordi erupt at paparazzi during a romantic outing with girlfriend Kendall Jenner after she had walked at the L’Oréal show
The Euphoria actor was not impressed by the interruption to his date night and did not mince words when confronting them
The actor pointed out that photographers had already captured their pictures before asking them to give the couple some space.
However, the photographers did not let up, which led to the exasperated actor making another request.
‘Can we just walk home back to our hotel? No flash, just let us walk. Just let us go,’ Elordi begged, while angrily shaking his fist.
Jenner was seen shielding her face from the flashes while Elordi eventually put on sunglasses as they continued walking with security.
Rihanna
Rihanna’s behavior at Paris Fashion Week also recently sparked a war of words with nepo baby EJ Johnson.
Last week, the 38-year-old songstress joined other celebrities at the star-studded Dior runway show.
Johnson, who is the child of NBA icon Magic Johnson, had also been in attendance and later offered a review of the festivities in an Instagram clip.
At one point, the media personality, 34, appeared to shade the Grammy winner by sharing: ‘The show itself was beautiful.
Rihanna’s behavior at Paris Fashion Week also recently sparked a war of words with nepo baby EJ Johnson
‘It did start an hour late because Rihanna was late, and you know, like, we didn’t care to wait for her.’
And it appears that the barb did not go unnoticed by Rihanna.
Johnson was later seen struggling to enter his hotel in Paris, where a woman appeared to block him from getting through the door, in a reel uploaded to The Hollywood Fix’s Instagram page.
Rihanna quickly jumped to the comment section and simply typed out, ‘damn,’ which has since raked in more than 45,000 likes.
Steven Kolb
Back in September, New York Fashion Week descended into chaos after fashion executive Steven Kolb dramatically restrained protesters during a runway show.
Models had taken to the catwalk for the COS fall-winter 2026 collection when the disruption occurred.
Protesters from animal rights group PETA suddenly emerged holding placards and chanting against the brand owned by Swedish retailer H&M.
Amid the anarchy, Kolb, chief executive and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, took it upon himself to physically restrain two of the activists.
Back in September, New York Fashion Week descended into chaos after fashion executive Steven Kolb dramatically restrained protesters during a runway show
In a video shared to Instagram by news site Fashionista, Kolb could be seen pushing a male protester away from the runway, pinning him into a corner and covering his mouth.
The male protester was then escorted out by security guards as he continued to shout in the faces of models.
Elsewhere, Kolb also tackled a female protester who was shouting to ‘protect sheep, get wool off the runway.’
He grabbed both her arms and pushed her to the floor before restraining her with his legs and covering her mouth.
Models had taken to the catwalk for the COS fall-winter 2026 collection when the disruption occurred
Amid the anarchy, Kolb, chief executive and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), took it upon himself to physically restrain two of the activists
The models continued with the show despite the anarchy, with many of the shocked attendees recording the scenes on their phones.
Sharon Stone, Michelle Williams and Lupita Nyong’o were reportedly among the crowd witnessing the clash.
Kolb apologized on Instagram after the altercation to admit he ‘reacted inappropriately,’ adding: ‘I should have let the security team handle the situation.’
The longtime fashion guru later resigned after two decades leading the council, which is known as the fashion industry’s main trade organization.
