Surrealism, eclectic flourishes, tapestries and furry footwear were just some of the striking themes noticed on the catwalks recently as Paris Fashion Week unveiled the Autumn/Winter 2022 menswear shows.
Designers sent forth an uninhibited, often gender-dismantled agenda that smashed through conventions to pave the way for a new normal. Take a look at some of the runway highlights below:
1. Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton presented a fantastical, fairytale-like final show from artistic director Virgil Abloh, who tragically died in November 2021. Featuring tapestried trench coats, men in skirts, angel wing constructions and comic-style illustrations, the collection brought together the messages and themes of the arc Abloh created for Louis Vuitton across eight seasons.
2. Kenzo
The Japanese fashion designer and musician Nigo made his debut for Kenzo in a star-studded show attended by Kanye West, Julia Fox and Pharrell Williams. The collection gave a nod to the 1970s with beret headwear, floral patterns and embroideries but also exhibited playful urbanity and confident use of colour, plaid and genderless silhouettes.
3. Loewe
From Creative Director Jonathan Anderson came a presentation of surrealist shapes and interpretations of classic wardrobe pieces. Think protruding hula-hoop t-shirt and short combos, light-up vests and one-pieces, jackets worn as shorts, belts that spell out giant words, balaclavas and more. The collection questions reality through illumination, movement, exposure, and projection themes.
4. Rick Owens
Known to his fans as the Lord of Darkness (for his gothic aesthetic), Rick Owens didn’t disappoint with an eclectic collection that included elongated lightbulb headwear, zipped face coverings, chain link vests and sleeveless tees with unusual slogans.
5. Paul Smith
Paul Smith presented a cinematic collection inspired by film’s visionary directors, such as Jean-Luc Goddard. It celebrated the rise of avant-garde, New Wave cinema and arthouse. A saturated colour palette was used, reflecting how film has evolved over the decades: from age-old sepia to brilliant technicolour. The collection features bold, hallucinatory prints (which paid homage to surrealist filmmakers), while mix and match checks appeared on tweed and winter wool tailoring and outerwear.
6. Bluemarble
Anthony Alvarez delivered his first runway show for his Paris-based label, Bluemarble. A mix of American sportswear and European savoir-faire, completed with Filipino artisanal characteristics, give the collection a funky, street-smart edge. Pieces included cosy crochet-trim knits, oversized sweaters, frilly shirts, (fake) furry footwear and reflective sunglasses.
7. Hed Mayner
The Hed Mayner fashion show explored space between the wearer and the clothing. Garments from the collection include massively oversized, slope-shouldered suit jackets, tent-like outerwear and ponchos, trousers that pool around the ankles or cinch around the waist, and quilted, trailing scarves.
8. Y/Project
Belgian designer, Glenn Martens, delivered a fascinating show for Y/Project that included plenty of construction heavy, layered garments. Check shirts, denim separates, neon tones and knitted balaclavas all made an appearance. The highlight, however, had to be the interpretation of Jean Paul Gaultier’s iconic trompe l’oeil prints; suggestive male and female body silhouettes that create an optical illusion of the naked form.
For more insight into what’s trending on the runways, read our review of London Fashion Week.
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