Day eight of Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025 continued to stunningly shock, with ensembles pushing inventiveness and craftsmanship limits.
As the final leg of the fashion marathon began, historic houses and new designers alike shared their visions for the future of fashion. From avant-garde experimentation to minimalist refinement, each presentation reflected the season’s ongoing dialectic between innovation and tradition.
With Paris as the perfect backdrop, day eight saw an interplay of bold artistic expression and wearable elegance that enthralled the world fashion scene.
BALENCIAGA
Demna designed Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection for Paris Fashion Week, which merged futurism, technology, and streetwear-infused couture. The collection included slick metallic textiles, deconstructed office-wear, and Y2K-inspired pieces such as low-rise jeans and oversized accessories.
Face-covering clothes and huge sunglasses emphasized themes of anonymity, while recycled textiles and exaggerated forms represented political commentary on consumerism and ecological change.
This collection maintained Balenciaga’s characteristic avant-garde flair while criticizing modern culture and extravagance.
GABRIELA HEARST
Gabriela Hearst’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection is a stunning tribute to female power, inspired by goddesses such as Niamh, Athena, Aphrodite, and Kamala, the Hindu goddess of prosperity.
The collection features exquisite caviar glass-beaded knits, molded leather pieces, and gaucho-inspired outfits crafted from eco-friendly materials like Inversa Python. Thoughtful details include leather capes, tailored blazers, sculptural designs, and fringed accents that add a playful touch to the silhouettes.
This collection emphasizes luxury and craftsmanship while reinforcing Hearst’s dedication to sustainable practices, making it a standout in the fashion landscape. With each piece, she continues to elevate her vision of fashion that celebrates femininity and environmental consciousness.
PIERRE CARDIN
The Pierre Cardin collection takes influence from the brand’s futuristic and space-age heritage but blends it with contemporary simplicity.
The collection featured geometric designs and dramatic, architectural silhouettes, which have been a signature of the company since the 1960s. Metallic fabrics, structural shapes, and angular embellishments added a sleek, avant-garde vibe, while tributes to Cardin’s earlier breakthroughs were reimagined for the present era.
The palette was a blend of monochrome tones and vibrant splashes of color, adding to the overall futuristic aesthetic, which was steeped in Pierre Cardin’s creative spirit from decades before.
ROKH
Rokh’s collection for Paris Fashion Week was motivated by deconstruction and the investigation of modern femininity. The collection experimented with fractured forms, asymmetry, and layering to create a sense of movement and flow.
The inspiration comes from a combination of utilitarian and romantic aspects, with tailored pieces set against softer, more flowing fabrics. The collection also highlighted striking contrasts between substantial outerwear and delicate, airy dresses, combining harshness and sensitivity.
Rokh’s emphasis on individualism and nonconformity was reflected in the varied styling, which provided a unique viewpoint on modern women’s fashion.
SACAI
Sacai’s collection for Paris Fashion Week was inspired by a combination of traditional craftsmanship and innovation. The designer, Chitose Abe, explored hybridization themes by combining contrasting aspects like rigid tailoring with fluid, relaxing forms.
The collection showcased her distinctive layered and spliced outfits, which mixed military-inspired pieces with soft, feminine fabrics. Abe also leaned on sporty inspiration, adding functional features like zippers and toggles into exquisite shapes.
The overall look was a mix of usefulness and elegance, expressing a balance between the practical and the poetic, and encapsulating Sacai’s approach to fashion.
STELLA MCCARTNEY
Stella McCartney’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection reinforced her dedication to sustainable luxury, with 91 percent of the designs made from eco-friendly materials.
The collection blended sharp tailoring with relaxed, masculine elements like pinstriped suits and boyish, baggy jeans, creating a refined yet natural aesthetic.
Accessories like the vegan Ryder bag and hand-carved dove jewelry, crafted from repurposed materials, highlighted McCartney’s commitment to cruelty-free fashion.
Set to a soundtrack of birdsong and Prince, the show celebrated McCartney’s minimalist yet bold approach.
Structured silhouettes, particularly in tailoring, took center stage, with puffball bomber jackets made from recycled plastic bottles emphasizing her belief that fashion can be beautiful and ethical.
ZIMMERMANN
The Zimmermann Spring/Summer 2025 collection draws inspiration from Albe Falzon’s 70s surf film Morning of the Earth, celebrating the connection between surfers and nature. Nicky Zimmermann blends her Southern Sydney upbringing with flowing, floral designs, where fantasy dresses exist cohesively alongside everyday staples.
The collection’s whimsy is further enhanced by intricate detailing, creating pieces that evoke a sense of adventure while remaining deeply rooted in a feminine aesthetic.
Crafted using innovative techniques like crochet and beading, the collection features relaxed silhouettes that offer both comfort and style. Ruffled trims echo ocean waves, while a color palette transitioning from coastal blues to warm reds and purples reflects the beauty of sunrise over the water.
Highlights include sustainable materials that emphasize Zimmermann’s commitment to ethical fashion, along with versatile pieces suitable for various occasions, making this collection both timeless and relevant.
Stay tuned for the final recap of Paris Fashion Week!
