The Giller Prize is Canada’s preeminent literary honour, and its annual awards ceremony is a can’t-miss event. Held in Toronto last November, it drew a well-heeled crowd that crossed over from publishing into the fashion world. The guest list included Suzanne Boyd, Zoomer editor-in-chief and noted force in Canadian fashion who arrived in Gucci, Stella McCartney, and Ann Demeulemeester; and shortlisted author Emma Knight, who took to the stage in a black column gown by homegrown label Greta Constantine. This high-profile gala is a reminder that fashion’s ongoing love affair with literature runs deep and is a long-term relationship that’s only becoming all the more, well, literal.
A noteworthy example was seen at the most recent Dior Men show, where creative director Jonathan Anderson put a literary spin on the maison’s signature tote bags, adorning them with book covers from works of the western canon including Dracula and Dangerous Liaisons. Books as handbags (or bookbags, as it were) are the bread and butter at Olympia Le-Tan, the Parisian fashion brand with a literary collection of book-like clutches that spans the classics (Anne of Green Gables, Wuthering Heights), essays by the likes of Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud, fairy tales and epics (Cinderella, The Odyssey), and poetry. Hand-embroidered with silk thread and felt appliqué in Portugal, each is a numbered edition.
Rapper and singer 070Shake photographed by Angèle Châtenet for Dior. Courtesy of Dior.
Olympia Le-Tan book clutch backstage at the designer’s autumn/winter 2013 show.
It’s not just bags that are getting the bookish treatment. At the New York Fashion Week presentation for his menswear label, Hyacyn, this past September, creative director Tobias Ulmer sent models down the runway in T-shirts that read “Sturm und Drang,” a nod to the boundary-pushing 18th-century German literary movement. Ulmer, who grew up not far from the birthplace of Sturm und Drang poet Friedrich Schiller, was inspired by the rebellious nature of the creative cohort. “That movement’s way of questioning and trying to change society is something I admire and try to follow in my own life,” he told Paper magazine.
For his collection, KidSuper designer Colm Dillane took things one step further, penning his own children’s book called The Boy Who Jumped the Moon and transferring its illustrations to his clothing designs. Guests at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs presentation in Paris also received a copy of the book on their seats. And at the CAFA-winning label 3 Paradis, Emeric Tchatchoua paid tribute to Le Petit Prince, a longtime favourite book of the designer. Tchatchoua follows in the footsteps of the legendary Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, whose spring 2011 collection included an homage to author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry via kaftans printed with the cover from Vol de Nuit and shirts featuring the Little Prince.
KidSuper Spring 2026 Menswear show. Image courtesy of GoRunway.
Beyond homages by design, major luxury fashion houses are also keen to support the literary world through funding. Together with brand ambassador Charlotte Casiraghi, Chanel created the Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon in 2021 and sponsors the Prix littéraire du Nouvel Obs for emerging francophone authors. For its part, Montblanc is funding the restoration of Goethe’s house in Weimar, in addition to supporting literary prizes such as the Tom Wolfe Prizes for Fiction and Reportage. And fine-jewellery house Van Cleef & Arpels has launched L’École, School of Jewelry Arts, which regularly publishes books in partnership with museums and publishing houses.
When it comes to promoting literature, there’s no better place to start than by reading the book, a traditionally solo activity that builds community through style-minded book clubs. During Milan Design Week 2025, Miu Miu held its inaugural Literary Club inspired by the grand European tradition of literary salons. The cachet of the book club continues to grow thanks to some A-list celebrity endorsement. Take Kaia Gerber, the supermodel regularly spotted out and about with a book in hand who co-founded Library Science, a book club that aims to encourage reading books that aren’t necessarily on the bestseller lists. Gerber is joined on social media and in paparazzi shots by fellow book lovers Kendall Jenner and Dua Lipa. The latter’s book club, Service95, comes with some major bona fides, including a recent collaboration with Margaret Atwood.
At the other end of the spectrum is the outlandish concept of “performative reading,” largely credited to actor Jacob Elordi. Often spotted with a paperback alongside his Bottega Veneta bag, Elordi displays a calculated nonchalance launched the trend of guys styling their outfits with books in their back pockets and becoming the butt of many a meme.
Jacob Elordi reading at an airport bookstore. Image courtesy of jacobelordi.com.
For the ultimate literary flex, it doesn’t get more nuanced than reading the galley of a yet-to-be-published book. Once reserved for critics and booksellers, advance reader copies have been showing up on the curated feeds of actors and influencers. The former insider industry ephemera has now become a status symbol, with galleys of hot upcoming titles such as Marisa Meltzer’s It Girl: The Life and Legacy of Jane Birkin being posted by the likes of Alison Roman.
Whether you share your literary preferences via tote bag, tee, or on #BookTok, one cool fact remains: reading will never go out of style.
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