Your need-to-know bits from Milan Fashion Week Men’s SS25 shows
From fake snout's at Martine Rose's to a bodacious Dsquared2 offering, here’s all of the juicy goings-on from men’s fashion week in Milan.
Style
Words: Eni Subair
Moschino
What?
Lost and Found, the second show by creative director Adrian Appiolaza, influenced by self-expression and individualism.
Where was it?
Inside Officina Ventura 14, a poly-functional warehouse known for its fashion parties and shows.
What was it like?
Adrian tapped into a world where each look represented a character of sorts. Taking a similar approach to his predecessor Jeremy Scott, who exited the Italian brand after 10 years in 2023, a tongue-in-cheek, OTT collection kicked off the first day of men’s shows: suitcases stacked on top of each other; pizza slices doubling as clutches; fried egg trouser sets and accessories reigning supreme. The magic, though, was in the tailoring: immaculate suiting engulfed in hand-written love notes, a deconstructed pinstripe tailored to sit on the side of the body and roomy linen separates.
Kinship was a focal point as models walked side by side in capacious trousers with suspenders and high-waisted skirts in mirroring prints. One particular grey pinstripe suit was a hoarder’s dream: notebooks, glasses, pens, Moschino logo bank cards and note pads were stashed inside the multi-pocket suit jacket, closely followed by a cargo iteration perfect for a nomad’s survival kit.
There was even a smidgen of nostalgia as Adrian paid homage to an archive piece and reimagined the notable “Revival” military jacket, first fashioned in 1992, for a contemporary audience. This was a collection of whimsy and unabashed joy.
Photo courtesy of Moschino
Dsquared2
What?
Fashion’s most audacious twins have done it again. The SS25 collection by Dean and Dan Caten, titled D2Heat, was an amalgam of all things naughty: erotic dancing, gyrating wrestlers and bondage. An R‑rated show this most certainly was…
What was the music like?
Usher’s 2015 hit Good Kisser, a cheeky song about fellatio, soundtracked the start before transitioning into a distorted mix of Donna Summer’s beloved disco smash I Feel Love.
What was the show like?
Erotically charged – and the clothes weren’t bad either. You could practically see the steam filling up the legendary Teatro Lirico theatre last night. A dimming red light – perhaps a nod to the red light district – brought the room to a standstill as a group of muscly dancers in translucent second-skin vests and black cargo trousers seduced the audience from the confines of cages, before breaking free and running amok onstage. Grinding on the floor and humping the air, they prepared the audience for the equally sensual, lip bite-inducing collection. Oscillating between sheer, delicate fabrics and leather lace-ups and barely-there tops, there was something for everyone. First to hit the stage was a model in a cropped black top layered under a sheer dress, with strappy heels boasting tie-up details snaking up to the upper thigh.
What came next was a rotation of models in bumsters, itsy-bitsy lace-up leather shorts, glossed vest tops with low-slung trousers comprising exposed zips, slices of flesh peeking out through fitted trousers and ample wrestling references. Sexy! As the show was heading to a close, a topless model strutted out in skin-tight jeans with a replica wrestling belt attached to the front, alongside gloves and gold Western-inspired boots. What more could you ask for on a Friday night?
MSGM
What?
A sea-centric coed line focused on nautical staples and fantastical marine tropes.
Where was it?
A vacant graffiti-filled building.
What was it like?
MSGM knows how to commit to a theme. Taking the audience under the sea, the SS25 through-line was marine life, as silhouettes were dominated by polished lines, vertical stripes and origami hats mimicking sailor hats. Serving as a backdrop were several individual transparent blocks with a blank white canvas, and as models made their way down the catwalk, a collective of artists in white coats aimed blue, yellow and pink paintballs at the boards. A Soulwax mix of MGMT’s Kids blasting through the speakers was apt for a collection rife with childlike reverie. Creative director Massimo Giorgetti focused on sun-drenched designs in the shape of laser-cut dresses, glossy trench coats and platform trainers, including an exclusive New Balance collaboration.
A dive into abstract florals and clashing prints illustrated across button-up short-sleeved shirts and bucket hats brought the collection to a satisfying finish.
Fendi
What?
School is in session! Silvia Venturini Fendi’s SS25 collection riffed on signature classroom style staples.
Where was it?
The vast Superstudio Maxi space.
What was it like?
Shortly after MSGM’s paint party, Fendi brought guests back to school with a collegiate-inspired collection. Silvia Venturini Fendi’s “Fendi Club” offering was the epitome of polished suiting and clean lines, with the promise of something a little more mischievous.
And boy, did Silvia deliver. Four mirrored columns rotating every which way jump-started the show, unveiling a new uniform for the schoolboy-meets-dapper gentleman. Instrumental to the collection were ribbed knits that doubled as shirts, blazers hacked off at the cuff and asymmetric henley tops with a sliver of a vest peeking through. Check ties brought Silvia’s studious-minded SS25 line together, and Fendi even tapped into the Euros hysteria via a football-style top with the logo across the front. The “F” Fendi caps atop models’ heads will no doubt fly off the shelves when they drop.
Brand loyalists will know the house codes were still present, though, such as the Selleria stitching, which was a throughline present in embossed leather outerwear, applied to denim and even charming slouchy cardigans. Not a bad way to ring in 100 years of the house.
In a word?
Sophisticated.
JordanLuca
What?
Co-creative directors Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto brought sleaze, punk and ballet to SS25’s menswear offering.
What was it like?
JordanLuca rounded off the day with a collection that zeroed in on the tension between romance and rebellion. The show opened with a model in a halter top, cropped shorts with a horizontal zip across the front and black flats boasting an elongated tip. A colour palette running the gamut of camel, grey, inky-black and metallic silver facilitated Jordan and Luca’s riotous narrative of punk-ish ballet dancers. Captivating shirts with double collars and second-skin ruffled capri shorts coupled with kitten-heel ankle boots kept attendees locked in. Elsewhere dainty, sheer tops, blooming heels and waxed overcoats marked a softer side of the brand. Meanwhile, lofty, spiked mohawks, black lipstick and wet-look hair added to the brand’s offbeat take on modish dancers.
As Madonna’s The Power of Good-Bye soundtracked looks consisting of glossy jeans, crocodile-texture leather trousers and multi-pocketed tailored suit trousers, Jordan and Luca proved they had more in their back pocket than just a pair of viral piss jeans.
Most noteworthy piece?
The oversized, raised leather, buckled satchel bags in Pantone yellow and espresso – and the mini gotham bags.
Martine Rose
What?
London’s Martine Rose kept the rave going at an abandoned warehouse for her Milan menswear debut.
What was it like?
Unsurprisingly, the ever-unpredictable designer kept the fashion circuit on their toes. As guests walked in, they were surrounded by an array of flyers with archive and never-before-seen Martine Rose looks on the ground. Scraps of material hung from the ceiling, as attendees such as Kaytranada watched models stomp around the space in prosthetic fake noses, matted, lengthy wigs and long, bejewelled talons.
Speaking on the collection, Rose said the catalyst for basing the show in Milan was her “fond memories” of Italy, following her stint as guest designer at Pitti Uomo in January last year. “I’m really happy to be in Milan. The last time I came to Italy, I really leaned into Italian culture – Milan in particular. I guess being the home of polish and beautiful products, I was thinking about how I could work around that,” she told THE FACE. “Maybe it’s in the frayed edges, cracks and where beauty isn’t normally found.”
It wasn’t Rose’s intention to shock, but to merely draw attention to unconventional beauty, she added. “Anyone who know’s my work knows I tend to street cast. I wanted to obliterate the familiarity that is normally in my shows and create these characters that have this sexiness, humour and darkness. It’s about enjoying clothes and fun, whoever you are.” Will Rose become a permanent fixture on the Milan menswear schedule? The jury’s still out on that one. “You never know, I’m always hopping about. I’ll always go home to London but I like this [idea of] playing with cities.”
Any must-buys?
Like previous seasons, Martine revealed another stellar collaboration with Nike: a plush Air Max and Tiempo hybrid in a monochrome colourway, with an extended tongue and signature Nike swoosh.
Prada
What?
Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons showed the fashion crowd how they like to party, courtesy of body-quaking techno music and a makeshift house-turned-catwalk on raised stilts.
What was it like?
Booming mixes of Mike Parker’s Dissolution 99 and Faithless’s Insomnia further fuelled Simons and Prada’s club agenda. First came an unfussy, put-together look made up of a V‑neck sweater and grey slacks, but as models continued to make their way down the winding catwalk, each look had an unkempt edge to it. Morning-after-the-night-before vibes were evidently on the mood board.
Crinkled suit jackets and matching trousers stole the show, alongside a carmine red jumper with a blue built-in collar. New footwear silhouettes were introduced, combining a trainer with a backless slipper and, for those who’d rather not have their dogs out, silver steel-top iterations were on offer, too. Ingenious printed belts affixed to lightweight trousers accompanied much of the knitwear and boxy leather jackets, while surprises came in the form of striking boilersuits. Screenprinted images of people partying, lounging in water and idyllic landscapes adorned visors.
All of it spoke to Miuccia and Raf’s unwavering vision of “youthful energy”, they revealed backstage. “There were elements that were feminine, masculine, taken from your mother, grandmother and grandfather maybe,” said Simons. The aim was to create less rigidity and allow for more freedom, the pair concluded. “[It was] about fantasy, dreams, it was [about] the freedom to let things come together.”
Who was there?
We can always count on Prada to bring out an A‑list crowd. Dave, Evan Peters, Venus Williams, Damson Idris, Matt Bomer and Kai Isaiah-Jamal all held down the front row.
What will everyone be buying?
The multicoloured lace-up trainers and steel-toe cap shoes. Those two-tone sweaters will go down a treat with the street style set come September, too.
JW Anderson
What?
Jonathan Anderson sent a larger-than-life SS25 collection down the runway, influenced by irrational clothing and his Irish roots.
What was it like?
Jonathan Anderson’s “Real Sleep” collection closed the penultimate day of menswear shows. His concept for SS25 was plucked from the idea of off-the-wall clothing, which perfectly sums up the line. Rife with coed garments, outerwear was a sight to behold, as blown-up bomber jackets in soft, buttery navy and black shades emerged, followed by quilted jackets with combat boots and sizeable waffle-textured jackets. And the designer’s well-documented sense of humour made an appearance through joyous pussy-bow blouses with kaleidoscopic, exaggerated bows.
Anderson wasn’t done flexing his design muscles just yet, though, with more highlights including but not limited to: a belt acting as a semi-circle fabric rack, a cardigan illustrating a house with a bird perched on the right shoulder, a floor-skimming black dress with a shortened hemline, and the revelation of a collaborative capsule line with iconic brewery Guinness.
After all that, there’s no wonder the designer needs some rest.
What was the music like?
A sped-up remix of Ariana Grande’s smash hit Into You by Malvi.
Who was there?
Brent Faiyaz, Kai Isaiah-Jamal and Venus Williams all turned up to see the glittering line IRL.
Gucci
What?
Sabato De Sarno’s surfer-infused menswear line concluded four days of shows.
What was it like?
A scorching day and a Gucci show to close – what better way to end Milan’s menswear run? De Sarno injected some culture into the last show of the season as he brought the fashion circuit to the Triennale di Milano Art and Design Museum for his fashion-meets-surfer vision. A model in a pea-green calf-skimming jacket in the smoothest of leather, goggle-like sunglasses strapped around his neck, and board shorts kicked things into gear, shortly followed by an array of models wearing shirts – in palm, dolphin and hibiscus print, if you’re feeling particularly spirited – that came with matching shorts. Fringed jackets, sequin tops and hybrid loafer/boots with Gucci buckles kicked things up a notch. You can practically smell the saltwater.
Who was there?
Paul Mescal in the tiniest of shorts, plus Venus and Serena Williams on the FROW.
In a word?
Striking.
