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The Business of Fashion

Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.

The Top 10 Shows of the Season

BoF editors select the best shows of the Spring-Summer 2025 season.
Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2025
Several brands set their collections apart by staging multi-layered experiences that helped foster a dialogue between fashion and the wider world. (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)
BoF PROFESSIONAL

PARIS — The season’s most anticipated show was surely Alessandro Michele’s runway debut as creative director of Valentino. Ultimately, Michele’s collection did not clinch the number one slot, but it landed near the top of BoF’s list.

Our editors were divided over Michele’s layered-on styling, but agreed the show was pristinely executed, deeply researched and emotionally resonant.

Milan made a particularly strong showing. We were blown away by Simone Bellotti’s unexpected interpretation of Swissness at Bally, which took the top spot, as well as the collection of otherworldly, conceptual designs shown by Lucie and Luke Meier at Jil Sander.

Fashion month was shaded by a slowdown in luxury sales and a worsening geopolitical climate that darkened the industry’s outlook. Discontent with soaring prices and an ongoing shift towards safe, ultra-commercial design also dampened excitement for the proceedings.

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In this context, several of the season’s best-received collections were ones that jolted editors awake with a more challenging, experimental aesthetic. Duran Lantink showed his most confident and complete collection to date, while Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson continued his exploration of textile transformation, resulting in sculptural but ultra-light garments. Junya Watanabe’s collection of complex upcycled pieces also made the list. “I feel that abnormal clothing is necessary in our everyday life,” the designer said.

Other brands added extra punch to their shows by proposing multi-layered experiences, which fostered a dialogue with culture and the wider world. Alaïa decamped to New York to celebrate what is arguably the Guggenheim’s most powerful work: its nautilus-shaped interior by Frank Lloyd Wright. Bottega Veneta’s eclectic, craft-heavy collection was backdropped by a charming design installation and attended by a similarly eclectic and charming cast of VIPs: actresses Michelle Yeoh and Julianne Moore, boxer Imane Khelif and TikTok sensation Jools Lebron.

Miu Miu, which also made the cut, commissioned an art installation by Goshka Macuga that explored misinformation and the search for truth with videos, newspapers filled with links to digital assets, and a factory-like conveyor belt clacking broadsheets around on the ceiling. The collection twisted silhouettes informed by Miuccia Prada’s 1990s archive — sometimes literally, as in the case of a backward skirt — while holding onto the messy-girl modern energy that’s reignited the brand’s sales in recent seasons.

Deft execution took precedence over the thrill of the new at Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent, where the designer mixed louche, androgynous tailoring with a renewed embrace of colour to cinematic effect, scoring a place in our top ten.

Two honourable mentions: S.S. Daley made a polished, convincing womenswear debut that was a highlight of the London season. Meanwhile, in Paris, Balenciaga’s clever trompe-l’œil lingerie pieces and high-voltage soundtrack (an extended remix of Britney Spears’ “Gimme More”) made it a strong contender, too.

1. Bally

Bally Spring Summer 2025
Bally Spring Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“A dropped shoulder, raised collar and rounded shape redefined Bally’s signature leathers. A mention of ‘decorum subverted by the avant garde’ could have been borrowed from a Dada manifesto ... Bellotti is on a mission to expand popular awareness of Switzerland beyond banks, chocolate, precision and neutrality. ‘It’s an amazing culture to explore,’ he insisted after his show.” – Tim Blanks

Read more: WOW = A World of Wonder

2. Valentino

Valentino Spring/Summer 2025
Valentino Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“Michele’s Valentino debut could never match the seismic impact of his first collection for Gucci, because that brand of give-people-what-they-didn’t-know-they-wanted lightning only strikes once. Instead, we were gifted here with a collection that was phrased in Michele’s now-familiar lexicon but re-delivered with such luxurious lightness, effortlessness, exquisite technique and flat-out beauty that it still had the potency of something much missed.” – Tim Blanks

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Read more: Alessandro Michele’s Valentino Debut: Lightness, Luxury and ‘Fireflies Seeking Love’

3. Alaïa

Alaia Spring/Summer 2025
Alaia Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“The proceedings began 45 minutes late. It was clear we were waiting for somebody famous, who turned out to be Rihanna, sweeping in like a voluptuous sea creature swathed in sparkling Alaïa net over a too-tight corset, pearls creeping up her legs. The show itself made use of Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic spiral ramps, with the models starting at the very top, looking like chic ants you could barely see. But as they grew closer the details of their outfits were revealed — palazzo pants with a clown ruffle at the waist; small swishy low-slung skirts paired with bra tops; a scrumptious salmon pink chubby jacket; a curvaceous white puffer that was an homage to the famous quilted satin evening jacket by the American couturier Charles James.” – Lynn Yaeger

Read more: Hopes and Fears at New York Fashion Week

4. Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2025
Saint Laurent Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“The pearl-clutching shownotes imagined Yves Saint Laurent himself declaring, ‘I am the Saint Laurent Woman.’ A Super Heroine! Vaccarello set out to illustrate that point by dressing his models in simulacra of the spectacular menswear he showed last March, which was very much based on Yves’ own precise, formal style, eyewear and all ... For the finale, he pushed out the boat with clashes of colour so sick and fabric so rich that they were enough to consolidate defiant excess as Saint Laurent’s fashion statement for the season, along with those formidable suit-clad Amazons of course.” – Tim Blanks

Read more: Amazons on the Catwalk

5. Duran Lantink

Duran Lantink Spring/Summer 2025
Duran Lantink Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“Lantink first caught fashion’s eye with his cartoonishly exaggerated proportions. That blown-up trench coat, remember? A year ago, the mutations looked like they might be a gimmick. Now, I’m calling them a physical realisation of independent fashion thinking. And Lantink sees more people trying to do similarly independent things in fashion. ‘Quiet luxury is so boring, isn’t it,’ he muses.” – Tim Blanks

Read more: In Paris, Shapes of Things to Come

6. Loewe

Loewe Spring/Summer 2025
Loewe Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“Jonathan Anderson thought of the sculpture as the analogue of a different way to look at the world, in this case, a literal bird’s eye view. It’s something he’d been considering over the last few seasons at Loewe, which he called exercises in reduction: ‘Putting out ideas, like archetypes that you believe in.’ He said that sometimes he wanted to challenge people’s viewpoints, wanted people to wonder, how you do you wear that? Or, how do you sit on it? Or, how do you deal with it.” – Tim Blanks

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Read more: In Paris, the Boys Can’t Help It!

7. Bottega Veneta

Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2025
Bottega Veneta Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“Child’s play was on Matthieu Blazy’s mind. In his show notes, he talked about childhood’s ‘adventure of the everyday.’ One of his major reference points was ‘E.T.’ which is, like many of Spielberg’s films, a coming-of-age story. One of the joys of Blazy’s show was watching him elaborate on that idea in a kind of coming and going of age, weaving backwards and forwards between a child’s view of the adult world, and a worldly adult’s rediscovery of a sense of play in dress.” – Tim Blanks

Read more: WOW = A World of Wonder

8. Junya Watanabe

Junya Watanabe Spring/Summer 2025
Junya Watanabe Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“Bags are not made but ‘assembled,’ the same way Ava [in the film Ex Machina] was assembled, or Dr. Frankenstein made his monster. That’s how Junya constructed his dresses, as complex collages which remade his models. Also in the Frankenstein vein, the sepulchral strain of Goth in the collection. A pile of skulls decorated a t-shirt. Black lace looked like it had been tarred ... Imagine an opera coat constructed from backpacks, with the straps still attached. Zips, straps and buckles were significant because, as they signposted the origins of the recycled materials, they also underscored the creativity in transforming those materials.” – Tim Blanks

Read more: In Paris, Shapes of Things to Come

9. Jil Sander

Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2025
Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“Intelligence and idiosyncrasy can combine to create something that is visually alluring on a higher plane and sensually irresistible on a gut level. There was a gorgeously sinister sleekness at work in Lucie and Luke Meier’s latest exercise. It felt necessary after last season took the Meiers’ experiments with cerebral volume to an extraterrestrial limit. This collection was firmly rooted on dark, possibly dangerous terra firma. ‘Well, obviously we’re living in a dark world,’ said Lucie. ‘So let’s say we were attracted by darkness, and we like the ambience when it changes from light to dark.’” – Tim Blanks

Read more: Milan Goes to the Movies

10. Miu Miu

Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2025
Miu Miu Spring/Summer 2025 (Spotlight/Launchmetrics.com)

“The sense of Miuccia re-engaging with her past is what made it so exciting. A suede jacket (didn’t she always say she hated suede?) paired with a vinyl pencil skirt reeked of the John Waters-style bad taste that enlivened Miu Miu’s golden era. The armlets were so bad they were good. Just like the butch belts, slung round the elasticated waists of little cotton skirts. With Miu Miu, the message was so often mixed, and Miuccia left it to us to go figure.” – Tim Blanks

Read more: Relevance: It Begins With a Blessing, and Ends With a Curse


THIS WEEK IN FASHION NEWS IN BRIEF

FASHION, BUSINESS AND THE ECONOMY

Off-White, which has been without the creative direction of founder Virgil Abloh since his death in 2021, has a new owner.
(Getty Images)

LVMH sells Off-White brand to Bluestar Alliance. The new owner is known for acquiring distressed labels and licensing their names, raising questions about what might become of the luxury streetwear pioneer. Unlike luxury houses that have been able to thrive under a new creative director, Off-White was never the same without founder Virgil Abloh.

LVMH and Formula 1 announce 10-year partnership. As part of the deal, several LVMH brands including Louis Vuitton, Moët Hennessy and TAG Heuer will enjoy sponsorship opportunities across the sport. Since 2016, luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer has been the official timekeeper of the Red Bull Racing team.

Garment workers’ protests leave one dead in Bangladesh. A garment worker was shot dead and at least 20 others were injured on Monday in a violent clash between protesting workers and police in Bangladesh, forcing the closures of several factories. This has further exacerbated an existing production backlog caused by political turmoil and recent floods.

Kering stock rating cut to ‘sell’ as Goldman doubts luxury rally. China’s new stimulus measures are unlikely to have a positive impact on high-end discretionary spending in the near term, Goldman’s Louise Singlehurst wrote in a note. Singlehurst is particularly cautious on companies in the middle of a turnaround like Kering.

Frasers Group makes a £83 million offer for handbag maker Mulberry. The group already owns a 37 percent stake in Mulberry. Mulberry has rebuffed the takeover bid and has assured confidence in its new CEO’s ability to revitalise the brand.

Central Group acquires Swiss luxury chain Globus. The Thai conglomerate took control of the Swiss luxury department store chain from Rene Benko’s insolvent Signa group, its latest purchase of an asset from the Austrian financier’s retail unit, after Selfridges and the KaDeWe in Berlin.

Levi sees full-year revenue at low end of its guidance range. Net revenue is expected to grow about 1 percent in the company’s current fiscal year, compared with a previous range of 1 percent to 3 percent. The company is also reviewing options for its Dockers brand, which could include a potential sale.

JD Sports’ UK business was hit by bad weather and Red Sea disruption. The retail group said sales at the outdoor kit chain were down 5.3 percent in the six months to Aug. 3 as “key product lines” had been affected by Houthi attacks off Yemen as well as poor weather conditions.

EU moves to delay deforestation rule after huge pushback. The commission suggested a 12-month delay to rules aimed at curbing forest clearance in nations that send products such as coffee, cocoa, soy and beef to the bloc. A delay would mark a fresh setback to the European Union’s green push.

California Governor signs textile recycling bill into law. Brands with global turnover of more than $1 million must now establish a programme to enable the reuse, repair and recycling of clothes and fabric sold in California. Similar programmes have already been introduced in some European countries, but California’s would be the first in the US.

FIFA to launch a fashion line in partnership with VFiles. The apparel line, which comprises both men’s and womenswear, will be released under the brand FIFA 1904 — named after the year the organisation was founded — and is set to launch in spring 2025.

Patagonia cuts 41 jobs amid major restructuring. In a LinkedIn post announcing the layoffs, CEO Ryan Gellert said the company was undergoing major internal changes. Most roles at the company’s Ventura, California headquarters will evolve to focus on three key functions: product, marketing and impact, Gellert said.

Levi partners with Beyoncé in an exclusive ad campaign. The campaign will recreate some of the brand’s most memorable advertisements. The first one released was “Launderette,” where Beyoncé takes off her jeans and throws them in the wash, similar to a 1985 ad. The campaign will also include social media and exclusive products.

THE BUSINESS OF BEAUTY

CVS beauty aisle
(CVS)

CVS to lay off 2,900 employees and is considering a company breakup. The reductions would primarily impact corporate roles and not frontline jobs in stores, pharmacies and distribution centres. CVS is exploring options that could include a break-up of the company to separate its retail and insurance units.

PEOPLE

Hedi Slimane is exiting Celine after six years, owner LVMH confirmed in a statement.
(Getty Images)

Hedi Slimane is exiting LVMH’s Celine. The designer is departing after months of thorny contract negotiations. During his tenure, Slimane more than doubled Celine’s annual sales to €2.5 billion. He will be succeeded by Michael Rider, a top design deputy during Phoebe Philo’s tenure at Celine who left his role at Ralph Lauren earlier this year.

Alberto Caliri replaces Filippo Grazioli at Missoni. Caliri was a longtime right hand to Angela Missoni who succeeded her as interim creative director in 2021 before shifting focus to Missoni’s home collection the following year.

Everlane hires a former Fear of God executive as its new CEO. The apparel brand named Alfred Chang, who previously held top roles at Fear of God and PacSun, as chief executive. Chang will start his role on Oct. 7, replacing Andrea O’Donnell, a former Decker Brands executive who joined Everlane in 2021 and left this past January.

Estée Lauder Companies announces leadership changes. North America group president Mark Loomis will retire in June 2025. He will be replaced by current global president of California brands Tara Simon and Amber English, the company’s current senior vice president for e-commerce and digital.

Condé Nast names new UK chief business officer. Luke Robins will be tasked with generating revenue growth for the publisher’s UK business amid a tough landscape for traditional media. He succeeds Vanessa Kingori who held the position from 2021 until her departure in November 2023.

Compiled by Yola Mzizi.

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