As 2025 unfolds, the world’s fashion scene has shifted in response to the turbulence of the times. The early months of the year have already witnessed a marked change in the tone of global menswear, with the Fall-Winter collections in Milan reflecting a mood of protection, resilience, and comfort.
The runway shows left behind the usual celebratory spirit, opting instead for collections that felt grounded in practicality and timeless elegance. Key trends included classic fabrics such as shearling, leather, and denim, reimagined in fresh, contemporary cuts. At the same time, the industry embraced high-performance outerwear that pushed the envelope with innovative materials designed to withstand the elements.
Prada’s creative director, Miuccia Prada, captured the mood succinctly when she spoke backstage. “The world is becoming so conservative, and everybody asks us designers to be revolutionary,” she said. “But what is happening in the world is not a celebration.” Her Fall-Winter 2025 collection, she explained, was “a bit of an answer” to the current climate — a response that balances style with the practical needs of today.
In the face of uncertainty, the Fall-Winter 2025 menswear collections have taken a cue from the times, offering a blend of refined, enduring aesthetics and functional fashion that speaks to the resilience of the modern man.
Shearling… with added protection
Double leather at the Prada show. Courtesy Prada
Shearling trim featured heavily in the Prada collection.
On Prada’s runway, coats and jackets flanked in faux fur dominated a collection that was grounded in heavy-duty cowboy boots. The Italian fashion house leaned into love-worn favorites — chunky frayed knitwear and patchwork leather suits.
Prada, and her co-creative director Raf Simons, made special note of their use of shearling. The distinctive material lined hoods and long peacoats. Elsewhere, there were talisman-esque adornments on shrunken and frayed knits.
Here, “shearling becomes a layer of sensual security, worn inside and out,” explained Prada and Simons. They added that the knitwear, adorned with metal symbols much like amulets, was “in a way, protecting us.”
Heritage investment pieces
For his third collection for British menswear brand, Dunhill, creative director Simon Holloway talked of “continuing consistently appropriate wardrobing,” in his show notes. To do so, he looked back to the sporty sensibility of suits favored by the Duke of Windsor in the 1930s.
Holloway added “regimental” navy-inspired bridge and peacoats — and dug into the fashion house’s illustrious archive, elaborating on founder’s Alfred Dunhill’s car coats in double-faced suede and wool-cashmere. The result was wear-forever investment staples.
Elsewhere, Italian luxury footwear brand, Tods, celebrated “subtle and timeless style” —introducing a new ultra-light nappa pashmy leather (a sought-after variety of goatskin) and making its driving shoe, the Gommino, the star of its show.
The Dolce & Gabbana show featured some of the Italian brand’s most popular signatures – from red carpet tailoring to leopard print.
At Dolce & Gabbana, designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana continued to celebrate their Italian heritage. This time, they looked to Federico Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” from which, they told the gathered journalists, the term “Paparazzi” originated (the movie’s main character, a photographer, is named Paparazzo). To emphasize the point, they featured camera-wielding models in head-to-toe black suits madly clicking flashbulbs every time a model appeared on the catwalk.
Their collection ran the gamut of the brand’s most popular signatures from the last three decades — from impeccably cut red carpet-ready tailoring to double denim, flashes of leopard print, and a healthy smattering of sequins.
Double denim
Double denim featured heavily at this year’s show, as seen in the MSGM collection. Courtesy MSGM
Few things are as sartorially reliable in a man’s wardrobe as denim. This season, designers went large for the hardwearing material. Massimo Giorgetti at MSGM went full double denim as did Dolce & Gabbana, while at Prada the material popped up as a duster coat.
Even brands that wouldn’t normally be associated with the true-blue staple dabbled in denim. At Brunello Cuccinelli, a brand more synonymous for its relaxed tailoring and cashmere neutrals, we saw raw-edged denim. While at Dunhill, a classic houndstooth blazer and neckerchief was paired with a perfectly pressed pair of jeans.
High performance outerwear
Intrepid fashion at the Emporio Armani show.
Designers explored innovations in high-performance outerwear materials.
Brands didn’t just look to the past for inspiration, also embracing high-performance outerwear and material innovation. Saul Nash, the London-based designer making his Milan debut, expanded on his sports-inspired repertoire, incorporating enveloping parkas using PrimaLoft padding and chunky cummerbunds designed to double up as scarves and be transformed into crossbody bags.
At Italian Luxury fashion house Stone Island, “Bladerunner” was on the mood board. The collection featured a new hardwearing gabardine produced from its own castoff materials transformed into an anorak complete with rubber-covered buttonholes and a high-neck hood to provide “an extra layer of protection.”
Similarly, Italian brand Brioni turned its beautifully-constructed blazers hybrid with detachable insulating gilets — a first for the brand. And the Milanese leather goods brand Valextra expanded its Assoluto collection crafted from the regenerated nylon yarn EcoNyl — fusing cutting-edge technical details with the traditional craftsmanship it is famed for.
Oversized, padded and cocooning outwear at the Mordecai show. Courtesy Mordecai
At Mordecai, creative director Ludovico Bruno said his show, “The Intelligence of Others,” was “an ode to resilience (and the) extraordinary adaptability of human beings.” Modelled on contemporary dancers who moved in pumped-up synchronization to Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring,” the collection featured oversized, padded and cocooning outerwear. This was designed to “function as shields,” said Bruno, adding that the outerwear was “ready to protect and comfort with their softness and enveloping design.”
The high-octane theme continued at the Giorgio Armani show —13 looks of full-blown, head-to-toe, high-performance hiking-cum-skiwear. Models were equipped with backpacks, ropes, and goggles for their fashion expedition.
Ending on a romantic note
The resilient mood came with messages of hope from several designers who used their moment to encourage togetherness. “My wish for this new year is peace and serenity in the world, and there are finally some encouraging signs,” Armani told CNN.
There was perhaps no better demonstration of this than at JordanLuca, where co-designers and founders Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto surprised guest by getting married on the catwalk at the end of their show.
“In today’s atomized world, love becomes more vital and unselfish than ever, as we walk together into whatever comes next,” they said.
Leave a comment