There's no denying that Paris Fashion Week remains the crème de la crème of fashion weeks. With a schedule as packed as a designer’s mood board, the sheer volume of must-see shows can feel overwhelming. But fear not—our editors have burned the midnight oil (and fuelled up on double espressos) to handpick the unmissable runway moments. From rule-breaking newcomers to titans of the industry flexing their creative muscles, these are the shows set to define the season. Ready to cut through the noise? Let’s dive in.

Ernest W. Baker S/S 25

Ernest W. Baker

The absence of Loewe, Dsquared2 and Dior Men’s this menswear season leaves a bare-ish calendar, but it’s not all bleak this January. Ernest W. Baker is a brand we always make time for in Paris, they hold appointments to come and view their collections privately, alongside always stellar fashion films and lookbooks. We often lose more time than our allotted 30 minutes, fondling the new collection on the rail. Reid Baker and Inês Amorim, the partners behind it all, are slowly but surely establishing an independent brand which has legs. Bouclé fabrics, perfect leathers and hand-finished lurex knits are second to none.

Originating in the old-school wardrobe of Reid’s grandfather, Ernest W. Baker, since 2016 the brand’s distinct tailoring set in nostalgic mid-western American scenes has grown and evolved at a steady rate. Their growing popularity amongst consumers and musical megastars including Pharrell Williams, Lenny Kravtiz and Justin Bieber, hasn’t crimped on quality. It’s rare in an industry where product often feels mutually exclusive to creative authenticity, to be able to have both.

Hetty Mahlich, Editor

Yohji Yamamoto S/S 25 Menswear

Yohji Yamamoto

As SHOWstudio’s art and culture editor, there was only ever going to be one real designer that I knew I would gravitate towards before even looking at this season’s menswear schedule; Yohji Yamamoto. As someone who has always romanticised the idea of a daily uniform —something that negates fashion’s fast-paced environment while also allowing you to subtly experiment with your own style, in your own time—Yamamoto is somewhat of a hero of mine, and dare I say, a few other people in art, too.

Whether it’s his frank lack of ego, intellectual stance so expertly woven into his collections, the half century he’s spent decoding the relationship between garment and body, or his obvious obsession for constant self renewal (what else would keep someone in the same business for multiple decades?)… when you throw everything into the mix, somewhat of a manifesto emerges, one rooted in collective taste as much as it is about individuality. He is the reason I still keep coming back to fashion. Someone who can keep to the same manifesto, create the same poetry over decades but still fine tune it each time, finding new paths for experimentation that is at once so Yohji yet still so unpredictable, will always get my vote. Yohji for the win!

Christina Donoghue, Art and Culture Editor

Willy Chavarria S/S 25

Willy Chavarria

The world that Willy Chavarria has built is nothing short of extraordinary. The Latino designer’s ability to craft a poetic and deeply moving vision of Chicano masculinity has cemented his place as a trailblazer in the world of contemporary menswear, balancing tenderness and power in his transformation of familiar symbols of identity and culture, often toeing the line between couture tailoring and streetwear. His New York shows (always theatrical and unapologetically emotional) have grown alongside the community of queer people of colour who’ve found themselves reflected in his world, becoming one of the calendar’s biggest draws.

This year, Chavarria is taking his idiosyncratic storytelling to Paris, marking a significant new chapter in his already remarkable career. ‘I design for a much wider range of people, but I know the actual base following of the brand are queer people, people of colour, people who are down with the brand message,’ he shared with me in 2023. His dedication to fostering a sense of community and inclusivity is central to his ethos—a belief system woven into every stitch and silhouette. In a city celebrated for its tradition but often criticised for its reluctance to evolve, Chavarria’s voice is set to bring a transformative energy.

Joshua Graham, Fashion Features Editor

Kiko Kostadinov S/S 25 Menswear

Kiko Kostadinov

With a packed-out schedule each season and the endless campaign cycle of a year, it’s easy for fashion brands to get lost in the crowd. This hasn’t been a problem for Kiko Kostadinov, though. Kiko’s designs are well-loved for their sleek eccentricities: something that in some cases, could be a contradiction, but in Kiko’s world forms a sweet spot that unites fashion snobs, hype beasts and those just looking for a really good pair of trousers.

After a year of continuing their playful yet practical collaborations and an expansion that has seen the brand open two flagship stores in Tokyo and LA, it will be interesting to see whether they continue on with this momentum for A/W 25.

Stella Hughes, Social Media Editor

Peter Copping photograph by Riccardo Olerhead

Lanvin

Lanvin's titantic creative director from 2001 to 2015 — Alber Elbaz — once said ‘I think about what people want. People look for a dream and a fantasy in fashion.’ This season's Paris menswear schedule closes with Lanvin going full séance with that great Elbaz quote. Lanvin’s virtuosic new creative director — Peter Copping — resets house stewardship through Copping’s expert eye for a maison's unique dualities. It will be very exciting to re-see Copping’s highly stylised, but also relaxed, femininity on centre stage again. Carolyn Murphy in sweeping casual and formal gestures from his De La Renta campaigns exemplifies how Peter Copping gives Tony Van Dyck realness.

To prepare for what’s to come, maybe rewatch his slightly odd daughter-in-mother’s-things show for Nina Ricci. That one’s paradox for a fever dreamy shape sorta crossed over from his Louis Vuitton womenswear themes. Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour and Nadja Auremann in Richard Prince ‘Man Crazy Nurse’ cosplay or when Takashi Murakami animation met 1950s Parisian, prissy pastel satin. Copping deftly overlaps pretty dreams with British boudoir romance that hold space for genuine personalities to pierce through the garment, grounding his dreams in our realities. Baby, I can’t wait.

M-C Hill, Fashion Critic