Even before it began, the Menswear Fall Winter 2025 season was subject to the creative director carousel and evolving runway show formats across the industry. Fendi, Gucci, JW Anderson, and Loewe depleted the season of some major star power, however, debuts including Peter Copping for Lanvin and Willy Chavarria in Paris lined up with stalwarts Giorgio Armani, Zegna, Prada, and Dior Homme, injecting energy and excitement into a compact yet robust menswear schedule.
The sentiment ahead of the season was that designers who break the mold with revitalized ideas would be the ones to buck the luxury slowdown. With menswear outpacing womenswear in the Italian market and the projected global menswear growth from $595.74 billion to $936.94 billion by 2033, the labels on show had the opportunity to sharpen their focus and execute eye-opening collections that tap into the current consciousness; offering longevity while meeting their customer where they are now.
Male shoppers tend to be more goal-oriented and peer-influenced than women, with men’s clothing able to sell out of pure need or pure aspiration with a solid and obvious ‘why’. If you consider a hunter/gatherer mentality; men or menswear shoppers are more likely to hunt down the perfect jacket, an exquisitely cut suit, or line up for the most sought-after sneaker. They pay more on average than their female counterparts, who frequently gather smaller items for their wardrobe. So, when it comes to menswear trends, they’re hinged on word-of-mouth recommendations and a bandwagon mindset. And, being less fad-driven, menswear can afford the repetition that womenswear can’t, with the best, or most lucrative menswear ideas often seeded for several seasons before they truly take off.
With that in mind, this season designers were largely looking to separate from the ‘quiet luxury’ movement, with the more traditional pieces of the male wardrobe manifesting in recreated classics with refreshed heritage features. They evolved into something more poetic, and a little off-kilter for the ‘thinking man’, rather than function-leaning for the Succession man, who favors undetected wealth but not necessarily personal, or charming style.
The American West mood remained constant for FW25, just not as literal as previous seasons. The theme has been watered down to make sense for buyers to add to their collections, and for the customer to conceptually grasp. Snap buttons, topstitching, subtle panels across the shoulder yoke, suede and corduroy textures, earth tones, denim, and variations on the cowboy boot; the western inflections are there, and highly wearable. For example, the Prada two-tone embroidered sweater is suggestive, but not overdone. Or, simple but impactful color pairings, like indigo denim and ochre brown talk to the mood but don’t say it out loud. If designers can remove the sense of cosplay in menswear, the product (or price points) won’t need an explanation.
Similarly, technical outerwear, even post-gorp boom, remains a go-to for the winter collections. The sportier, the more pockets, volume, hoods, and toggles the better. Sacai, Rick Owens, Junya Watanabe, and Emporio Armani all cater to a different man, but the weather protection element and the idea of the working man’s essentials is still a universal trope. At this stage of the climate reckoning, technical clothing is almost a somber suggestion for future dressing. A strong moto and sportswear theme supplemented the idea of protection wear, with helmets, heavy leathers, and tracksuits seen at Y-3, Louis Vuitton, Maison Margiela, and Willy Chavarria—who offered a second ready-to-buy collection in collaboration with Adidas.
Even with such traditionally masculine personas, the dial appears to be turning from heavy-hitting streetwear to elevated outfitting that bridges the sensible (even noble) with elegance and effeminate accents. Even Chavarria took to a softer take on Sunday mass suiting, complemented by a tough yet vulnerable womenswear inclusion. Sleight of hand, artful layering, womenswear silhouettes, and fabric choice reinvented classic tailoring from Dior Homme to Zegna, Saint Laurent, and Peter Copping’s well-received debut for Lanvin. Top coats, sack jackets, and trench coats found plaids, herringbones, and shearling trims added an old-world lens to modern dressing. Long coats, slouchy double-breasted tailoring and chunky cardigans also took their place in the FW25 wardrobe.
Overall, the season’s color palette was full of earthy tones and rich burgundy, with outdoorsy loden and forest green coming into view. Collections went heavy on tobacco, chocolate, and espresso brown, while jewel tones infiltrated collections for impact across cashmere, velvet, and corduroy. Grey and charcoal are the season’s alternative to black as seen at Zegna, Armani, Issey Miyake, and Lemaire. Pops of pumpkin orange carried over from the womenswear collections, specifically at Lanvin, Sacai, and Prada.
What did Fall Winter 2025 boil down to? Here are the top five prevailing trends from the FW25 menswear season.
Taking flight
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Flight jackets particularly with aviator shearlings took centre stage this season, not dissimilar to the womenswear FW24 collections which sported faux fur trims and lining. Sacai, Auralee and Dolce & Gabbana took military inspirations to grand proportions, while Prada’s rough-cut shearling perched on atop bomber jackets and top coats spoke to individuality and indie glamour. Saint Laurent signed off the season with Anthony Vacarello’s interpretation of supple leather aviator blouson jackets.
Paris Texas
How the West was worn. From Ralph Lauren to Willy Chavarria and Louis Vuitton, American Western influences greatly infiltrated the winter collections. Leather blousons, suede jackets and overshirts, as well as checkered fabrics, were present throughout the cities. With its equestrian foundations, Hermès’ iterations were sophisticated and subtle as ever, from the cashmere horse blankets used as raincoat liners to the shirt and jeans rendered from beige suede calfskin. Chavarria’s interpretations landed with supersized gingham shirts and corduroy suiting, while Prada’s scuffed and paisley-printed cowboy boots will no doubt be on the hitlist next season.
All the gear
Technical outerwear was abundant for the winter season, with several brands from Emporio Armani to Y-3 doubling down on texture and functionality to result in performance-driven clothing for the adventurous. Instinctual silhouettes with, at times, tribal results from the likes of IM Men (by Issy Miyake), Rick Owens, and Yohi Yamamoto spoke to an alternate lifestyle that looked to the future of outdoor living. Meanwhile, Sacai’s inspiration from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are saw toggled, faux-fur trimmed puffer jackets in forest hues of brown and deep green finished with bear-like boots fit for hibernation in collaboration with Ugg.
Power Plaids
Classic checks, exploded plaids, and understated herringbones were the prints of choice this season. Junya Watanabe seemed to take from 2013’s lumberjack-chic playbook with large red plaids paired with workwear (and a beard), while Ralph Lauren and Zegna infused a sophistication for the modern gentleman. Hermès' version was a more abstract take in effortless color combinations, while Amiri used a 70s-checked aesthetic to influence enigmatic outfitting.
Essential elegance
While the brawn and bravado of Western wear and outdoor gear take their muse from the hero archetype, the lean toward modern elegance was just as strong. Soft tailoring proportions and a louche-ness to the silhouette were found in drop shoulder jackets, wide-leg pants, and roomy shirts. Respectable three-piece tailoring favored posture and nobility in attitude, with obvious English countryside themes in color and texture. Zegna took to knitwear as outerwear, styling knits on knits and across the shoulders, while Dior borrowed the H silhouette from the archives to create a soft sensuality in draped blouses, cinch-waist oversized trousers and shaped blazers.
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