Editor : Fashion thoughts
Not a popular opinion I am sure, but fashion was at not at its strongest in 2024. We saw the leaders like Gucci and Burberry strain from their failure to connect with buyers, and brands serving logo coffees to survive. Remember when there was Yves, Karl, Lee, Vivienne? We knew their faces, we knew their stories. There was a bit of drama… Karl hated Yves, Yves went missing, Gianni was friends with Diana. Galliano went on a rampage. Even Kate Moss had a moment of cancellation and intrigue. Today we have the below, a sea of faces, that even for a dabbler in fashion information, I can’t tell apart. They have no stories, they dress alike. Which for me, tells the story of being a creative director or designer now, they have resorted to uniforms in order to live up to the stress of the finale department. It is sales that matter, not stories. And it is boring.
And kudos to you if you know who they are, and which brands they head.
One person who does stand out is of course is Rick Owens. Not because his clothing is anything new.. think Yohji Yamamoto in the 80’s. I think it is due to three small strategies. Firstly, he has a great way of speaking in interviews, it’s calming and he comes across confident and can discuss his brand well. It sounds simple, but it is not. He also has the alluring throuple story that makes it all a bit more interesting. His wife is very controversial on social media - not only is she 80’s now, the net is convinced that she is spirituality unsavoury. These discussions on TT makes for higher views and engagements. Builds the intrigue.
I think the simplest strategy of all of it is that his clothes are good quality. If not revolutionary.
The fitness and muscular tone that Owens and his “unicorn” brings to the brand is interesting. The whole idea of the original punk, new wave look was to get away of the jocks who made our lives a misery, we (ex punks) worked on our own look that did not involve sports but music instead.
It feels like a bit of a let down that the abs won again. Taking an aesthetic that was so specifically for the “losers”, making it about the abs again.
The year 2025 belonged to the Mui Mui bag. There is good reason for this. The Birken has become the most passé item .. when Walmart rips a bag off and it sells out, pray ask what the allure is. There is none. Jane Birken designed the original bag to throw… literally throw.. all her nonsense in the bag. It is meant to be a carry all… and meant to be abused and used. It has lost its allure. But let’s us just give a moment to the Mui Mui carry all. This is what Jane Birken envisaged all those years ago. The accessories was a brilliant move, and the piece of rope dangling from the bag sells at $500. It is not a new idea, my friends and I have been doing it with our LV’s for years, but it made a statement with Gen X.
Mui Mui also read the room so well in the new Ozempic world… offering us the “under pant” look, and a chance for the “girlies” as they are called on socials, to show off the new Ozempic body type.
The all time best fashion sensation of 2025 was the Argentine power musical duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso. They are pure authenticity, and it is so unforced. They each came up in their own right in an urban scene buzzing with energy, ideas and true ingenuity. Argentina is a country well known for unabashed expression. The country introduced rock en español, with great artistic expression. Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso are two of the most exciting artists doing so.
Their Tiny Desk session, posted below, is well worth a watch.
In 2025, the brands that will win will be the one’s bringing interesting store fronts. Gentle Monster eye wear is a great example of using a store as gallery to up the desirability.
On the fragrance front, keep an eye open for new and upcoming brands like BORNTOSTANOUT. Great branding, great store fronts, great smells. And a rebellion spirit too boot.
What we hope to see is the end to logos. We hope to see better fabrics on offer. We hope to see a mid price product surge. And somehow, from somewhere, something new. It has now been decades of the hoody. Please can it end?
And about the logo coffees.. this trend will continue as people have less budget for the goods but enough for a brand experience. And I hope to see a few happening in South Africa too.
Let the 2025 games begin!
