PARIS — Bachelor of arts students at the Institut Français de la Mode deftly worked fabrics, varied silhouettes and messaging during their fashion show held Tuesday, opening Paris Fashion Week.

“It’s about questioning conformity, trying to find in different topics how you can today, when you are a fashion designer, reinvent your design [depending on] the situation or context,” explained Thierry Rondenet, a director of the BA in Fashion Design at the IFM, prior to the catwalk display outside at the school’s campus running parallel to the river Seine.

Some questioned the norms of their childhood, femininity or body identity. Such soul-searching is a natural part of students fashioning their first collections solo after in-depth independent research, according to Hervé Yvrenogeau, a director of the IFM.

“We are all different, we are all diverse — and we want to keep this huge diversity,” Rondenet said.

The show was under the patronage of Michael Rider, the artistic director of Celine. He will select one student for a six-month internship at the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand’s design studio.

“His name came naturally,” Rondenet said, referring to Rider. “It was very spontaneous and makes sense.”

“Because he started his career as a teacher,” Yvrenogeau added.

The IFM display presented the work of 27 students from France, Switzerland, Russia, China, Sweden, the U.K. and Vietnam. Each one, who was chosen by a jury of industry professionals from the 69 projects created by final-year students, presented six accessorized looks.

The fashion was chockablock with fabric experimentation, layering and prints. Looks were cool — the opposite to Paris’ blistering heat.

AI did not impact students’ creations, which were the fruit of their own handiwork.

Their focus on contemporary issues was literally spelled out at the end. During the show’s finale, numerous students sported black-and-white T-shirts that read: “Your silence is political,” “If they don’t offer you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair” and “No one is other.”