Thom Browne FW/25
Thom Browne's latest collection hits the New York Fashion Week FW/25 runway, embracing timelessness, birds, and oversized garments while reminding us clothes don’t have to be gendered.
Image of a model wearing a very British-inspired workwear look embroidered with birds, walking down the origami bird decorated runway at the FW25 show. Image courtesy of Thom Browne, available at: Design Scene. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Thom Browne’s FW/25 show took to the runway at New York Fashion Week on 11th February—concluding the week on a high. It is unlike Browne to not cause conversation and questionability over his collections, being known to always bring something different to the fashion world that takes people by surprise and ruffles some feathers. His genderless collection that he presented in New York this season definitely did that, taking something as simple as an oversized tweed blazer and turning it into a statement piece—the essence of Thom Browne as a brand.
The American fashion designer took his inspiration from classic British materials and patterns for his FW line, using British-made tweed mixed with suede and bird patterns while mixing American modernist touches and silhouettes. In one piece in particular, a calf-length, boxy, oversized jacket seemed to reminisce the silhouette of an American football player, being a nod to the recent Super Bowl and adding an active touch to his ready-to-wear collection.
Models wearing Thom Browne FW25 oversized blazers that imitate the silhouette of American football players; Browne taking athletic inspiration with a nod to the recent superbowl and incorporating it into his outerwear collection. Images courtesy of Daniele Oberrauch for Vogue Runway. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Plaid and worn-looking knitwear were also featured within the collection, the designer clearly favoring an outdoor, second-hand or old clothes theme; the patchwork of different materials giving a sense of vintage on top of outdoor clothing, mixing this with everyday workwear such as blazers, shirts, and ties. Also, Browne seemed to incorporate a bird theme within the show, with two thousand origami birds appearing on the set of the show in addition to the birds embroidered into the garment and feather fake eyelashes worn by the models, adding a bold elegance to the looks.
Image of one of the looks in the FW25 show in NYFW, featuring a model with feather eyelashes and a patchworked knitted cardigan on top of workwear. Image courtesy of Rex/Shutterstock, available at The Guardian. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
The androgynous style of the collection added to its uniqueness and impact, with the pieces being aimed at any gender and not limited to just ‘menswear’ or ‘womenswear’; this genderless movement within the fashion collection is becoming more and more prominent in shows with designers no longer feeling the need to cater to just one gender when the questions that should be addressed in society today are why can’t clothes be for everyone and why are they gendered? These questions Thom Browne has clearly addressed in his FW25 line, not seeing gender within his collection, instead focusing on the art of his designs and work and how anyone should be able to enjoy it.
Image showing the genderless statement Thom Browne made at his FW25 show; the A-line and almost crinoline-structured dress incorporated traditional patterns with a modern bird-like essence. Image courtesy of Thom Browne, available at Design Scene. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Browne’s take on androgynous outerwear and workwear created a stunning end to Fashion Week in New York, his unique creative eye pushing the expectations of ready-to-wear, incorporating a reminiscent, worn, traditional British style with the bright, bird-like features and structured silhouette-focused designs. The inspiration of nature within his latest collection added an effortless elegance and head-turning reaction to such classic pieces, once again reminding people that Thom Browne never creates to please the masses, but creates to make a statement and ruffle feathers, which his bird-themed, feather accessorized looks certainly achieved.
