Wayne Noir

Words by Wayne Noir

Editor in Chief – RION Magazine

September in London is never quiet. But when Fashion Week rolls around, the city hums with a different kind of electricity—one charged with invention, intention and the unapologetic clatter of stilettos down cobblestone runways. This past season, Spring/Summer 2025, designers came not to whisper but to roar. What we witnessed was more than a series of collections—it was a cultural statement: bolder, freer, and more tactile than ever.

The week belonged to visionaries. Simone Rocha, in true high-fantasy form, gave us romantic maximalism with a wink—crystal-encrusted Crocs paired with fuzzy hot pants and tinsel-draped knits that felt like the inside of a couture snow globe. It was rebellious, but always reverent to her signature femininity. Meanwhile, JW Anderson twisted the timeline with retro-futuristic silhouettes, playing with circular mini skirts in gleaming leather and iridescent tones that flickered like late-night disco lights. It was nostalgic, but filtered through an otherworldly lens.

Daniel Lee’s Burberry took us back to British roots and forward into fashion theatre. His trenches, reborn in PVC florals, metallic linings and capes made of plume and drama, brought heritage alive in new, radical forms. This was trenchcoat dressing for the brave—and the eccentric. Harris Reed, always a maximalist in spirit, took the Regency era and sent it through a glam-rock kaleidoscope. Ballooned panniers, extravagant proportions, and sheer veils screamed drama in the most decadent way.

If one house turned heads and hips, it was 16Arlington. Their glossy, clubland-infused vision of SS25 was a masterclass in partywear. Sequin-studded micro shorts, feathered halters, and skin-baring cuts played beneath strobes—somewhere between Studio 54 and the dancefloor of tomorrow. Karoline Vitto, on the other end of the spectrum, sculpted sensuality out of softness. Her subtraction-cut drapes and body-positive silhouettes felt intimate—radically inclusive without shouting for attention. This was sex appeal rooted in strength.

Marques’Almeida revived bubble hems and denim-on-denim ensembles with a tactile playfulness that shouldn’t have worked—but absolutely did. It was early-aughts rebelliousness with a refined, matured edge. Erdem, ever the maestro of romance, whispered secrets in sheer layers and embroidery, where point-d’esprit met lingerie peeks in delicate defiance. Even within restraint, there was a feverish beauty—an elegance so fragile it trembled.

Nensi Dojaka built her signature language of whisper-thin organza and ethereal lingerie silhouettes into a ballet of skin and shadow. Her collection was quiet in tone, but loud in impact. And finally, Rahemur Rahman emerged as the new prince of conscious tailoring. With British-Bengali block-print storytelling stitched into the seams, his menswear felt spiritual and urban, poetic and rooted.

But this week wasn’t just about standout names—it was about seismic shifts in how we’re going to dress. Across the runways, bubble hems reigned, puffed to perfection and sometimes collapsing softly like petals. Sheer textures floated on the breeze—organza, chiffon, tulle—seducing rather than shouting. Transparency became the new statement, often layered over sculpted lingerie in a celebration of skin that felt liberating rather than objectifying.

There was a clear return to the shoulder. Not just shoulder pads, but sculpted, proud, exaggerated shapes that announced presence. The tailoring overall felt sharper, edgier, confident. Yet it never forgot the importance of play. Designers drew from retro wells—’60s glam, ’80s power, early-aughts chaos—but twisted the aesthetics into futuristic reveries. Think metallic trenches, iridescent biker jackets, and PVC overlays that shimmered like a Blade Runner dream.

Utility came back, but not as your standard-issue cargo pants. These were tactical trenches with high-fashion appeal, hybrid parkas with unexpected zips and layers, and khaki tones rendered in buttery silks and lacquered finishes. For every delicate sheer slip, there was a structured outer layer ready to confront the city.

And then came the embellishment—maximalism is no longer a trend, it’s a movement. Fringe, beading, glitter-trimmed collars, crystal-encrusted sleeves: the runways sparkled unapologetically. Add to that a shift in colour psychology—no more safety in monochrome. Designers leaned into dusty pastels, sun-faded yellows, burnished bronze, and an earthy palette that grounded the whimsy. These hues felt lived-in and intimate, almost nostalgic.

Gender fluidity ran as an undercurrent throughout. Oversized suiting, fluid silhouettes, and garments designed for bodies—not binaries—marked a conscious and overdue pivot in the industry. London, as always, leads with freedom of form.

So, what’s next for Spring/Summer 2025? Expect bubble hems to invade wardrobes, trench coats to become couture canvases, and sheer textures to blur the line between dressing and undressing. Lingerie will step into daylight, crystals will creep from cuffs to collars, and shoulders will be bold, ready to carry your whole aesthetic. Colour will be subdued but expressive, textures loud but wearable, and shapes unapologetically sculptural.

This wasn’t just a fashion week—it was a mirror to the future. London proved once again that fashion is a space for dualities: soft and strong, nostalgic and new, radical and refined. The message was clear—romance is back, rebellion never left, and next season belongs to those who wear their contradictions with pride.

Spring is calling. Answer it in sheer tulle, feathered trenches, crystal-covered platforms, and a wardrobe built not for perfection, but for power.