Each fashion month, we love to watch for designers who go beyond fashion itself — exhibitionist creatives making statements, pushing boundaries, exploring outside conventional norms, offering social commentary, sparking discourse and creating a distinct space for artistic expression. These are the designers who kept things theatrical this season, bringing an unbridled energy to the runways for SS25.
Rick Owens
The ultimate exhibitionist, Rick Owens described his spectacular SS25 show titled “Hollywood” as “the boulevard of vice I gleefully ran to find my people, weirdos and freaks living in a world Lou Reed described in “Walk on the Wild Side.” I was looking for the flaming creatures I had seen filmed by Jack Smith and Kenneth Anger.” One of the most special aspects was the community-driven casting, which included students and faculty from fashion schools in Paris.
Chopova Lowena
Founded by Central Saint Martins alum Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena, the brand’s Instagram bio reads, “Based in London, recycling folkloric fabrics, deadstock materials and utilizing traditional craft techniques.” Their SS25 show took place in an underground basement of an old Shoreditch Town Hall. The collection was inspired by the American West, featuring folk heroines like Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane. Additionally, gymnastics from the 80s and 90s influenced the designs. The show also featured a collaboration with Asics and announced an upcoming perfume line.
Zoe Gustavia Anna Whalen
A favorite of Rosalía, Zoe Whalen is an up-and-coming designer based in New York with an art-forward practice. For NYFW, she hosted a blend of dinner, performance and fashion show. Models cooked dinner and served guests while wearing the latest collection. Comprised of handcrafted garments, Whalen uses deadstock and vintage materials, including found linens, discarded bedsheets and tablecloths. On her website, she shares, “We are vessels for psychic communication, adornment the altar at which we worship the symbiosis of body and mind.”
avavav
’Forza e Coraggio’, Italian for strength and courage, was the title of Beate Karlsson’s innovative avavav show, one of our favorites. Known for their irony and the viral nature of their presentations, the brand is polarizing with showy runways. Performance and humor take center stage. For example, models were jokingly challenged to break the 100-meter world record. This poked fun at the obsession with the Olympics (one model even threw up). The collection was made in collaboration with adidas, which Karlsson said encouraged her to “make fun” of the famous athletic brand.
Comme des Garçons
Titled ‘Uncertain Future’, Comme des Garçons’ SS25 Paris Fashion Week show showcased striking sculptural looks—some even reminiscent of Halloween costumes. These designs boldly strayed from everyday wearability and pushed the boundaries of exaggerated silhouettes. Designer Rei Kawakubo chose a non-traditional approach for this season’s presentation, creating a meaningful space for theatrics.
Vetements
Travis Scott walked the runway. Gigi Hadid wore a DHL tape dress. Anok Yai was the show’s highlight with her (unplanned) runaway bride moment. Vetements continues to go outside the box, keeping their shows interesting season after season.
Mowalola
Nigerian-born, London-based designer Mowalola Ogunlesi is known as a disruptor in the fashion world. Her shows focus on profound social commentary and serve as a platform for Black narratives. In a London warehouse, models walked while Ogunlesi performed work-in-progress songs from her upcoming album, Dirty Pop. Yves Tumor walked in the show, with makeup done by Isamaya Ffrench, both exhibitionists in their own right.
Elena Velez
For us, a beloved part of New York Fashion Week is always whatever Elena Velez puts on. Whether she’s hosting a full runway show, or a salon and ball like she did for AW24, the Puerto Rican designer and artist delivers something candid that’s bigger than fashion. Openly discussing class consciousness and dismissing elitism, we find her anti-traditional approach to the industry refreshing.
Sam Finger
Hosted at a gentleman’s club, New York City-based designer Sam Finger showcased seductive clothing that spanned utilitarian basics to deconstructed couture for SS25. Their focus is on promoting and celebrating individual expression. By doing so, they hope to encourage confidence with a compassionate edge — balancing toughness, tenderness and sexiness.
Puppets & Puppets
For the first Puppets & Puppets show since relocating from New York to London, designer Carly Marks stripped things down. Held at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, the show featured 17 full ready-to-wear looks. This was unexpected since last we heard, the designer would focus only on accessories. Even stranger, the looks resembled pieces from Zara or H&M, leading some to wonder if this was meant to be a larger statement or coded in irony. There was also a new logo designed by the artist and art director who did the visuals for Charli xcx’s Brat, David Freaney. The conceptual nature of this collection left many curious about what the future of P&P will look like.
Balenciaga
Balenciaga remains one of the biggest names when it comes to exhibitionism within the fashion industry. For SS25, the luxury house presented a softer side. There was an abundance of lace, yet the emphasis on standout statement pieces still remained.
Vaquera
For their 10th anniversary, Patric DiCaprio and Bryn Taubensee of Vaquera released a collection of what they’re calling “new basics,” including biker shorts, bubble skirts, and logo tees. With an avant-garde spirit at the heart of their work (that started as an exercise in subversion), we will likely never view anything the tongue-in-cheek brand does as truly basic.
Collina Strada
“In the intensity of this global election year, I found myself yearning to reconnect with the essentials—the simple, foundational elements that ground us and bring us comfort and joy. The pure pleasure of a ruffle, the muted elegance of a soft palette, historical smocking, loooong hair,” Collina Strada expressed in the show’s press release. Looking to reduce the noise of all the news and speak with quiet confidence, this translated into toned down yet dressed up looks.
The designer continued, “With all the heavy headlines, a fashion show can feel as insignificant as a single blade of grass in a big-ass lawn. But when these single, simple joys — a floppy hat, fluttering sleeves, breeze in the trees — all come together, they create something vital: a beautiful, lush and flourishing meadow. This show is our little thicket. It’s a reminder to escape the distractions sprouting from our phones and reconnect with what really matters. Ground yourself. Touch grass.” A highlight was an unexpected, uninhibited performance by a model.
