“So what are your main takeaways from this menswear season?” Vogue Business’s indefatigable Paris correspondent Laure Guilbault asked me as she whipped out her phone. Before she could press record, however, we were firmly directed off the Hermès runway — the show was about to start. I never caught up with Laure again, so here goes.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in 15 years,” observed a brand founder on the first day in Paris. He was talking about the flattening (and in some cases decline) in the consumer appetite for luxury. That slowdown has affected budgets and temperaments; this season, whether unconsciously or not, it affected collections, too. Designers went collab heavy for Autumn/Winter 2025, because collabs can be cool but also because collabs open up fresh revenue streams. There was also an emphasis on fundamental pieces — essentials — that was surely a way to signify that luxury is not always necessarily unnecessary, and thus an invitation to buy. Finally, there was also an emphasis on eclecticism: as well as inspiring some brilliant collections (most notably Prada), this was also the way in which designers could cast their nets most widely.
Which brings us to the AW25 edition of Vogue Runway’s snap poll of the season’s most widely consumed collections, based purely on the amount of views each receives during its first 48 hours of publication. From the off, we knew this list would include some fresh names. Last June, it featured both JW Anderson (in seventh place) and Loewe (at number nine). So the absence of Anderson from the season (but why?), plus Gucci’s co-ed holdout (it was second on SS25 list) until Milan’s womenswear week next month meant that, whatever happened, change was inevitable. And we have not included Saint Laurent, which happened too late to make the cut. Here you go!
10. Sacai
Chitose Abe’s much-revered Sacai stays in the top 10 after coming in at number four last season with her fantastic James Dean-inspired collection. Doubtless part of the reason for its popularity on Vogue Runway is that the menswear is mixed with pre-fall womenswear. However, this collab-heavy Where the Wild Things Are outing was also full of monstrously gorgeous pieces to gawp at for menswear heads. Some of the third season Sacai x Carhartt pieces were among the best of the bunch, and it was cool to see French footwear brand JM Weston get a moment in the spotlight. Plus, Abe’s wing-pocket pants were back in full flight.
