Top-Tier Fashion Shows During A/W 2025 Haute Couture Week
In the world of high fashion, the Balenciaga Haute Couture A/W 2025 show has been a standout event, marking significant shifts and milestones. The most notable of these changes is the departure of Demna, the designer behind Balenciaga's groundbreaking aesthetics, who will be moving on to oversee both mens and womenswear collections at Gucci later this month.
Demna's farewell collection at Balenciaga, a culmination of his decade-long tenure, was a fitting finale to Paris Haute Couture Week. His work at Balenciaga, characterised by provocative and daring designs, redefined the brand's aesthetic and established it as a hub for experimental fashion. With his exit, an era of "trauma-core" aesthetics and celebrity-driven marketing strategies comes to a close.
The Haute Couture A/W 2025 season also saw trends such as humor-driven content and the rise of emerging market profiles. Despite a drop in overall Earned Media Value (EMV), couture remains a powerful platform for cultural relevance and craftsmanship.
Demna's move to Gucci signifies a major shift in the leadership of prominent fashion houses. His avant-garde approach is expected to have a significant impact on Gucci's future direction and style. The Haute Couture season also marked significant changes for other houses, with Chanel presenting its last collection by an in-house team, Dior sitting out the season, and Glenn Martens marking his first collection at Maison Margiela, among others.
The Balenciaga show, with its high-profile attendees like Kim Kardashian and Cardi B, demonstrated how couture can serve as a cultural phenomenon beyond fashion. The collection was inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood, featuring 'mink' furs (feathers) and nipped-waist gowns, embodying the glamour of a bygone era.
Meanwhile, the Armani Privé show was staged at the Palazzo Armani, with Giorgio Armani himself absent due to illness. The collection was themed around the colour black and featured intricate embellishments, fabric choices, and surface treatments.
Another standout collection was Schiaparelli's, which featured a dress that appeared like the body had been twisted back to front, completed with a glimmering mechanical heart. Daniel Roseberry, the designer behind Schiaparelli's collection, attempted to reconcile the past and future, combining bodily liberation with moments of fantastical expression.
The Haute Couture shows, a bi-annual event in Paris, represent the pinnacle of Parisian craft and feature superlative expressions of construction and embellishment. These shows serve as a testament to the enduring allure of high fashion and its ability to push the boundaries of creativity and craftsmanship.
References: [1] https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/autumn-winter-2025-haute-couture/balenciaga [2] https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/autumn-winter-2025-haute-couture/gucci [3] https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/autumn-winter-2025-haute-couture/schiaparelli [4] https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/autumn-winter-2025-haute-couture/chanel
The departure of Demna, known for his trailblazing work in fashion-and-beauty and his significant impact on Balenciaga's lifestyle, signifies a transformative period in the fashion industry. As he moves to Gucci to redefine mens and womenswear collections, fashion enthusiasts are eagerly observing the changes that will unfold, particularly in the areas of entertainment and cultural relevance.
The Haute Couture A/W 2025 season, marked by significant changes in various houses and the rise of trends such as humor-driven content, also serves as a platform for emerging market profiles in the field of fashion-and-beauty and entertainment.
