Image via Complex Original
Milan and Paris Men’s Fashion Week have both come and gone. And we were left with plenty of great shows to talk about.
Louis Vuitton continued to ease into its post-Virgil Abloh era by presenting a collection co-created by KidSuper founder Colm Dillane. Other industry veterans like Junya Watanabe presented collections rife with collaborations that included the likes of Palace and The North Face, while Kim Jones presented a memorable collection, no collaborator required. And there were plenty of up-and-coming designers that continued to impress with their newest offerings and should not be overlooked. Drew Curry’s Airei continues to symbolize the human experience, while incorporating experimental materials like human hair and salmon skin recycled from sushi restaurants. And Dilan Lurr’s Namacheko veered away from his Middle Eastern heritage that usually informs his clothing to present a runway show of “medieval grunge.”
Check out our thoughts on these shows, and other great Mens’ Fall/Winter 2023 presentations from the likes of Grace Wales Bonner, Martine Rose, Lemaire, and more, below.
Wales Bonner
Grace Wales Bonner’s meticulous approach doesn’t change from season to season. Since graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2014, she’s continuously found fresh ways to present beautifully crafted clothes that tell stories about the African diaspora and bridge and connect the past and the present. She achieves this through her own academic research, but also by partnering with collaborators from a wide variety of artistic fields. It’s a formula that sounds simple, but executing it well season after season without becoming one-note is not.
This season, in a collection titled “Twilight Reverie,” Wales Bonner referenced the First Congress of Black Artists and Writers, a 1956 conference in Paris that was attended by Black intellectuals such as James Baldwin, Alioune Diop, and Frantz Fanon, who gathered to speak about the abolition of colonialism and of racism. She reified a fantasy of what these figures would wear today, which translated to relaxed tailoring, including new takes on classic silhouettes, like a sculpted jacket with reconstructed lapels; loose silk shirting with draped collar details; and peacoats adorned with cowrie shells. Wales Bonner has a preppy side, and that showed up with varsity jackets and collegiate knits emblazoned with Sorbonne 56, which represents where and when the Congress took place. More sporty looks included jerseys she’s designed for Jamaica’s football team and a loose T-shirt and skirt covered with gold brocade details. She rounded things out with beautiful outerwear, including a light blue pebble leather trench coat, a yellow and black tweed coat with a frayed collar, and a quilted coat in pink.
The designer uses show venues to tell a story and insert her ideas into traditionally exclusionary institutions, and her presentation took place at the Place Vendome, a square in the heart of Paris that was built in 1698 and is home to luxury brands including Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. An intimate salon-esque space, it called to mind conservative, strictly constrained fashion shows of the past. But all of this was presented alongside music from artists like Kendrick Lamar, who composed a custom poem that played over “United in Grief,” Sampha, and the multidisciplinary artist Duval Timothy. Bonner told reporters backstage she considers them our modern day freethinkers. She also tapped artist Lubaina Himid to paint Black figures who appeared on shirts and silk scarves, and continued her partnership with Adidas Originals by showing her take on the Adidas Pro Model 2G. It’s a robust set of references, but one that Bonner blended together in a meaningful and compelling way. —Aria Hughes
Prada
The Prada show was boring. That’s why there were so many pillows: The show’s invite, some poofy vests, and a few bombers that beckoned the Ghostbusters all promised relief for your sleepy, understimulated head. Is that bad? No! Fuzzy pastel cardigans and dangling-point collars whispered mischievously. Nubby shawl collars snickered from the top of hard-three-button suit jackets. Belly buttons playing peek-a-boo from behind sky-high trouser waists? Wait-a-second-are-those jumpsuits? Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons sent a bunch of stuff down the runway that had no spectacle, no flash, no…distractions. The makings of a recession have been bubbling in the guts of the global economy for months now, and when the bottom does fall out, the people with money won’t want to look so obviously wealthy. They’ll want to look like a butcher in a suede dress that suggests a working-person’s apron—which is apt, because so much of this show seemed to be about cutting back. Not so much boring, but quiet. Subdued. Full of the kind of if-you-know-you-know details that will help people create the mental space needed to justify a Prada price tag while trying to avoid becoming bait. Purity is not quite the word for what was happening here, because that would suggest a proximity to stillness and tradition that was not present. There was too much playfulness! And also those pants have a skinniness that instead suggests asceticism. Every now and again, people with liberatory politics trip over themselves trying to reconcile the need for societal transformation with their laudatory feelings towards this brand. Then they remember that Ms. Prada spent the Years of Lead as a Communist. Does it matter that she’s spent most of her life outfitting the capitalist elite? It’s unclear. “Don’t mind me!” Mr. Prada Man insists this season. This collection was easy to appreciate, but also easy to forget—just the way he wants.—Melvin Backman
Martine Rose
This season, Pitti Uomo invited British designer Martine Rose to be its guest designer. Rose’s invitation marked another win for South London and British fashion, as her invite came right after Grace Wales Bonner was tapped to present at Pitti a season before her. And when Rose landed in Florence to present her Fall 2023 collection earlier this month, her first show outside of London, it did not disappoint.
Rose is a designer who’s developed a reputation for illuminating subcultural histories through fashion, so presenting at Florence’s Mercato Nuovo, an open air marketplace filled with street vendors, was not a mere backdrop. Instead, it served as another doorway for the designer, and through it she walked her audience through garments inspired by late-80s Italian house music and disco: Again, we saw Rose play with obtuse proportions and unveil looks that would have fit a crowd attending a New Wave gig in the 80s. Models cast on the street, steps away from the venue in fact, wore oversized leather shearling coats with baggy cargos. Others walked in fringed jackets with leather pants or ostentatious pink fur coats that looked straight out of Cam’ron’s closet—Kendrick Lamar recently checked off a “bucket list” moment by tapping Rose to design some custom looks for his ongoing tour. Dance music is far from a new point of entry for Rose, who has previously crafted entire collections inspired by her days raving in South London’s nightclubs during the ‘90s. But it’s exciting to see how Rose imported this design ethos to Italy.
While fashion is still mourning the loss of trailblazer Vivienne Westwood, it’s clear that there’s a new generation of British designers who are able to effortlessly translate urban subcultures into beautiful garments that feel authentic to those it’s inspired by. Season after season, Martine Rose has shaken menswear up while showing there are many untold stories to tell. One can only wonder when Louis Vuitton chairman Michael Burke will make his call. —Lei Takanashi
1017 Alyx 9sm
For his latest 1017 Alyx 9SM show, Matthew M. Williams tapped the artist Mark Flood, who is known for provocative critiques of American culture and elitism. A canvas might read “Eat Human Flesh” or “Go to Hell” underneath a recognizable Olive Garden logo. It’s art that makes you do a double take and think, “Did I read that right?” Flood work was featured throughout the collection on vintage-washed hoodies, oversized T-shirts, and slip dresses. His paintings also lined the runway, which was installed in the middle of the Spazio Maiocchi in Milan, a gallery currently showcasing his work. Alongside Alyx’s signature rollercoaster buckles, black leather pants, and neatly cropped jackets were new bag styles, the Payton and Raya, that also acted as canvases for Flood’s colorful works. Various garments were given a pre-distressed quality through dying, washing, printing, and burning before being distressed by hand by Italian artisans. The Flood collaboration was a perfect compliment to the grungy, streetwear-influenced aesthetic that Williams has established at his label. Besides, if you want people to look at your clothes, why not make them scratch their heads as they look twice? —Mike DeStefano
Lemaire
Where are the people in Lemaire shows always walking off to? Are they going somewhere? Coming back? It doesn’t really matter: The important thing is that you’re even asking in the first place. Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran imbue their designs with an immense gravity, and not just because they seem to be constructed from wools and leathers and silks with a satisfying heft; they give off such an easy, graceful, fundamental sturdiness, as though they can bear the weight of whatever romantic narrative you can thrust upon them. Amille is getting on a plane to Zurich to inspect a piece of bespoke furniture (not a chair) that will finally help her finish her dissertation on Amazonian tree frogs, and the pockets on her leather-trimmed fleece are deep and quiet enough to obscure tiny creature she snuck out of Brazil the last time she took a research trip there. Lemaire show looks are styled with such an absence of fuss despite somehow being incredibly fussy. Material stacks and wraps and makes itself quietly but firmly known. A sweater as a scarf? A sweater as a balaclava? Wayne has secreted seven stolen Rolexes in a small cashmere pouch that is strapped to his shin, and the only way he can steel his nerves is the thrill of a gabardine pant leg that’s generously cut but has hems that sway just above his ankle. This season presented a few patterns and an occasional pop of color, but as usual each model’s palette was neutral and nearly monotone. They’re the kind of outfits that pass through your eyes once in passing, a second time under redoubled consideration, and a third time in stern appreciation. There was one coat that caught my eye, a black duffle coat with an off-center opening and no hood. I imagined myself wearing it, wondering what ridiculous story I’d try to project as I plodded through my commute. —Melvin Backman
Louis Vuitton
Colm Dillane’s KidSuper label has always been known for surprises: His Brooklyn-based brand has presented garments through runway alternatives like claymation figurines and short comedy films that cast New York celebs like Big Body Bes and Princess Nokia in lieu of models. But no one could have predicted that Dillane’s off-kilter take on high fashion would lead Louis Vuitton to pick him as its first-ever guest designer, for its menswear collection. But Louis Vuitton has been known to bewilder. Just look at how many reacted when the late Virgil Abloh was unveiled to be Louis Vuitton’s creative director of menswear back in 2018.
Longtime followers of KidSuper can’t help but be fascinated by Dillane’s rise. Years before KidSuper made headlines for hosting an art auction instead of a traditional fashion show, the brand was releasing collaborative T-shirts with Brooklyn rappers like Joey Badass and the Underachievers. Abloh’s resume of work within the hip-hop community certainly eclipses Dillane directing a claymation music video for Russ. Yet the tale of a streetwear underdog rising to the top is still something many root for, and when Dillane was dropped into the driver’s seat of a storied luxury house, he managed to steer safely in a lane already architected by Abloh.
Dillane’s collection for Louis Vuitton riffed on the boyhood narrative that Abloh established during his eight seasons there. The show’s set was designed to be a house that captured the early stages of childhood and was created by French filmmakers Michel Gondry and Olivier Gondry—who also directed a short film capturing a boy growing up that preceded the show. As the Spanish singer Rosalía performed, models weaved through the dreamy set scrawling on walls in crayon, rummaging through toy boxes, and playing darts. Dillane inherited styling from Ibrahim Kamara, who also worked on Abloh’s previous Louis Vuitton presentations (and is his creative successor for Off-White). Abloh’s signature motifs for Louis Vuitton, such as chain link hardware or distorted takes on their iconic luggage, were also present. The biggest departures were KidSuper-like whimsical embellishments: Dillane’s paintings appeared as all-over prints on coats and embroideries of KidSuper’s face motifs were paneled like collages that appeared on jackets and Keepall bags. Dillane said on Instagram that one his favorite efforts was a “Letter Bag” constructed to look like an actual stack of letters held together by a piece of string.
Dillane supposedly had a “500-page book of ideas” for the house, but it seems as though he wasn’t allowed—or perhaps able—to bring them all to life. KidSuper’s own presentation during Paris Fashion Week was certainly a first, a comedy show roasting the fashion industry that nearly shut down the venue, one could imagine that idea being deemed too risky (or gimmicky) for Louis Vuitton. And while this journey of boyhood is a captivating theme that Abloh established, he also approached it with more nuance. Abloh’s definition of boyhood extended to telling overlooked stories about Black culture and marginalized urban subcultures like graffiti. While Dillane’s take on boyhood still resonates (because who wasn’t a child), it feels banal. A wall covered with the tags of an actual New York City graffiti felon is far more intriguing than the Crayola scrawls we encounter in a child’s bedroom. And when hip-hop stars like Mos Def appeared within Abloh’s Louis Vuitton presentations it felt purposeful and a part of a larger narrative rather than a celebrity appearance for the sake of social media engagement.
One of the most memorable looks from this collection was a millefeuille suit constructed of recreated love letters handwritten by members of Louis Vuitton’s diverse design studio. Each one was written in its author’s native tongue. Perhaps whoever’s tasked with designing Louis Vuitton’s next collection could take some time to read those letters and decipher what larger stories the house could and should be telling.—Lei Takanashi
Airei
Texture is Drew Curry’s calling card. With his line Airei, which launched in 2020 and is favored by the likes of Kendrick Lamar, SZA, and Gunna, he lends everything a handfelt touch, and that showed up in a really exciting way for his Fall/Winter 2023 collection titled “Refuge, Deluge, Transfuge.” The designer says the line documents the journey of the protector who goes through the stages of refuge (a safe space), deluge (the trials and tribulations that test the protector), and transfuge (moving from the known to the unknown). Besides revisiting his signature open-weave knits in cobalt blue, black and gray, he presented a collection full of interesting details like jackets, pants and shirts adorned with human hair from Matter of Trust, a San-Francisco based nonprofit that uses human hair to fight oil spills, denim with frayed seams, and work jackets and pants covered with paint streaks. Curry also worked with leather for the first time, partnering with the work glove manufacturer CHURCHILL to make jackets and pants constructed from Salmon leather, which is made with recycled waste from sushi restaurants in France. He also worked with Gabriel O’Shea, a Mexican artist, on plaster body pieces the models held to their frame. Towards the middle of the show Curry himself, and another gentleman, started to break down plaster columns on the runway, making space for new pedestals and beautiful bits of plaster that the models posed amongst at the end of the show. Curry tells stories about sustainability in a very poetic way. But beyond that, he makes special clothes that look considered and cool.—Aria Hughes
Junya Watanabe
Junya Watanabe was putting crunchy nylon shells on the runway way before you fave. While it’s easy to roll your eyes at the current onslaught of cyclical “gorpcore” collaborations with between fashion houses and outdoor apparel brands, one must remember that Watanabe crystal balled contemporary street style’s obsession with hiking gear nearly two decades ago: Now, there are Gucci backpacks made by The North Face, Salomon trail running vests by Maison Margiela’s MM6 line, and Arc’teryx jackets by Jil Sander, and you get the point, but the Watanabe’s Fall 2005 menswear collection was inspired by mountain sports and sent models walking down the runway with ski goggles and outerwear with taped seams.
Collaborations aren’t new to Watanabe’s collections either, and his Fall 2023 line, an all-black showing that featured a hybrid looks that blended traditional menswear with futuristic technical offerings, featured a whopping roster of 18 different partners. Of course, there was emphasis on performance-focused labels: The front of a black, double-breasted suit was replaced with the baffles of a puffer jacket from the Swedish outdoor label Haglöfs; a classic black North Face Nutpse, a Karikomor rain jacket, and an Alpha Industries bomber jacket were blessed with similar tailored treatments.
But the defining collaboration wasn’t with a household name like New Balance or Levi’s (both of which partnered with Watanabe this season). Instead, it was a range of garments produced by Innerraum, a rising, Berlin-based purveyor of futuristic luxury goods that look more fitting for cyborgs rather than contemporary men. If Watanabe predicted fashion’s obsession with the outdoors way back in 2005, perhaps by 2037 we’ll all be wearing exoskeleton-like garments that he and Innerraum are hawking today.—Lei Takanashi
Zegna
Hope you like cashmere: Alessandro Sartori’s latest Zegna collection was all about it. The title was “Oasi of Cashmere.” Show attendants entered the space to the visual of cashmere flakes swirling around in an air chamber to highlight a key step of the production process. On the runway, 70% of the collection was made using variations of the soft fabric—it was altered to resemble boucle, a jersey made with needle-punched finishes, and Casentino wool. The looks were mostly tonal, which only further highlighted the different cashmere treatments. Eye-catching red and bright yellow options were interspersed between more traditional colors like grey and brown. There were lapel-less blazers layered on top of cardigans and paired with flowy bottoms, as well as newly-introduced jackets with cropped sleeves. Other highlights included multi-toned jacquard pullovers and a baby calf-leather jacket airbrushed to accentuate its fold lines. The show also gave a sneak peak at an upcoming collaboration with Los Angeles’ The Elder Statesman that will be fully revealed next month. When speaking about the collection, Sartori said, “I have the unprecedented opportunity to create fabrics from weaving through to finishing, challenging our manufacturers, pushing them to explore uncharted waters.” That he did. —Mike DeStefano
Sacai
For Fall/Winter 2023, Sacai made its first runway outing since Covid-19—and it didn’t disappoint. Designer Chitose Abe has gained a loyal following of customers who wear her deconstructed pieces like prized possessions and who she continued to reward them this season. Abe was interested in functionality, showing down jackets that convert into backpacks and puffer coats with a chest rig to keep the hands warm. And there were garments that reconsidered traditional clothing construction—plaid shirt jackets with a slight flounce at the hem, single-breasted coats with nylon panels and drawstring details, and quilted vests with fleece sleeves. But she still offered a certain ease. A bookshelf print pulled from the movie Interstellar showed up on outerwear and shirts impressed onlookers to give themselves over to learning, and in a debut collaboration with Carhartt she added softness to workwear pieces like powder blue knit sweaters and parkas with fleece details. Also onboard was longstanding partners Nike, with whom she made a new Nike Air Footscape sneaker called the Nike x Sacai Magmascape, and Moncler outerwear. We know what to expect with Sacai, but this season in particular the execution felt close to flawless.—Aria Hughes
Loewe
Jonathan Anderson, the creative director behind Loewe, called this collection a reductionist act, and it was exactly that. Last season, his garments sprouted plants and actual digital screens. But for this collection, Anderson revised his staple pieces with intricate, sometimes unorthodox details, and most pieces took on exaggerated and sculptural forms. A peacoat looked as if it was made with a velvety down comforter, furry coats had oversized bell sleeves, and molded wool jackets appeared almost cartoon-like, something Anderson has been playing with for the past few seasons. Then there were actual sculptures, like sculpted ivory shirts that seemed frozen, metal coats, and copper angel wings. Anderson looked to artist Julien Nguyen’s work to guide his use of materials, and Nguyen created two large scale works at the show: a depiction of Anderson’s model and muse Nikos, and a small portrait for the invitations. Anderson, under whom Loewe sales have soared, tows the line between art and commerce better than any designer right now.—Aria Hughes
Marine Serre
When Helmut Lang left fashion to pursue art, he infamously shredded his 8,000-piece archive to turn his history as a fashion designer into a series of monolithic floor to ceiling sculptures constructed from shredded clothes, resin, and white pigment. At Marine Serre’s presentation this weekend, titled “Rising Shelter,” similar towers of fabric constructed from abandoned clothing decorated the Grande Halle de La Villette. But Lang’s intentions with this artwork was cheeky narcissism at its finest. Serre’s sculptures instead symbolize a call for industry-wide change under the threat of climate catastrophe. And Serre is a designer whose upcycled designs show that this move is not just possible but elegantly thoughtful.
Serre’s towers, constructed from deadstock cotton tote bags, denim, and scarves, materials that were also revived for her latest collection. The totes, a supposedly sustainable improvement over disposable plastic, are actually as harmful to the environment due to overproduction and how much water they use to produce. So Serre diverted these bags from a landfill and into cream, white, and beige patchwork looks. Her iconic crescent moon monograms continued to grace upcycled denim garments. There were slim patchwork dresses and balaclavas crafted out of graphic T-shirts from clothing bales. Along with upcycled couture built from the scraps of leather motorcycle jackets and her shimmering moiré garments were crafted out of recycled fishing lines and nets were coats, bowling shirts, trucker jackets, skirts, and overshirts, all with screen-printed logo hits. The most beautiful looks were constructed out of patterned tapestries, jacquards, brocades that tapped into the nostalgia of sitting in your grandma’s living room.
While sustainability is more marketing rather than concrete action for most labels, Serre serves up some powerful food for thought. If she can produce one of the most compelling collections for Paris Fashion Week off deadstock fabrics and upcycled designs with an independently owned brand and a team of 70 employees, who’s to say the rest of the industry can’t follow suit?—Lei Takanashi
Namacheko
Designer Dilan Lurr often finds inspiration in his Kurdish heritage and Swedish upbringing, but with his most recent collection Lurr veered into different territory to present what he is calling, “medieval grunge.” Beaded hoods and underlayers resemble chainmail. Brown suede tops feature lace-up detailing at the sternum. Wool sweaters cinch at the chest with metal rings. Skin-tight bodysuits covered in colorful gradients might suggest jousting gear, but that doesn’t mean that the latest from Namacheko looks like Renaissance fair cosplay. The references are balanced with well-executed tailoring in the form of tweed suiting with raw hems and slim-fit trousers with fabric knee pads. As for the “grunge” element, the presentation included an array of acid-washed denim in various colors. By stepping into new territory this season, Lurr proved that his ability to execute meaningful storytelling at a high level isn’t limited to his personal experiences. —Mike DeStefano
Winnie New York
Idris Balogun wants everyone to know he’s arrived. While he’s presented his line Winnie New York line in Paris before, this is the first time he’s had an actual runway show, which took place at a classic Parisian apartment that had a clear view of the Arc de Triomphe. His Fall/Winter 2023 collection landed with the title “Study of a Bird.” He looked to artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh, who started out painting or sketching birds before becoming the highly influential artists they are considered today. Balogun, who has held stints at Tom Ford and Burberry and landed a Savile Row apprenticeship when he was 14, is well versed in clothing construction, and it shows. He has a handle on making the classics like double breasted suiting, tuxedo jackets, and overcoats, but what makes Winnie New York stand out is how current these pieces feel. Mock neck T-shirts are updated with a zippered pocket on the sleeve, herringbone tweed blazers are updated with perfectly placed sequins, and denim gets accentuated with red dye. His leather pieces—including jackets and a suit—were also superb. Balogun is establishing his point of view and bringing a fresh perspective to classic tailoring.—Aria Hughes
Dior
Following trips to Venice Beach to showcase designs with ERL and Egypt to unveil a collection with Tremaine Emory’s Denim Tears in 2022, Kim Jones decided to forgo a blockbuster collaboration for Dior’s latest showing. But Jones shows that a big-name partnership isn’t the only reason the brand’s menswear is successful. (That doesn’t mean that Jones totally shied away from memorable theatrics: Throughout the show, projections of Robert Pattinson and Gwendoline Christie reciting T.S. Eliot poems flashed on giant screens that lined both sides of the runway.) The looks nodded to the short-lived Dior tenure of a young Yves Saint Laurent in the late ‘50s: There was a cavalry twill sailor top with an elongated and loose fit; knit sweaters were worn off one shoulder and paired with floral skirts; and brown-and-cream long knit coats were layered over see-through tank tops and shorts that fell below the knee, perfect for a luxury-obsessed Adam Sandler in an alternate universe. With this collection, Jones continued to show how to properly pay homage to a house’s legacy without simply putting old designs back on the runway. —Mike DeStefano