Fashion
ICYMI: The top shows from Men’s Fashion Week
Just as summer kicked off, so did another fashion month in Europe for a round of menswear shows. The spring 2025 shows start in London, travel to Italy (Florence for Pitti Uomo and then Milan), and finally finish in Paris. This season’s biggest moments included Alessandro Michele’s debut for Valentino with a Resort 2025 collection that included both women’s and menswear, Pharrell’s latest Louis Vuitton show, and Martine Rose’s Milan debut, and plenty more.
Below, check out highlights from the men’s Spring 2025 shows in Europe.
Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton Show Emphasises Unity
If there’s one thing we’ve learnt from Skateboard P’s tenure at Louis Vuitton so far, it’s that he knows how to put on a spectacle. His SS25 show in Paris cemented that. Louis Vuitton took over the rooftop of La Maison de l’UNESCO, built in 1958 in the name of world peace. This venue, a testament to international unity and cultural diversity, was adorned with lush greenery and international flags, mirroring the global mentality of the collection. On the runway, Louis Vuitton’s clothes and accessories exuded a travel-worthy charm. Buttery suits were ready for business commutes, while relaxed, shimmering coordinates felt more suited to leisurely pursuits. Aviator sunglasses met duffels, suitcases, and carry-ons rendered in Louis Vuitton’s signature motifs, refreshed for the new season.
Rick Owens Goes to Church
Unsurprisingly, Rick Owens remains a favourite among the weirdos and freaks. While last season’s collection was called “Porterville,” after the small town that Owens came from, this season’s was named “Hollywood,” the place where the designer found his people. Models walked in coordinating outfits in “biblical whites,” as he calls them, with varying hoods and headpieces. It seemed as if he was also contemplating the oneness of humanity, inviting everyone and asking all the fashion schools in Paris to send their students and faculty to see who might want to walk in “this white satin army of love.”
Alessandro Michele Makes His Debut at Valentino
Three months after being named creative director, Alessandro Michele debuted his first collection for Valentino (on the same day that Sabato De Sarno showed his Gucci Spring 2025 collection). For the Resort 2025, Michele unveiled 171 looks full of 60s and 70s glamour, ruffles, fur, prints, and chunky accessories. From the start, it’s clear the designer is sticking to his maximalist and bohemian style, even at Valentino.
KidSuper Takes Us to the Circus
In collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, the KidSuper show kept everyone’s attention for half an hour, defying conventions and taking high-flying risks. Committing to an artistic vision unlike any other, Colm Dillane put on a theatrical show, continuing to bring all the drama by bridging performing arts with fashion. The performance saw a stunning display of acrobatics and a scene set by Alton Mason, who opened the show as a marionette making his way around the stage. Every model walked out as a different circus character, including one on stilts and a headless attraction. Meanwhile, each of the models wore a selection of the brand’s latest pieces featuring signature styles filled with bold colours and an eclectic set of prints and patchwork leather.
Prada Puts on a Party
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons have done it again. The mother and father of fashion joined together to wrap another breakout runway show at Milan Fashion Week, and — if we do say so ourselves — it was a party. For SS25, Prada and Simons did what they do best and evaluated traditional menswear archetypes with uplifting silhouettes and a luxurious edge. Dubbed “Closer,” the collection blended real and imaginary, asking us to question our perception of time and the objects that define our daily lives.
Martine Rose Makes Her Milan Debut
For SS25, Martine Rose headed to Milan Fashion Week for the very first time, a place she referred to in show notes as “a traditional platform for the mainstream search of beauty.” But rather than adhere to that traditional beauty, Rose presented a collection that rallied against it. Taped-on prosthetic noses were seen on almost every model, their presence purposely distorting the idea of Eurocentric beauty ideals. “The first thing you see in people is often their nose,” Rose told Vogue before the show, “and it is often the first thing they change.”
Charles Jeffrey Celebrates 10 Years of LOVERBOY
Charles Jeffrey started as a club kid but is far from hanging up his dancing shoes. Having spent the last few seasons in Milan, the Scottish designer returned to London, the city where LOVERBOY turned from club night to fashion brand, for a show that took over the courtyard of Somerset House and ended with a set by Beth Ditto. In the show notes, Jeffrey explained that his tenth-anniversary show was inspired by “queer time,” a cultural theory most associated with the theorist Jack Halberstam, which posits that “queerness shapes not only our sense and understanding of gender and sexuality but also our experiences of time itself and our relations to past, present and future.”
University of Westminster Looks to the Future
As one of the top fashion schools in London, The University of Westminster recently presented the graduating class of 2024 of its bachelor programme in fashion design. This year, 22 young designers showcased their collections in the university’s annual end-of-year student fashion show, giving us a glimpse at the future of fashion. Standout collections included Isabel Ealand, who presented a collection inspired by the “drama and jeopardy of Victorian circus performers”; Polly Chen’s ‘The Lover’s Eye’; and Reece Sheik’s ‘Armoured Damsel’.
Banner Image CreditPatricia Bruen
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