During Paris Fashion Week 2025, a notable style trend emerged on the runways as male creative directors opted for a surprisingly understated wardrobe choice for their traditional designer bows: denim. While female designers like Veronica Leoni and Sarah Burton chose tailored pleated trousers, many of their male counterparts dressed down in the ultimate workwear staple, signaling a refreshing departure from typical high-fashion protocol.
Alessandro Michele Leads the Denim Movement
Alessandro Michele’s appearance for Valentino epitomized the trend, walking out in light-wash mom jeans paired with his signature “Techno Is My Boyfriend” cap and Valentino x Vans sneakers. Similarly, Seán McGirr at McQueen paired a Nine Inch Nails tee with faded bootcut denim and an unbuttoned striped shirt. Jonathan Anderson, meanwhile, made his Dior debut bow in rugged ocean-blue dad jeans with green Salomon trekking shoes, creating an intentionally casual aesthetic that contrasted sharply with the collection’s artistic vision.
The Winning Formula: Denim with Designer Flair
The standout moment came from Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez at their Loewe debut, who paired dark, baggy denim and leather boots with bold Ralph Lauren tops in red and royal blue. Matthieu Blazy at Chanel wore baggy cuffed jeans with gnarled Nike Cortezes, while Jil Sander’s Simone Bellotti maintained his signature formula of tapered dark denim with a gray long-sleeved tee and Detroit Tigers cap.
This unexpected denim-forward approach during fashion month’s most anticipated designer debuts suggests a broader shift toward authenticity and approachability in luxury fashion, challenging conventional expectations of how creative directors should present themselves.