For the world of fashion, 2024 was a year of change for the industry, to say the least. The costs of luxury goods skyrocketed to an all-time high, continuing the spike that has taken over the industry following the pandemic. Creative director musical chairs continued, no doubt a reflection of the pressures on big houses to turn a profit. There was Pierpaolo Piccioli’s departure from Valentino, which saw former Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele take over the reins. Hedi Slimane bid farewell to his long-standing tenure at Celine, and American designer Michael Rider has since stepped in. Julian Klausner succeeded Dries Van Noten at the namesake legacy house, and Sarah Burton’s appointment at Givenchy ended months of speculations as to where the lauded visionary would be headed next. And who could forget the biggest piece of news that shook the industry to its core, with Virginie Viard leaving Chanel earlier in June and Matthieu Blazy eventually being named the next one up for fashion’s top job.
While these changes kept the media busy and were fun topics of discourse at social gatherings, there seemed a bigger picture at play—a notable shift in the style zeitgeist. In the recent few years, fashion has been laser-focused on youth: a celebration of emerging lesser-known names that offered novelty and a fresh perspective with their designs. Think brands such as Telfar, John Alexander Skelton and Chopova Lowena, each esoteric in approach and catalysed by subculture. As for the legacy houses, hiring the elusive second-in-command seemed the direction everyone was heading, à la Sabato De Sarno’s Gucci and Seán McGirr’s McQueen.
But with the old guard seemingly resurfacing and making their mark in the seasons to come, it seems we have re-entered the era of the designer’s designer. Ahead of the season to come, one can expect a divergence on the runway, with no two collections similar. While each of their aesthetics remains vastly different—Ackerman with the sharp and slim silhouette, Burton’s penchant for romance, and Michele’s ornate flamboyance—they all follow a common thread of being masters of their craft, and unencumbered in vision.
It is a return to individualism, an homage to authenticity and honing in on one’s own style archetype. This is not a novelty within the industry, with several brands having adopted this approach for years now. Take Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent, which sees the Belgian-Italian fashion designer seamlessly melding together modernity with a century-old legacy. Injecting his moody hedonism and rock-and-roll sensibilities into a house lauded for its sleek, elegant tailoring, the resulting vision is one that is filled with sensuality and rebellion. Or even brands such as Rick Owens and Comme des Garçons, cult favourites that have circumvented industry challenges by serving a particular demographic. They remain specific and individual despite street trends, an antithesis of the sameness in the market today.
The recent spring/summer 2025 season was a culmination of this change in approach, with several other brands returning to the pursuit of a sartorial archetype. These houses took a journey through their respective archives, and with it a re-unveiling of their creative DNA and soul. Prada was a retrospective of all their greatest hits to date, presented in a neo-futuristic approach that spoke to the modern customer. It was the perfect balance of sentiments from the past, sprinkled with hope and imagination for what is to come.
Over at Marni, creative director Francesco Risso’s showing was an exploration of the heart of design. Nautical styles by way of oversized sailor hats and pussy-bow blouses evoked an ephemeral sense of escape, offering a form of reverie we have come to expect from the brand. It was bold and daring, an electrifying reaffirmation of the indulgence and fantasy that earned Marni its reputation and success. In it the Marni woman was clear—one filled with verve and self-indulgence, in open defiance of minimalism and subtlety.
Meanwhile, Lucie and Luke Meier’s Jil Sander spoke to the harsh realities of our time, the severe shapes and lines symbolic of a hardened exterior of strength and protection. It was a collection charged with emotion and immediacy, whilst paying homage to the original vision of the house. It was not minimalism, but rather a different and unconventional take on maximalism; maximalism in the care and execution of a long-standing ethos that ruled the zeitgeist in the ’90s and early 2000s.
If there’s anything we have learnt from decades past, it is that whenever fashion goes too far in one direction, the pendulum eventually swings in the opposite direction. Amidst an endless pursuit and anticipation for the next big trend, perhaps the biggest one for the upcoming season is the lack of one. Enter the era of persona dressing—where intentionality and discovery take precedence. As acclaimed French fashion designer and businesswoman Coco Chanel had aptly put it: “Fashion changes, but style endures.” Honing in on one’s own taste and personal style has never been more revered, and the perceived value of member-exclusive or vintage one-off pieces will no doubt rise exponentially.
As for its influence on pop culture and street trends, we can expect a step up from the dopamine dressing that we experienced last year, with an avalanche of micro sartorial archetypes driven by new music, art and subculture. Fashion cosplay of industry jet-setters will no doubt continue, illustrated in the past months by viral trends such as the Charli XCX-inspired Brat Summer, or emulating K-pop superstar and muse G-Dragon’s iconic airport style. It is a time when everyone will look to carve their niche and embody a distinctive character, and this diversity and representation is definitely one to look forward to.
Vogue Singapore’s March “Vigour” issue is now out on newsstands and available online.
