The Fashion Brief
Your intelligent update on what’s changing in the world of style.
From industry shifts to cultural influence, this is fashion news that matters.
On this page, we explore:
Grace Wales Bonner: The Beginning of a New Era at Hermès
Véronique Nichanian: The End of An Era at Hermès
Jonathan Anderson’s Dior: a debut that ripples beyond the runway
Demna’s Gucci era begins
Vogue’s next chapter under Chloe Malle
Phoebe Philo: the most quietly radical collection of the year
Grace Wales Bonner:
The Beginning of a New Era at Hermès
Who is Grace Wales Bonner?
Grace Wales Bonner is one of Britain’s most acclaimed contemporary designers — known for her eponymous label that fuses European tailoring with diasporic references and spiritual depth. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, she has spent the past decade redefining modern menswear through cultural storytelling, sensitivity, and craftsmanship. Her work sits at the intersection of art and fashion — academic in research, but deeply human in expression.
Her appointment marks the beginning of a new era for Hermès Men’s Ready-to-Wear, following the departure of Véronique Nichanian, who defined the house’s masculine elegance for nearly 37 years.
What does this appointment mean for Hermès?
It represents both continuity and transformation. For decades, Nichanian’s Hermès man was defined by restraint, precision, and tactility — quiet luxury before the term became a trend. Wales Bonner inherits that foundation, but her vision introduces a new layer: one of cultural resonance and artistic dialogue.
Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Hermès’ General Artistic Director, describes her as “melding the house’s heritage with a confident look on the now.” A rare alignment — a designer who honors legacy but speaks the language of today.
Why is this such an important move for the house?
Hermès is a brand built on craft and time — two things Wales Bonner understands intimately. Her designs explore the emotional connection between people and clothing, between heritage and individuality. By bringing her sensibility to Hermès, the brand signals a subtle but significant evolution: luxury that listens, rather than performs.
Her arrival also reflects a broader cultural moment. As fashion cycles accelerate and houses chase hype, Hermès continues to choose longevity and meaning. Wales Bonner’s appointment reinforces that ethos — proof that the future of fashion might just belong to those who move with intention.
What can we expect from her first collection?
Wales Bonner will debut her first Hermès Men’s Ready-to-Wear collection in January 2027. While details remain under wraps, expectations are high for a dialogue between British intellectualism and French craftsmanship. We can anticipate refined tailoring, layered textures, and a poetic take on masculinity — where every stitch tells a story.
As she herself said:
“It is a dream realised to embark on this new chapter, following in a lineage of inspired craftspeople and designers.”
That sense of lineage — and gratitude — may define her Hermès.
Why we think this is a defining moment
Because Grace Wales Bonner doesn’t chase trends; she builds worlds. She steps into one of luxury’s most storied houses, with a grace that, quite literally, can change everything.
Appointment
Announced October 2025 — first collection to debut January 2027
Background
Graduate of Central Saint Martins, 2014
Notes
Awards
CFDA International Men’s Designer of the Year (2021); British Menswear Designer of the Year (2024
Previous Role
Founder and Creative Director of Wales Bonner
Details
Published
21 October 2025
Véronique Nichanian:
The End of An Era at Hermès
Who is Véronique Nichanian?
For over three decades, Véronique Nichanian has been the understated heartbeat of Hermès menswear. Appointed by Jean-Louis Dumas in 1988, she brought warmth and intellect to a house known for its precision. Unlike most creative directors, she never chased spectacle or hype — instead, she refined an aesthetic of ease, tactility, and confidence. Her man was not defined by logos, but by the way his clothes moved, felt, and endured.
Why is Véronique Nichanian leaving Hermès?
Though Hermès’ official statement framed her departure with gratitude rather than drama, the timing feels symbolic. After thirty-seven years, Nichanian is said to be stepping back on her own terms — closing a chapter defined by consistency in an era of constant reinvention. Her decision coincides with a broader generational shift across the fashion industry, where long-standing creative directors are passing the torch to new voices. Yet with Nichanian, there’s no sense of exhaustion or defeat. If anything, it feels like an intentional decision — a graceful exit from a career spent refining the art of permanence in a world obsessed with change.
Why does her departure matter?
In a fashion landscape built on rapid change, Nichanian was an anomaly — thirty-seven years of continuity at one of the world’s most coveted houses. Her departure in January 2026 marks the end of an era not only for Hermès, but for an entire philosophy of fashion. She proved that longevity could be a form of rebellion; that innovation doesn’t always mean disruption. At Hermès, she shaped a world where restraint became radical.
What defined her design philosophy?
Nichanian’s work was rooted in what she called vêtement-objets — clothes that live, breathe, and evolve with their wearer. Her collections were studies in proportion and materiality: reversible coats, soft suedes, and leathers that patinated with life. She spoke the language of touch and movement rather than spectacle. Her so-called “selfish details” — a perfectly placed seam, a hidden pocket, a subtle curve — invited intimacy over attention.
How did she shape Hermès menswear?
Nichanian didn’t just design for Hermès — she defined its menswear identity. Under her direction, the Hermès man became a symbol of understated confidence, walking the line between refinement and modernity. She balanced heritage and innovation seamlessly, evolving without erasing what came before. Each collection was like a continuation of a conversation — one about craft, time, and the emotional power of material.
What will her legacy be?
Her departure leaves a void not easily filled. Hermès called her a “tightrope-walking lover of life,” a phrase that captures her essence — rigorous yet playful, disciplined yet human. As she said herself:
“I have continuously sought to reinvent my approach by developing a wardrobe where materials are mixed, techniques are combined, and innovation and heritage are brought together.”
In an industry obsessed with reinvention, Véronique Nichanian’s consistency was her revolution. She reminded fashion that mastery doesn’t always shout — sometimes, it whispers and lasts.
Date
October 2025 — announcement of Véronique Nichanian’s departure, with her final collection scheduled for January 24, 2026, during Paris Fashion Week Men’s.
Designer
Véronique Nichanian, Artistic Director of Hermès Men’s Universe since 1988.
Legacy
Nichanian is the longest-serving creative director in luxury fashion history, credited with transforming Hermès menswear into a language of subtle refinement. Her designs married French craftsmanship with human warmth — always tactile, precise, and quietly poetic.
Design Philosophy
Known for her concept of vêtement-objets, Nichanian designed clothes meant to live with the wearer. She balanced innovation and heritage through reversible leathers, modular layering, and sensorial materials that aged beautifully over time.
Notes
Tone & Technique
Her approach was grounded in what she once called “selfish details” — design meant to be felt more than seen. This discreet artistry became Hermès’ menswear signature: sensuality without show.
Impact on Hermès
Nichanian elevated the brand’s male identity from traditional tailoring to contemporary sophistication. Her collections aligned seamlessly with Hermès’ core values — craftsmanship, longevity, and authenticity — helping define the house as the ultimate standard of quiet luxury.
Quote:
“Working for Hermès has been an immense pleasure. I have continuously sought to reinvent my approach by developing a wardrobe where materials are mixed, techniques are combined, and innovation and heritage are brought together.” — Véronique Nichanian
What Comes Next
Hermès has yet to announce her successor. Whoever takes the reins inherits not just a title, but a philosophy — one built on restraint, balance, and an unwavering belief in beauty that endures.
Details
Published
18 October 2025
Jonathan Anderson’s Dior:
A Debut That Ripples Beyond the Runway
Jonathan Anderson’s debut at Dior has already sent ripples across the fashion industry. Long anticipated and heavily scrutinized, the show carried an unspoken weight: with Anderson now holding the reins of womenswear, menswear, and couture, Dior has placed one of its most storied houses entirely in his hands. The expectation could not be higher.
The collection was unveiled on October 1 at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, in a stark show space designed by Luca Guadagnino and Stefano Baisi. At its center loomed an inverted LED pyramid flashing images from Dior’s history — a specially commissioned work by Adam Curtis — which then collapsed into a Dior shoebox, a potent metaphor for a heritage that can be revisited but never frozen. It was a staging that spoke of history as memory: something to be stored, reopened, and reinterpreted.
On the runway, that philosophy played out in Anderson’s handling of Dior’s codes. Bows, one of the house’s most enduring symbols, appeared everywhere: sculpted into coats, tied into draped miniskirts, or softened into airy lace dresses. The Bar jacket — Dior’s holy relic — was not erased but reimagined, shrunken and reshaped into sculptural volumes. Capes rippled, shorts ballooned, and accessories like the Dior Cigale bag linked archival language to contemporary utility. The result was not a singular silhouette, but a field of interpretations — a marriage of past and present, Dior and Anderson, heritage and surrealism.
This is Anderson’s strategy: not preservation, but negotiation. Where others might have paid homage, he introduced tension. Where Dior’s codes risked ossification, he infused empathy and experimentation. It was a collection that didn’t seek to resolve but to ask: what does Dior mean now?
That question is what makes the debut so significant. Dior has spent years on the “safe” road, building sales but losing resonance. Anderson has been brought in not just as creative director, but as a savior of relevance. And he doesn’t answer with a single viral silhouette or New Look 2.0. Instead, he gives us fragments — bows, jackets, capes, shorts — pieces that don’t shout, but linger, asking to be read in layers.
In a cultural landscape defined by fast churn and empty novelty, that refusal to simplify might be the boldest gesture of all. Anderson has always taught us — at Loewe, and now at Dior — that fashion doesn’t need to make sense at first glance. It needs to unfold, to press against the edges of taste, to resonate beyond the season.
His Dior debut wasn’t definitive, and it wasn’t supposed to be. It was a prologue: messy, ambitious, and charged with intent. Dior doesn’t need another spectacle. It needs a new narrative. And with Anderson, it just might have one.
I love how Jonathan Anderson is able to take a heritage house like Dior and add his own vision to it. I am obsessed with the touch of surrealism to it. It reminds me a bit of film The Fall (especially the matador elements, in a good way). I see myself wearing the long white capes, the floral dresses, the draped silhouette dresses, the silk fringed dresses. Anything really. And if this is only a taste of what we’re getting, I cannot wait to see what the future of Dior is going to look like.
Editor’s Note Igrien
The Bar Jacket
First introduced in 1947, the Bar jacket remains Dior’s most enduring silhouette. Anderson didn’t discard it — he shrank it, reshaped it, and gave it sculptural volume, showing reverence for heritage while refusing to treat it as untouchable.
The Bows
Long a Dior code of femininity, bows were everywhere in this collection: sculpted into pinch-front coats, tied into draped miniskirts, softened into lace dresses, and even carried into accessories like the Cigale bag. Their ubiquity under Ander son felt less ornamental and more like a language — a repeated signifier of continuity and reinvention.
The Pyramid Set
The inverted LED pyramid — conceived by Luca Guadagnino and Stefano Baisi with imagery by Adam Curtis — wasn’t just a set piece. It projected Dior’s history in flashes before collapsing into a shoebox, symbolizing how the past can be revisited, repackaged, and reinterpreted. The gesture underlined Anderson’s theme: heritage is not fixed, but fluid.
Notes
The Stakes
Anderson’s appointment is not just another creative shuffle. LVMH has consolidated womenswear, menswear, and couture under one designer — a rare, high-stakes gamble. It signals both trust in Anderson’s ability to rewrite Dior and a recognition that the house’s safe strategies of recent years can no longer sustain cultural relevance.
Anderson’s Method
At Loewe, Anderson taught us that fashion doesn’t need instant clarity. His collections often resist viral readability, instead unfolding over time. By applying this strategy at Dior, he positions the house not as a generator of quick spectacle, but as a site of layered meaning — a radical stance in today’s accelerated fashion cycle.
Published on: 2 October 2025
Visuals: courtesy of Dior
Issue: Fall 2025
Details
Demna’s Gucci Era Begins
Gucci didn’t ease into this new chapter — it announced it. With the release of the La Famiglia lookbook and The Tiger, a 30-minute film directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, the house declared that the Demna era has officially begun. This wasn’t a runway show, but a cinematic statement: Gucci is not just clothes, it’s a cast, a narrative, a world.
To understand the weight of this moment, we have to look back. Alessandro Michele gave Gucci its maximalist renaissance — layers of eccentricity, gender fluidity, and theatricality that captured the 2010s. Sabato de Sarno brought the pendulum back with quiet luxury and pared-down silhouettes, but the spark never quite caught. In recent years, sales have declined sharply, and Gucci’s cultural cachet has cooled. Enter Demna, with both creative freedom and enormous pressure resting squarely on his shoulders.
Demna has always thrived on disruption. At Balenciaga, he redefined irony, subverted archetypes, and made exaggeration the rule, not the exception. At Gucci, he begins with his own family of characters — La Bomba, L’Influencer, Bastardo — playful but pointed reflections on today’s society, dressed in Gucci signatures. “To me, all these archetypes represent the Gucci crowd, the customers of Gucci in the future, who … will each of them be able to find something in the collection they can relate to,” Demna explained. But there are shifts underway: this summer, he announced he was moving away from the oversized silhouettes that defined much of his Balenciaga tenure. “I want to reset the understanding and perception of what Gucci is through my reinterpretation,” he said, positioning this moment not as evolution but as redefinition.
The real question is whether this will be enough to reignite Gucci’s global dominance. The brand fatigue is real. Where once Gucci’s theatricality was adored, fashion has swung toward minimalism — tailoring, structure, restraint. Can Demna’s Gucci thrive in a landscape where quiet feels louder than spectacle? Or will his disruptive, character-driven approach reconnect the house to culture in a way that feels both relevant and irresistible?
What’s certain is this: fashion is never just about clothes. It’s about culture, narrative, identity. If Demna can capture those currents — if he can make Gucci feel like more than product, but a mirror of who we are — then this could be the beginning of a new defining era. Gucci doesn’t just need reinvention; it needs resonance. And in Demna, they may have found a designer who knows that difference.
Notes
The Tiger — Gucci’s debut film for Demna’s era, co-directed by Spike Jonze and Halina Reijn, premiered alongside the La Famiglia lookbook. It signals a shift away from runway-first presentations toward narrative-driven storytelling.
Sales Pressure — Gucci’s sales have dropped by as much as 25% in recent quarters, raising urgency for a creative turnaround that can also deliver commercial results.
From Michele to De Sarno — Alessandro Michele’s tenure (2015–2022) defined Gucci with maximalism and eclecticism, winning cultural dominance. Sabato de Sarno’s era (2023–2025) leaned into pared-down silhouettes and quiet luxury, but struggled to capture excitement.
Demna’s Archetypes — Characters like La Bomba and L’Influencer reflect Demna’s longstanding fascination with social archetypes, blending humor and critique into fashion’s storytelling.
The Shift Away from Oversized — This summer, Demna announced he was leaving behind the oversized silhouettes that characterized much of his Balenciaga work, suggesting a recalibration of his aesthetic for Gucci.
The Cultural Question — While minimalism currently dominates fashion trends, Demna’s disruptive, character-driven approach aims to make Gucci feel culturally resonant again — not just relevant in product, but vital in narrative.
Published on: 25 September 2025
Visuals: courtesy of Gucci
Issue: Fall 2025
Details
Published: Fall 2025
Vogue’s Next Chapter Under Chloe Malle
When the news broke that Chloe Malle would step into Anna Wintour’s role at Vogue US, it felt like the end of one era and the start of something entirely different. Wintour ruled with authority — monthly issues, celebrity-driven covers, and an iron grip that turned Vogue into both a cultural compass and a spectacle machine. Malle, by contrast, comes from a different world: she’s digital-first, collaborative, and not afraid to question whether the very structures of publishing still make sense. That alone is enough to shift the ground beneath the fashion industry.
Let’s be honest: the monthly issue model is broken. By the time a magazine hits the newsstand, the stories have already gone viral, been debated on TikTok, and rehashed by Substack writers. Malle’s plan to turn Vogue into a series of collectible, thematic objects instead of disposable monthly drops is not just smart — it’s necessary. Print, if it’s to survive, has to stop pretending it can compete with digital speed. Its value lies in permanence, in presence, in the sense of owning something that matters. In other words: less frequent, more intentional, more like the independents — Beyond Noise, EE72, Love Magazine — that already treat print as artifact, not ephemera. If Vogue does this, others will follow.
But the real strength of Malle’s appointment is her understanding that a magazine cannot live on paper alone. She knows the industry has to expand into podcasts, video, and events if it wants to feel alive. Storytelling today is immersive. A magazine has to move across platforms the way fashion itself moves across cultures and mediums. Malle has already tested this through Vogue.com’s growth and her work on The Run-Through podcast. With her, Vogue could finally feel like an ecosystem again, not just a product you flip through once a month.
What I find especially interesting, though, is her stance on celebrity. Vogue has always thrived on celebrity spectacle — it crowned cover stars, turned weddings into cultural moments, made entire issues into red-carpet extensions. Pulling away from that is tricky. Celebrities still sell attention, and attention still pays bills. The real question is not whether Vogue will stop using celebrity, but how it will recalibrate: less about the endless churn of stardom, more about narrative. Done right, this could be one of the boldest pivots of all.
The truth is, Vogue doesn’t hold the kind of authority it once did. Independents are setting the pace now, building credibility by doing what Vogue used to do best: leading instead of following. Malle, with her digital instincts and willingness to question the model, might just give Vogue the push it needs to catch up.
Because here’s the thing: if Vogue changes, the entire magazine industry will follow. And right now, change is the only way forward.
Notes
Anna Wintour’s tenure
Wintour became Editor-in-Chief of Vogue US in 1988. Over nearly four decades, she turned the magazine into both a cultural barometer and a celebrity-making machine. Her influence extended well beyond print, reshaping the Met Gala into fashion’s most visible event and cementing her role as Condé Nast’s Chief Content Officer. For many, she was Vogue.
The broken monthly model
Monthly publishing thrived in an era when advertising revenues underwrote glossy production and readers waited weeks for cultural commentary. Today, digital platforms deliver fashion coverage instantly, while advertising dollars have migrated online. As The Guardian recently noted, “the monthly magazine cycle is increasingly misaligned with the speed of fashion and culture.” The model no longer sustains itself.
Collectible magazines
Independent titles have shown another way. Apartamento, Kinfolk, Love, EE72, and Beyond Noise publish irregularly but with intention, producing issues designed to be kept, not discarded. High production values, distinctive aesthetics, and sharp editorial focus have turned these magazines into cultural objects — a direction Vogue now seems poised to embrace.
Vogue and celebrity culture
Vogue’s covers have long been a stage for celebrity spectacle. Think Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s 2014 wedding cover, Beyoncé’s repeated September issue reigns, or Rihanna’s ongoing presence as cultural icon. Wedding coverage, too, has become part of the magazine’s storytelling. As The Cut pointed out in its coverage of Chloe Malle’s appointment, it will be fascinating to see whether Vogue reduces its reliance on celebrity, or simply reframes it.
Podcasts, video, and events
The expansion of magazines into new formats is not new — but it is increasingly essential. The Business of Fashion has found success with its BoF VOICES event and podcast series, while Highsnobiety blurred lines between publication and brand through experiential activations. Malle’s leadership at Vogue.com and co-hosting of The Run-Through podcast suggests she understands this multi-platform imperative.
Vogue’s digital experiments
Under Malle’s watch, Vogue.com saw double-digit growth in engagement around high-profile events like Vogue World and the Met Gala. Newsletters, live coverage, and digital-only series have helped expand Vogue’s storytelling beyond print. People Magazine and Business Insider both noted that her digital instincts were a deciding factor in her appointment.
Independent authority
As traditional magazines struggle to justify their pace, independents have been setting the cultural agenda. Their smaller circulations are offset by sharper identities and communities that treat each issue as a statement. As Vogue Business wrote in a 2024 feature on the future of print, “authority is no longer guaranteed by reach, but by vision.”
Published: Fall 2025
The Most Quietly
Radical
Collection of the Year
Why this collection matters — and why we’re still thinking about it
At a time when fashion is louder than ever — spinning through TikTok cycles, swerving from hyperfemininity to techwear in a matter of weeks — Collection D feels like a breath held in. Phoebe Philo doesn’t demand our attention. She doesn’t shout. She doesn’t reference internet aesthetics or offer up ready-made content. Instead, she designs clothes for women who no longer dress to be seen, but to be felt.
What we’ve seen so far is just a preview. The full collection is slated for early 2026, and yet even from these glimpses, it already feels like one of the most important releases of the year. It’s not a reinvention. It’s a return. To structure, to silhouette, to discipline. It’s fashion with presence, not performance.
In this piece, I want to break down what makes Collection D exceptional: the way it handles shape, tailoring, texture — and most of all, how it understands the emotional life of clothing. Because that’s what Philo does best. Her clothes don’t just show. They stay.
1. The kind of fashion you feel before you wear it
Some collections strike immediately. Others unfold over time. Collection D does both. The opening look — a sculpted leather form, almost architectural in its posture. It isn’t trying to be beautiful. It’s trying to be clear. You don’t need to ask what it’s about — it tells you. The silhouette doesn’t drape or embellish — it shapes. It holds. There’s strength in that kind of presence.
And this is what I love most about Philo’s work: the quiet conviction. These garments don’t beg to be understood. They assume the right person already does. And it’s not about taste in the traditional sense. It’s about recognition. When you see these clothes, something in you — in the way you like to move, to stand, to feel — just clicks.
You don’t need a stylist’s breakdown or a fashion week moodboard. You just need a moment of stillness. And in our current culture of visual overload, stillness might be the most radical luxury of all.
2. Tailoring for the life you actually live
Philo’s tailoring has always spoken to me — and in Collection D, it feels even more refined. These suits don’t follow masculine rules. They don’t rework them either. They simply let go of the whole idea that tailoring needs to mimic anything at all. The shoulders are easy, the pants wide and sweeping, the whole silhouette held together by balance rather than rigidity.
There’s a particular suit — loose, long, undeniably elegant — that feels like something I would reach for over and over. Not to make a statement, but to return to myself. It’s the kind of piece you wear on the kind of day that’s full — emails, a coffee meeting, maybe childcare pick-up at four — but you want to feel composed throughout. Clothes like this don’t ask you to become anyone else. They meet you where you already are, and lift you subtly from there.
And that’s what makes them luxurious. Not the label. Not the price. But the usefulness. The fact that they fit your life. The fact that they make sense, without ever needing to be explained.
3. Volume that gives you space, not just shape
What continues to impress me in this preview is how Philo handles volume. In the wrong hands, volume can be trend-led, ballooning for effect. But here, it feels emotional. Generous cotton tunics, soft tops with architectural necklines, garments that move but also contain — they’re not there to shock or play with proportion for the sake of design. They’re there to offer space.
And I mean that quite literally: physical space between body and garment, yes, but also psychological space. You move differently when you’re not being compressed. When you’re not adjusting yourself to the clothing, but the other way around. These are clothes that don’t just flatter — they free.
They give you permission to take up room without apology. To have volume, not because it’s editorial, but because it’s natural. You put them on and you feel a bit slower, a bit more grounded. Your breath expands. And isn’t that what we all crave from what we wear?
4. Texture that anchors, not embellishes
Let’s talk about the texture — specifically, the teddy and shearling pieces that have already made an impression online. These coats aren’t about coziness in the aesthetic sense. They’re not “soft girl.” They’re grounded, weighty, protective. In Philo’s hands, even the fluffiest fabric becomes an architectural gesture. Something serious. Something built.
And that’s what strikes me most: these coats don’t feel styled. They feel chosen. They don’t exist to soften or decorate — they exist to shield. There’s an instinctive logic to them. They hold their shape, and they hold you. I can already imagine the way they change the weight of your day — the way putting one on makes you feel more certain, more stable.
In a culture where texture often signals trend or emotion — glitter, gloss, faux fur for fun — these textures do something different. They root you. They slow you down. They say: You don’t need to do anything else today. You’ve already arrived.
Where fashion should be headed
So often, we talk about fashion as either spectacle or escape. But what Philo offers is neither. Collection D is not a fantasy. It’s not nostalgia. It’s not a provocation. It’s a quiet return — to the body, to shape, to use. And that might be the most forward-thinking thing any designer can do right now.
These are clothes made not to be captured, but to be kept. Clothes that don’t chase the moment — they hold it. And they don’t demand attention. They deserve it.
So if the future of fashion looks like this — slower, sharper, more intentional — then I know which direction I want to go.
Notes
Phoebe Philo’s legacy
Philo is widely regarded as one of the most influential designers of the 21st century. Her tenure at Céline (2008–2018) redefined luxury through minimalism, ease, and an emphasis on clothes designed “for women by women.” Her return in 2023 with her namesake label was met with extraordinary anticipation, signaling not just a comeback, but a recalibration of what contemporary fashion could be.
Collection D as preview
The glimpses of Collection D released so far — ahead of its full unveiling in early 2026 — have already sparked critical acclaim. Unlike many modern launches designed for social virality, Philo’s slow reveal reflects her resistance to the industry’s accelerated cycles.
Fashion’s volume debates
The use of volume in clothing has long oscillated between trend and statement. From Cristóbal Balenciaga’s cocoon coats to Rei Kawakubo’s sculptural silhouettes, volume has often signaled radical design. Philo’s approach, however, leans toward emotional utility — volume as space and freedom rather than ornament or spectacle.
Texture as architecture
The teddy and shearling coats recall a lineage of designers who turned texture into structure — from Yves Saint Laurent’s fur-lined capes to Miuccia Prada’s use of heavy wool and nylon. Where texture often connotes softness or sensuality, Philo’s interpretation is about grounding and protection.
Fashion and stillness
In a culture of constant digital churn, the idea of “stillness” in fashion echoes broader cultural movements toward slowness — from “slow fashion” to the rise of print zines and niche magazines that resist fast cycles. Philo’s work has often been framed in this context: not nostalgic, but intentionally slower.
Emotional durability in design
The idea that clothes “stay” rather than just “show” connects to emerging conversations about emotional durability in design — a concept borrowed from sustainability discourse. By creating garments that foster long-term attachment, designers can counter the disposability of fast fashion.