Football, circus and riots: The highlights of Paris Men's Fashion Week

As the men's European Football Championship in Germany and the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris bring together a shared sporting spirit throughout the region, fashion houses exhibited their latest menswear collections in Paris. Some shows stuck to this sporty approach, while others revelled in the colourful circus of fashion or, otherwise, exercised restraint.

Sportsman

The SS25 collection from Louis Vuitton's menswear artistic director Pharrell Williams stood for both sports and solidarity, as the designer explored the international community alongside the global mindset of the French fashion house, according to the show notes. The collection, which largely relied on a colour palette of grey and brown tones as well as black, brought together the designer's signature mix of streetwear, classic menswear, and workwear. Blue and green elements, meanwhile, provided individual splashes of colour, representing the earth. The collection, which was presented on a green-checked artificial turf runway, really got rolling with an onslaught of various football references - jerseys, jackets and bags made from balls and shoes all referenced the team sport.

The brand's parent company LVMH is also having to stay on the ball, having fallen slightly short of the previous year's level in the first quarter of fiscal 2024. Sales in the fashion and leather goods segment, which includes Louis Vuitton as well as Christian Dior, Celine and Loewe, fell by 2 percent. In addition to the financial figures, the luxury goods group is further preoccupied with several personnel matters, such as a successor for Givenchy's creative director Matthew Williams and the future of Kenzo designer Nigo, which was questioned after his show at Paris Men's Fashion Week. But for now, the focus is on the Parisian Olympics, in which LVMH has invested 150 million euros, as well as the Haute Couture Week that has just started.

The Olympic fire had only burned at Meta Campania Collective during men's fashion week. The brand, under the creative direction of Jon Strassburg, former chief merchandising officer at Bottega Veneta, and Heiko Keinath, founder of the Parisian creative agency Buero, showed a fencing-inspired line. The Zurich-based brand Prototypes, meanwhile, returned to the world of football, or rather its associated fan culture. Various football jerseys, including that of the English national team, were used, as well as sporty pieces from brands such as Lonsdale and Umbro, which are popular with fans of the sport. Disguises, casual wear such as denim looks and sporty-classic outerwear elements rounded off the image of the "football fan prototype".

Jerseys of the season were also on display at Y-3, where the long-term collaboration between Japanese designer Yōji Yamamoto, founder of the Yohji Yamamoto brand, and German sporting goods manufacturer Adidas, which returned to Paris Men's week after several years of absence, continued. It was also Y-3's first show since the pandemic. From the sports bag, the collaborators pulled out the new jerseys of the Japanese national football team, which had previously only been offered by Adidas as a supplier. For Y-3, however, it was the first time the brand had ventured into this realm after its previous foray into the world of football with special jerseys such as those from Real Madrid.

With the jerseys, Adidas landed an apparent hit that caused a stir in the streetwear bubble on social media shortly after the show. The sporting goods company recently felt impact from the surprising shift of supplier by the German national football team, which moved on to competitor Nike. Yet, akin to business figures, in which the company returned to growth at the beginning of the year after a decline in sales in 2023, Adidas is looking positively into the future through new partnerships, such as with German Bundesliga club ​​Eintracht Frankfurt.

In addition to Y-3 and Louis Vuitton, there were also jerseys at 3.Paradis, Doublet and White Mountaineering, which continue the ongoing 'Bloke Core' trend.

New Spirits

It wasn't just sporting ceremonies that dominated fashion week. American Rick Owens celebrated his very own opening ceremony in Paris. Several squads, uniformly dressed in a distinct formation, appeared in beige-grey looks that gave off the impression of being somewhere between cults, sci-fi aliens and ancient Egypt.

The collection by Chinese designer Sean Suen was another to convey a spiritual impression. This appearance was particularly aroused by long, flowing robes, which were reminiscent of buttoned pieces worn by Buddhist monks, and were kept in colours such as beige and silver. The matching hoods complemented the overall picture.

The London-based label Yenesai strayed towards a rather 'spaced-out' orientation for its collection "40 Warriors of the Sun", as the name suggests. Elements of space travel met uniforms à la Star Trek Enterprise and workwear elements. These were refined with a dominant but also delicate aesthetic that contrasted edges and flowing fabrics, thus creating a fashionably futuristic overall picture.

Meanwhile, Sankuanz founder Shangguan Zhe was inspired by Dakinis - mystical deities worshipped by various ethnicities and cultures throughout Asia. The Chinese designer, who has been a regular at Paris Men's Fashion Week since 2016, sent some red figures down the runway alongside a collection that reinterpreted traditional Western forms and combined them with oversized, wrapped garments from Asian cultures. The play with lengths and silhouettes as well as the use of workwear served an important role here.

Cirque de Paris

On the less gloomy side of things was the show by Walter van Beirendonck. The Belgian fashion designer, known for his colourful and wild designs, looked to the circus clown for his own line this season. While negative news floods the world daily, van Beirendonck was seeking out the positive, the show notes stated. He used the cheerfully sad circus figure to bring both sides together. Van Beirendonck's clowns wore small hats and contrasting colours and patterns, as well as a stark black. The silhouettes ranged from an interplay of figure-hugging and wide-fitted to oversized.

"Manege frei" [or Ring-Free in English] was also the motto at Kidsuper. The streetwear-oriented US brand collaborated with Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil for its own show as well as a capsule collection. Brand founder Colm Dillane had acrobats dance across the catwalk like puppets with ropes on their arms.

The circus theme also played a major role in the collection. Looks were therefore inspired by the characters of the circus, seeing a further presence of clowns in addition to the circus director, acrobats or the XXL man on stilts. Although the collection, with its bold colours and prints that highlighted the circus theme, was also very extravagant, it seemed to handle the theme somewhat more subtly than Van Beirendonck.

Comme des Garçons Homme Plus, the menswear line of the Japanese brand of the same name, did not shine the spotlight so obviously on the circus tent, but nevertheless showed a similar direction with its mix of patterns and play of wide and body-hugging silhouettes. Similar to Van Beirendonck, rather gloomy looks in black contrasted with colourful accents such as a bright pink. Polka dots, checks, large bows, exaggerated sleeves and a headdress made of hair clips and ribbons, which appeared like gum-streaked hair, rounded off the collection.

Rebellious Youth

Instead of attempting to incite laughs during a difficult period, a number of brands seemed more concerned with showing solidarity by seemingly rebelling against the establishment. As such, a cry of punk echoed through the French capital.

Japanese label Kidill played with wide silhouettes and extremes - oversized safety pins, patchwork, lots of pattern and colour as well as a mix of cute kitsch and gloomy metal fan with band patches ran through the collection.

The Japanese label Junya Watanabe, by the eponymous designer, meanwhile, showed a punky alternative for the 'red carpet' - an ode for all those who don't feel like a tuxedo and dress at prom. Watanabe used classic elements of evening wear such as the suit and tuxedo shirt to bring forward an alternative. Patchwork and denim suits were seen alongside ACDC and Black Sabbath band shirts with bow ties.

Jeanne Friot chose to pick up on this mood even more through the selection of increasingly dominant materials such as denim and latex. Buckles and belts were also used in multiplied form, as seen in a top, a skirt and a print. To top it off, the French designer showed several tartan looks inspired by the kilt.

Workwear Couture

Workwear pieces, new silhouettes and contrasts united some of the looks from the brands Juun.J, 032c, Junya Watanabe and Loewe. Korean Juun.J used denim in various colours and bomber jackets to create looks with pompous skirts and trains. Jeans also played a major role at Junya Watanabe's prom. The fabric was used for suits in various lengths and shapes as well as an additional layer on a suit-like fabric.

The Berlin label 032c was another to use denim, yet was more convincing in its approach, with long shirt dresses inspired by military jackets. The ankle-length, olive-green pieces were reminiscent of overalls with their button placket, hood and many pockets. Gathering in the lower part of the dress and styling with high shoes and dark sunglasses gave the overall attire the necessary fashionable component.

The Spanish fashion house Loewe, meanwhile, relied on the checked lumberjack shirt, which was used in one way taking on the appearance of a long-sleeved shirt while at the same time being integrated as a kind of cape flowing over beige trousers in the bottom half.

Wearable Fashion

Despite the many extravagant and wild collections, there were also some brands that focused on a wearable value and provided their consumers with pieces that were more independent of trends and could be used beyond the coming summer. The colour selection for SS25 also seemed to be much more restrained, leaning more towards Mediterranean menswear. Brown and beige tones, next to cream, grey and olive green ran through many collections such as those from System, Namesake and Lemaire. In between, there were also fresh but still subtle colour accents such as a powdery pink or light blue as at Dior.

The need for understated luxury, in a difficult macroeconomic situation impacting the higher price segment, seems to be asserting itself in menswear after a similar boom in womenswear - a counterbalance to loud and flashy streetwear.

Farewell and New Beginning

This edition of Paris Fashion Week also celebrated farewells and new beginnings. The highlight of the menswear season that was likely the most eagerly awaited was the end of designer Dries van Noten's 40-year career. It was a very quiet and emotionally charged finale. Dark colours and gloomy undertones created a melancholic mood, while powdery accents in floral prints and touches of gold and silver created a glimmer of hope - a rollercoaster of emotions that probably accompanied many a fan and visitor to the Van Noten show.

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While the Belgian designer closed the door behind him - even if it will possibly always remain ajar with his future advisory role at the eponymous label - a Paris newcomer is opening his door. US artist A$AP Rocky - real name Rakim Athelaston Mayers - showed his first ever fashion show with his collective AWGE.

The collection, entitled "American Sabotage", was presented by the group at the Hôtel des Maisons, the former home of the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Instead of 'quiet luxury', large lettering such as "Political Satire", "Don't be Dumb" and the number 1865 - the year of the official end of slavery in the US - stood for a loud message. The US flag, camouflage and a print of the New York police were also used. These elements were combined with a streetwear aesthetic of 90s hip-hop with wide silhouettes and layering, creating a cross-section of society in the US.

This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.DE. Translation and edit by: Rachel Douglass.