What Went Down At Paris Fashion Week Men's SS25
Paris Fashion Week SS25 may have drawn to a close, but it was one to remember. Taking over the French capital from June 18-23, fashion’s finest threw themselves into packed-out schedules and were (thankfully) undeterred by the mixed bag of weather. The spring-summer season tends to bring out more sneakers than the autumn-winter one, and that was reflected on both the runway and the street.
Those who were quick to proclaim the scene was ‘dead’ this year may want to rethink their words. Luxury brands continued to build on their sneaker offerings, dipping their toes into football or sculptured soles. Pretty Flacko brought New York to Europe with his streetwear-heavy AWGE show, and CDG even turned their hand to a brand-new Nike silhouette. Elsewhere, sneaker-centric events popped up left, right and centre – from product launches for the PUMA Speedcat to runs with Saucony and Distance and creative workshops with Salomon. Scheduled over France’s annual Music Night, the party was also in full swing, with events from Vans and Patta both celebrating the links between our community and the wider culture.
As it's always a whirlwind, keeping up with all the happenings can feel like a tough task, but Team SF were on the ground the whole time to bring you the lowdown. Whether you didn’t get to everything you planned, or you just had major FOMO, here’s what went down at PFW Men’s SS25, and what to look forward to next year…
Sneakers and Shows
AURALEE x New Balance
have been quietly gearing up to reinvigorate the 475, with MADE in USA Creative Director having recently teased his Aimé Leon Dore version over on Instagram. Now, Japanese brand AURALEE are getting in on the action, as they previewed two collaborative colourways during their SS25 show at Hôtel De Maisons. Stepping away from the blue and dark grey colour palette seen in their FW24 presentation, the brand showed both a grey and a pale yellow version. The former arrived in true NB style, with tonal grey overlays, while the latter sported a mix of buttery cream and yellow with grey accents.
Louis Vuitton
took the football boot and made it luxe. The multi-hyphenate delivered a padded, low-profile style that came complete with a fold-over tongue that boasted the French fashion house’s monogram and an LV Lovers FC motif. Other pieces from the collection followed suit: a football jersey was also on the cards, while some motorsport-inspired boots joined the footwear line-up. Staged at Maison de l’UNESCO, the collection was titled Le monde est á Vous, with unity presented through the use of inclusive tones throughout the collection.
Feng Chen Wang x UGG
While we’ve come to expect colabs through recent collections, the CSM alumni linked back up with Aussie-born UGG for SS25. Building on the duo’s previous work, Feng Chen Wang unveiled her take on the Tasman slipper, which featured a textured upper in a cracked paint effect in both a brown and a white colourway. For the runway, these pairs were presented in Feng’s usual way – coming dressed up in sculptural takes known as the Feng Sole. Hugging the UGG inside, the Feng Sole took on a chunky sandal-like structure and doubled down on the sole unit underneath leaving models to totter down the runway. Given that none of Feng’s previous sculptures have released, it’s unlikely we’ll see these hit the market, but the UGG colab will most likely drop next year.
8on8 x ASICS
Another CSM graduate, Li Gong founded in 2017. With a distinct retro-futuristic aesthetic, it made perfect sense for the brand to collaborate with . The brand’s show acted as a launchpad for the duo’s collaborative , which came in two colourways – a navy pair with pink accents and a stealthy black version with techy green detailing. An installation served as an entry point into the show space, and two huge warped GEL-Kayano sculptures rose from the floor, with the finished pairs sitting on a rotating platform underneath. The show itself also previewed a new ASICS silhouette, the , with custom versions featuring cut-out tongues and tied ribbons gracing models’ feet.
Wales Bonner
has become a Paris Fashion Week regular, and this season she returned with yet more colabs. This season, the duo moved away from the , instead opting to work their magic on what looks to be a . In addition, the partners also presented a mid-top suede , characterised by a shell toe and gold branding at the ankle.
Junya Watanabe x New Balance / Oakley
presented another stacked collection this season, which included collaborations with , printed denim Levi’s and utilitarian pieces with Carhartt, including a blazer decked out with carpenter-style panelling. Footwear-wise, two colabs explored different extremes. A link-up with saw a seriously chunky option on offer for SS25, while on the other end of the spectrum, the brand linked up with New Balance on the new iteration of the , an evolution of the trail running line. This pair took low profile to new levels and featured a super-flexible upper with a sole underfoot.
Dior
shows are always a spectacle, and this year the stage was set with giant sculptures by South African artist Hylton Nel. The artist’s motifs continued across the collection, both through embroidered, knitted and printed motifs and accessories. On foot, models sported a mix of boots and the brand’s B-35 sneaker, which features a structured midsole not so dissimilar from adidas’ 4D version, with visible gaps and a moulded design. Up top, pairs featured a mix of suede and thick woven uppers, with Dior branding hitting the ankles, tongue tabs, heels and toe caps.
Comme des Garçons x Nike
Following on from Junya’s presentation, presented their collection to a star-studded front row that included Pharrell Williams and Mos Def. Playful as ever, the collection boasted ruffles and tulle galore, encouraging us to embrace lighter and whimsical moments during these rough and uncertain times. While most garments came in black, they featured pops of lime green and bright pink, with the latter gracing the brand’s latest colab. The pink and white shoe has been revealed to be the CDG x Nike Sense 96 SP, which sees a 90s Air Max style upper come married to an ISPA base, and it’ll be joined by a black and a white colourway when it drops next year.
Y-3
SS25 marked return to the runway for the first time since 2019, and and adidas didn’t disappoint. Sticking to their usual formula, the duo presented a selection of techy black and white pieces inspired by the key design principles of Aeration, Reflex and Superposition – shared between Yohji and the Three Stripes. The collection also revealed the next Japan International football kit, in both the home and away versions. In terms of footwear, the line presented new takes on the Superstar under the guise of the Y-3 ZODAI, as well as new versions of the Nizza boot and a velcro Stan Smith. The collection also re-introduced a low profile silhouette in the Y-3 REGU, which was included in the first-ever Y-3 collection.
AWGE
Fashion Killa himself took to Hôtel de Maisons for his first-ever Awgenization show, which also happened to be the location of debut presentation. Taking over the gloriously gilded venue in true A$AP Mob style, the show was named ‘American Sabotage’, reflected in the slew of posters that decorated the walls. Needless to say, the front row was also packed out with stars, including Riri, A$AP Nast, Michelle Lamy and . Clothing-wise, the show predictably took cues from typical New York styles, with multiple garments featuring the slogan ‘Don't Be Dumb’ – the now-revealed name of Rocky’s next album. On foot, Rocky’s model teased his upcoming PUMA styles, which include the Inhale and a sculptural version of the Mostro. Sneaker Freaker caught up with Rocky after the show – you can check that out below.
Kiko Kostadinov
There may not have been any of ASICS work on the runway, but the London-based designer previewed plenty of his own footwear styles during his PFW show on Saturday. Presenting a highly focused, utilitarian collection, the designer proved his rite in the footwear world by showing off his own silhouette, which came with elevated tread details.
sacai x Nike
hit the runway on the Sunday, just as Paris Fashion Week was drawing to a close, but the sneakers kept on coming. Building on their longstanding partnership with the Swoosh, Chitose Abe’s brand got techy on the Zegamadome model, a new trail-inspired shoe that’s a hybrid between the Zoom X Zegama trail runner and the Lava Dome hiking boot. In true sacai style, the pair comes equipped with a double stacked sole unit, criss-cross laces and double Swooshes, as well as a modified toebox.
Doublet x ASICS
Japanese brand rounded off the week’s sneaker selection with a Sunday afternoon show, where they presented another ASICS colab. Subverting expectations is one of Doublet’s specialities, and for this release, the duo gave the a shoebox-style makeover. Donning a tonal brown colourway, the pair came peppered with branded detailing and textured uppers that felt like cardboard. The brand also showed a flocked suede version of the GEL-Nimbus 10.1, which was available in small quantities the day before the show.
Spaces and Places
It wasn ’t just shows that were stacked with new products – there were plenty of pop-ups and previews throughout the week as well. Kicking things off was Crocs, who gave us a sneaky peak at some very exciting products for 2025. Next up was Saucony, who held a joint pop-up with Distance at FAUNA. Starting off with a launch party on Tuesday night, they held community runs throughout the week and used the space to show off the new Hurricane 24 silhouette. Jae Tips also swung by, showing off his new multicoloured Saucony Matrix in the process. Salomon also got in on the action, celebrating their growing presence in Paris with a party and performance by Ama Lou on a Tuesday night, as well as various events at their Salomon Sportstyle store during the week. Our highlight from Salomon had to be Wednesday’s workshop however, which was hosted by sculptor Tom Ducarouge. Centered around the ACS Pro, the workshop involved us building sculptures with a focus on balance and stability, which are key features of the ACS. We even got our hands on some great archival products, and got to see exactly how the range has evolved since its introduction in 2013.
Wednesday’s schedule was jam-packed, as things began bright and early with PUMA’s launch breakfast at . Celebrating the motorsport-inspired silhouette, the setup included a claw machine where you could win a pair of Speedcats, as well as a toy race track to race against your friends. The event also opened up in the evening, turning into a full-on street party. Later that evening, ASICS opened up the doors to their Friends & Family , showcasing a ton of great new releases. As well as displaying the all-new GEL-NIMBUS 10.1, the event also showcased new GEL-QUANTUM 360 VIII sandal, Doublet’s GEL-KAYANO 20, UP THERE’s GEL-Terrain, and Kengo Kuma’s Archisite ORU – and that’s just the pairs we’re allowed to mention! Expect to see long-term collaborators continue into the next year, and get ready for some fresh ideas to join the mix too. The night continued with an and New Balance BBQ, the launch of Bisous Skateboards x collaborative Torhill, as well as an Attiba Jefferson photography exhibit hosted by .
Thursday saw the launch of the as the release took place alongside a three-a-side football tournament and subsequent party. The Samba thrived in its natural habit, sitting perfectly alongside the and Copa Mundial. also teased the upcoming launch of their Paris store with a pop-up concept in the capital, where they previewed their upcoming that’ll be available for the store’s proper launch. Polaroid also embraced Paris’s skate culture with a pop-up exhibition at Galerie Bete, while BEAMS and Sperry showed off their latest collaborative efforts elsewhere in the city. also hosted a New Balance event, celebrating his ongoing partnership with the brand. Throughout the week Nike had also been celebrating the comeback with an activation at their House of Innovation, which saw artists from multiple disciplines interpret the silhouette's story.
Friday night was music night in Paris, and the events delivered. Up by the Sacre Coeur, Kaytranada headlined the Vans event, while down on the Seine, hosted a boat party. No matter which you attended, it was the perfect way to lead into the weekend and a great way to celebrate the sneaker and streetwear communities and our connection to wider culture. Saturday then rounded off the week with Zac Bia's ASICS launch, a sophisticated soirée from , and a super sleek suiting concept from adidas and , complete with a cheeky preview of their upcoming colab.
On-Feet Heat
As well as some very exciting upcoming product releases, the week was also packed with on-feet heat from the sneaker community. From showrooms to outside shows and everything in between, the scene came through to prove the doubters that the real ones remain. Here’s some of our favourite on-foot shots from the weekend, but get ready for what’s set to be an exciting year ahead.