Who goes to Heaven, and who goes to Hell? This is what Alejandro Gómez Palomo was wondering for the Palomo Spain Spring 2025 collection, held at the Fourth Universalist Society cathedral in the Upper West Side.
It seems fitting for a room full of sinners and hedonists to gather in holy space to see the collection, titled “All of Heaven’s Parties,” in which Palomo explores human sexuality and religion, questioning why lust, desire, attraction and pleasure are deemed sinful despite being part of human nature.
The inspiration all started with a night out to Basement — a sinful place, no doubt. “When I was there, and I was enjoying myself so much, I was thinking, If hell had a place on Earth, if it was a physical place, it would be exactly it,” he tells PAPER in an exclusive video interview.“Why do all these things that give us so much pleasure and give us so much happiness and ecstasy have to necessarily be associated with God and evil and Hell and sin?”
In nightlife, the club is often called “church,” so Palomo brought the looks to an actual church and threw a heavenly party: “Let's try to change that concept and allow us to enjoy all those things that give us so much pleasure. You can still go to heaven, even though you've had sex all night.
Deepening the inspiration after raving at Basement, Palomo dove into the work of Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, who blends kinbaku-bi bondage with imagery of flowers, elevating the primal nature of sex to a meaningful and intentional form of artistic expression. Helmut Newton’s sexual and glamorous photos were also a point of inspiration.
The clothes themselves are a mix of textures and fabrics like denim, taffeta and silk organza, utilizing techniques that are rooted closely in Palomo’s Spanish heritage like silk fringing and handmade embroidery. Oversized suits are topped with feather headpieces that look like bobs; dress shirts are paired with teeny shorts; cocktail dresses and gowns are slinky, evoking sumptuous 1930s silhouettes. The color palette is primarily black and white, with hints of brown, orange, purple and denim blue layered with embroidered fringes, oversized sequins and Swarovski crystals.
The Spring 2025 runway also included the unveiling of an exclusive see-now-buy-now capsule collection of floral-inspired looks and accessories with Spanish womenswear brand Bimba y Lola, after partnering in September 2023 on their first-ever collaborative collection, "BIMBA Y PALOMO." The new collection is divided into two parts: day and night. Daytime pieces incorporate animal prints, jacket and skirt sets, maxi bags and loafers; nighttime pieces are sensual and romantic: dresses reminiscent of 1930s Hollywood in tulles and chiffons, colorful faux fur coats and pumps. (Available now.)
“Sometimes we push boundaries, and we push limits,” Palomo says. “I like when that happens, but also I think fashion shouldn't be taken so seriously. It should be more of a performative act, like something that moves you in a way and and makes you enjoy.”
Photography: Kohl Murdock, Madeline Derujinsky, and Hugo Arvizu
Video production: Ari Mojdeh
Videography and editing: Cyrus Duff
Camera operators: David Root, Hugo Arvizu
