L’Oréal Paris turns Covent Garden into a catwalk
What do you get when you combine one of the world’s biggest beauty brands, a cobbled London piazza and a runway? L’Oréal Paris is about to show us.
From Friday 26 September to Monday 29 September, Covent Garden will trade street performers and tourists for something altogether more glamorous: a full-blown L’Oréal Paris takeover. The four-day event promises beauty discovery zones, panels with celebrity guests including Rochelle Humes and Amy Jackson Westwick, and a chance for the public to "Walk Their Worth" on a catwalk that slices through the square.
It’s not just lipsticks and selfies. The event doubles as a brand manifesto, championing L’Oréal Paris’s long-standing cause: female empowerment. Visitors can take part in its five-minute Stand Up Against Street Harassment training, reminding us that the brand’s famous tagline "Because you’re worth it" has evolved into something much weightier than advertising copy.
© Khali Ackford
The finale will beam Paris Fashion Week directly onto Covent Garden’s giant screens with the brand’s annual Le Défilé show. Expect the starriest of spokespeople - Simone Ashley, Kendall Jenner, Viola Davis, Jane Fonda, Gillian Anderson, and Andie Macdowell - reminding Londoners that L’Oréal Paris isn’t just selling mascara, it’s selling cultural moments.
For L’Oréal Paris, choosing Covent Garden is no coincidence. The neighbourhood has fast become London’s de facto beauty capital. This year alone, it has welcomed immersive activations from Aveda and Sculpted by Aimee, along with fragrance debuts from Never Fully Dressed. A wave of luxury fragrance houses - including Byredo, Matiere Premiere, Initio Parfums Privés and Parfums de Marly - are all committing to new stores in the district, joining an already heavyweight line-up of Glossier, Creed, Chanel, Tom Ford and Charlotte Tilbury.
Amelie Fortier-Cyr, General Manager of L’Oréal Paris UK&I, said: "Covent Garden will become a vibrant hub for all things beauty with a diverse experiential line up with something for everyone to enjoy… It’s a true celebration of self-worth."
Because this September in London, it seems, you really are worth it.
