PARIS — With designer debuts at Celine and Maison Margiela, this was a much-anticipated couture week in Paris. Both Michael Rider’s return to Celine and Glenn Martens’ first couture show, which Margiela calls Artisanal, underscored that there is latent creative energy in fashion that is ready to be released if we give designers the space to do so.
BoF’s Tim Blanks praised Martens’ collection for its contradictions: “assault and seduction, opulence and austerity,” calling Martens “one of the most exciting designers working in fashion.” Angelo Flaccavento said Martens’ “pursuit of hybridity as a code in both aesthetic and materiality was at once intoxicating and fascinating” amid an otherwise ho-hum couture week.
The extreme aesthetic and look was somewhat polarising online, however. Fifty-three percent of the more than 4,500 people who voted in our Instagram poll gave the collection “5 Stars,” but 23 percent gave the collection the lowest rating, with lots of comments about the claustrophobic masks and erasure of humanity.
As for Rider, he had big shoes to fill, coming next in line after two of the industry’s most formidable designers: Hedi Slimane, who left Celine 18 months ago, as well as Rider’s former boss Phoebe Philo who first put the brand on the fashion map during a transformative 10-year tenure. I loved Angelo’s description of Rider’s collection as salade mixte, with a little something for everyone, the best bits from his predecessors, including Michael Kors who came before them all.
There was a clear intent on evolution, not revolution from Slimane’s impeccable product-focused strategy at Celine, where everything is made in perfect proportions, excellent fabrications and high quality. So it was the preppy styling and the way things were put together that delivered the creativity. I particularly loved the menswear which was freed up from the more strict confines of Slimane’s man. No doubt there are going to be women who want to get into some of those louche looks.
Yes, as some observers noted, it was a bit overstyled at times and as Angelo wrote, it remains to be seen how Rider’s point of view will coalesce into a clear creative vision. But overall this was a very good first step.
The absolute best thing I saw this past week was not a fashion show, but the new physical incarnation of Jonathan Anderson’s own brand, as described so precisely in an extensive interview the designer gave to Tim Blanks as a “supremely idiosyncratic cabinet of curiosities, from garden tools to jewellery.”
When I popped into the Galerie Joseph on rue Froissart to have a look, I understood immediately I was walking into Jonathan’s world, one which he lent heavily to his work at Loewe. There were colourful ceramic mugs that reminded me of Loewe’s candles, a collab with Pringle of Scotland on the most perfect argyle sweater and simple, unvarnished Wedgwood china in sky blue merchandised next to a matching sweater.
I meandered into another room and Jonathan was there chatting with our mutual friend, the actor Dan Levy. Jonathan opened the display drawers to show us all the new packaging and branding, clearly excited about breathing new life into JWA after it had gotten a bit lost in the success of Loewe. Now that Jonathan is working within the codes of Dior, he can lend more of his own personal taste and passions to his own brand, which he has fought hard to keep doing alongside his new, behemoth task at the luxury megabrand.
Up next is revamping the JWA store in Soho and opening a new store in Pimlico, off the beaten path from fashion and luxury and closer to the world of interiors, home and design. Rose Uniacke’s store is across the street. More and more, this is where I feel luxury customers want to be. It seems Jonathan is already there.
With so much change happening on the creative side of fashion, Tim and I got together (virtually) for a post-fashion week download on The BoF Podcast, with all of our thoughts on the hellos, goodbyes and the waiting game as we anticipate the biggest fashion month ever in the autumn.
Imran Amed, Founder and Editor in Chief
Below are my top picks from our analysis on fashion, luxury and beauty this week:
1. Paris Couture’s Life and Lifelessness. In a week of couture shows that often felt formulaic, Glenn Martens’ debut at Maison Margiela supplied bold new energy, writes Angelo Flaccavento.
2. Big Tech and Fashion Think They’ve Finally Figured Out Smart Glasses. Tech giants like Meta and Google are striking big deals and announcing new eyewear partnerships on smart glasses after a decade of failed attempts to make the devices fashionable.
3. AI Shopping Is Here. Will Retailers Get Left Behind? AI doesn’t see the internet the same way human shoppers do, meaning retailers need to adapt as more consumers turn to AI to find products or even make purchases.
4. Crunch Time for South Asia’s Fashion Manufacturers. Factory owners and garment workers in countries like India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are feeling frustrated and nervous as their governments scramble to negotiate trade deals to stave off the highest US tariffs ahead of president Donald Trump’s shifting timeline.
5. Why Boat Shoes Are Floating Up Everywhere in Fashion. The trending style has gone from a preppy staple to a high fashion mainstay as brands put their spin on the classic silhouette. The challenge lies in making the interest last.
This Weekend on The BoF Podcast
The latest fashion season marked a period of significant transition with new creative leadership taking centre stage at some of luxury’s biggest houses. Highly anticipated debuts at Dior, Celine and Maison Margiela set the tone for a new direction, while designers like Rick Owens continued to redefine the emotional and aesthetic parameters of fashion. At Balenciaga, Demna bid farewell to his iconic aesthetic, setting the stage for his upcoming tenure at Gucci.
Against this backdrop, BoF editor-at-large Tim Blanks and I discussed the realities of a shifting luxury landscape and the growing tension around pricing, accessibility and the future structure of the luxury market.
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