The Breakout Stars from Paris Fashion Week

The downsized shows and a slew of interim collections designed by studio teams also gave emerging designers a rare opportunity to command more attention. Duran Lantink, a relative newcomer and winner of the prestigious ANDAM and LVMH prizes, delivered what could be dubbed the show of the season. Marie Adam-Leenaerdt, also a former LVMH Prize finalist, presented an ingenious collection of sharp grey felt silhouettes that transformed mid-show, affixing vibrant patterns and flowing materials to its base layers. And with the LVMH Prize semi-finals taking place amidst PFW, all eyes were on the next wave of talent poised for breakout success.

Cult favorite ALL-IN unveiled its first-ever winter offering, "Downtown Girl," via a look book shot by Sharna Osborne. A continuation of its instantly iconic Spring 2025 "Uptown Girl" show, the collection channelled a melancholic, downtrodden take on '80s power dressing and glamour, reflecting “the emptiness of glitter and deflated balloons scattered on the floor.”

Amsterdam-based punk fashion collective The Patchwork Family took over alternative nightclub Le Klub for a raucous night of outrageous fashion, drag performances and DJ sets. The event raised a defiant middle finger to the establishment, as the collective continues to explore alternative presentation formats — prioritizing storytelling, self-expression and queer joy over corporate business metrics that have come to define a brand’s measure of success.

Another standout fashion moment came from Byronesque, which hosted an intimate sale of Margiela pieces from 1989 to 2007. Known for its rare, museum-worthy archival pieces, the platform shifted focus this time, offering a more accessible curation that highlighted how the brand was worn on the streets in those years. Meanwhile, the newly opened Radical Media Archive — a collection and bookstore exploring the visual language of '60s and '70s protest movements — is offering a playful batch of vintage button pins with cheeky, subversive and timely slogans like "Nobody for President" and "Buy Gay!"

Elsewhere, Extreme Cashmere presented the world's first-ever cashmere spa, while A Magazine Curated By celebrated 25 years with the launch of an anniversary print issue, a series of talks and an exhibit. Meanwhile, viral sensation Oklou launched the European leg of her tour at the intimate La Cigale, wearing six custom looks by Gardouch, a rising talent weaving stories of youthful nostalgia and memory.

From breakout debuts to underground spectacles, these were the must-see moments from the rising fashion stars of Paris Fashion Week.

In 2021, Abraham Ortuño Perez began expanding his namesake brand, ABRA, beyond footwear and bags. Fast forward to 2025, and the designer has secured a spot on the official calendar of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode. Reflecting on being the first "accessory designer" to receive such recognition, he said, "I guess hard work really does pay off!"

Yet, his vocational origins aside, his Fall 2025 offering proved just how much he has come into his own as a voice of nostalgic modernity. The show drew inspiration from the '80s, when a young Abraham would accompany his mother on shopping trips in rural Spain. Models stormed the runway with teased, spiky black hair à la Siouxsie Sioux and stark, angular makeup reminiscent of the New Romantics. Power and excess radiated from strong-shouldered faux-fur "done-and-gone" coats, while outerwear hastily thrown on (sometimes backwards) over a uniform of leggings and pom-pommed kitten pumps embodied a busy girl on the move.

The designer flexed his draping skills in a series of metallic lamé prom dresses, complete with oversized corsages. New York model Teddy Quinlivan opened the show in a furry jacket resembling a camellia of monstrous proportions, "like an AI-generated version of the classic floral motif."

At its core, the collection married personal anecdote with an electrifying pulse of the contemporary underground. Two seemingly opposing worlds, yet both deeply reflective of Abraham’s identity. "That’s what I love about it — two parallel worlds coexisting."

Photos courtesy of ABRA

Fall 2025 brought Duran Lantink a new edge, literally. The Dutch designer, known for his wittily exaggerated, foam-padded creations, took a sharp turn from his bulbous silhouettes, experimenting instead with jagged, protruding shapes jutting from waists and necklines. The result was a collection that effortlessly straddled the line between conceptual ingenuity and desirable wearability.

Titled "Duranimals," the collection explored the notion of "bad taste": clashing animal and camo prints, exposed bums and Americana tropes like varsity jackets, denim and plaid — a strong offering pushing his singular design narrative into new territory. But the most divisive moment came when social media ignited over the show’s finale: a male model striding down the runway in a bouncy D-cup breastplate over his bare chest. Some saw it as gimmicky, and others as outright mockery, but it undeniably addressed what is considered "decent" in today’s society.

While Instagram notoriously continues to censor the female nipple, a jiggling breastplate worn by a boy is apparently A-OK. Supermodel Mica Argañaraz’s shirtless opening look only made it past the algorithm thanks to an action figure-like breastplate of a ripped male physique. In doing so, Duran certainly stirred up an interesting conversation around good and bad taste.

Photos courtesy of Duran Lantink

Ellen Hodakova Larsson’s off-kilter, upcycled garments have become a Hollywood hit. Tilda Swinton recently graced the cover of DUST Magazine in thigh-high mirrored riding boots and a sleeveless tunic made from old kitchen textiles. Who could forget Cate Blanchett’s red carpet look crafted from 102 silver spoons or the antique serving trays moulded into a shimmering breastplate for Rosalía?

While Hodakova’s work always had a certain rawness, it often felt chic and polished — perhaps to give the humble materials she elevates the necessary context to be taken seriously. Now that her talent has been recognized, this season embraced a more grunge approach.

Models strode down the runway clutching the waistlines of their low-slung bumster pants, eyes smudged black, hair whipping in the wind. Fur, one of Fall’s key trends, appeared in the form of vintage-sourced hats stitched into bubbling coats. Belts, once tightly woven into fitted sheath dresses, now jangled freely like feather appliqués on a couture gown.

Injecting punk attitude into classical music tropes, discarded violin strings tangled over crisp white shirts or were woven into delicate sheer dresses and tops. And for the finale? A model emerged from within a giant double bass, her face and legs barely sticking out — its curves suggesting an exaggerated hourglass silhouette. A fitting crescendo to Hodakova’s symphony of reinvention. Rock Me Amadeus!

Photos courtesy of Hodakova

Hannah Rose Dalton and Steven Raj Bhaskaran let their freak flag fly on Friday, the midway point of Paris Fashion Week. The duo — renowned for their alienesque looks, hard rave sets and underground community — staged their runway debut in the gilded halls of an intimate Parisian hôtel particulier.

This moment had been a decade in the making — not in the literal sense, but as in the culmination of years spent redefining beauty and identity. Dalton and Bhaskaran met in the sewing ateliers of Montréal’s LaSalle College, where they bonded over their outsider status amid a rigidly technical fashion education. From the start, they rejected convention, shaping a world of their own through outlandish makeup, DIY fashion and a surreal, dystopian aesthetic that blurred the lines between reality and digital manipulation.

A chance backstage encounter with Dover Street Market’s Adrian Joffe at a Madonna concert led to their inclusion in the retailer’s incubator program. It was here that Fecal Matter evolved into Matières Fécales — the same radical vision, now with a sharper, more refined edge.

Showgoers including Rick Owens, Michèle Lamy and Chappell Roan witnessed a parade of razor-sharp tailoring with distorted shoulders and nipped waists, softly destroyed mohair knit sets and tulle and feathered couture gowns. Despite ascending to the upper echelons of the French fashion world, the duo remains defiantly grounded. Their triumph felt earned, inspired and most of all, inevitable.

Photography: Iker Aldama