Since mid-June, the menswear shows have been running in rotation, until Pitti Immagine Uomo came to an end, bringing Menswear Week Spring/Summer 2022 to a close. "The 'Digital Fashion Week' online format continues, but as life gets back on track, some of the brands, such as Dior, have opted to bring back the nostalgic tradition of walking the runway.
This season's major fashion weeks were full of exciting new season pieces as well as eye-catching co-branded collections. "The 'Unisex' trend continues to spread, with the 'Rave' subculture favoured by fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton and Loewe making a splash, and unprecedented collaborations such as Louis Vuitton x Nike and Dior x Travis Scott dominating the conversation. This time, HYPEBEAST takes a look at the highly overlapping fashion elements from the Spring/Summer 2022 shows to capture the trends in detail.
Pink
This traditionally feminine colour is not often seen in menswear. But for this year's Paris Men's Fashion Week, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Jil Sander, among others, coincidentally embellished their new season collections with this splash of colour. The pink suits, knitwear and other pieces, apart from being in keeping with the springtime mood of 22SS and celebrating the renewed vitality, also embodied the spiritual cores expressed by these brands respectively, such as Louis Vuitton's homage to the 'Rave' culture, Jil Sander's celebration of personal style and freedom, and Loewe's young, fun self-expression. For those who are more receptive to colour, look out for the pink pieces.
Denim On Denim
Denim On Denim means that the top and bottom of the outfit are both Denim pieces. A timeless look perfect for spring and summer, the Denim fabric makes this colour-coordinated look not too boring. This season, in addition to Y/Project, which has a knack for denim, brands such as GmbH, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro and Facetasm have been seen wearing a full denim look, and perhaps Kanye West's denim shirt layered with jeans was a hint that the trend is about to 'come back'.
V-Shaped
In the early 2010s, this visually strong, masculine, large V-shaped print was popular, with Neil Barrett being a prime example of the use of the 'V' shape. After a period of inactivity, Dries Van Noten brought it back to the Spring/Summer 2022 show. Jil Sander, known for its minimalist approach, also used the big 'V' in its new collection.
Monochromatic
"The 'Monochromatic monochrome' technique is not an uncommon one in life, but this season's shows have raised eyebrows with its frequency. From Milan to Paris Fashion Week, in addition to the likes of 1017 ALYX 9SM and Rick Owens, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Lanvin, Rhude and many others have incorporated the monochromatic look into their collections for the new season. One can't help but wonder if the popularity of monochromatic dressing will reach new heights.
Knit Vest
The warmth of the knitted fabric would have been at odds with spring and summer, and the 'Knit Vest' is a style that is usually seen in autumn/winter shows. Inspired by Kiko Kostadinov's 20FW Hype piece, the Nash Intarsia Vest, which was worn by players with short sleeves for spring/summer, this season Dior has adopted the Monogram covered knitted vest as its main style. Luke & Lucie Meier, whose two brands, Jil Sander and OAMC, are also known for their knitted vests, were also fond of this style.
Skirt
In an earlier interview with HYPEBEAST, Virgil Abloh said that 'there should be no limits to what you can wear' and he lived up to his fashion statement by incorporating a number of skirts into the Louis Vuitton show this season. It's no surprise that Boramy Viguier, a mystic brand that draws inspiration from medieval culture, also used the skirt (skirts were a staple of medieval menswear). It is also reminiscent of the 'Gender-Fluid' gender-fluidity of the protagonists in the popular series Loki. Perhaps the concept of 'unisex' and 'mixed gender' is the dominant aesthetic of the future.
Raincoat
With spring and summer being rainy and functional clothing being added to everyday wear, it's no wonder that 'mackintoshes' were featured in the 22SS show. In addition to fashion houses such as 1017 ALYX 9SM and Prada, who are already known for introducing functional elements, Hermes and Dries Van Noten also brought mackintoshes into their collections. This is a great relief for those who are struggling to get a look for the rainy season.
Western Cowboy
While the aforementioned full denim set was a major trend, the same roots of western denim blew into the Spring/Summer 2022 shows, with Y/Project incorporating western-style embroidery into jeans and GmbH adding the iconic piping of denim to modern silhouettes, while Virgil Abloh combined the 'Cowboy Boot', previously seen at his label Off-White, with Louis Vuitton's popular Trainer. The "Cowboy Boot" was combined with Louis Vuitton's popular Trainer shoe.
Collaboration
This year's Y/Project x FILA collaboration is nothing new, but there were some surprising and unimaginable collaborations at Paris Fashion Week. For example, Louis Vuitton and Nike's 'collaboration of the century' saw several Air Force 1 models take centre stage. On the other hand, Dior Men under Kim Jones chooses an artist to collaborate with each season, but this time it was the popular Rapper, and this time it was called 'CACTUS JACK DIOR', a collection that incorporated Travis Scott's signature symbols such as brown and cactus, bringing the show back to the musician's home state of Texas. This is the first time that Dior has collaborated with a musician to create a complete collection. The fashion houses must have realised that the public has become accustomed to 'co-branding' and it is bound to be the next fashion trend to break the dullness and continue to explore the possibilities of co-branding.
These seasonal fashion elements are not only used as a reference, but also as a way to focus on subcultural groups, feed into street culture, break the 'next-generation wall' of co-branding, and redefine the concept of 'gender' on the fashion level. At the same time, there has been a lot of criticism of 'cultural appropriation' and 'co-branding proliferation'. But there is no denying that these initiatives have indeed reinvigorated the fashion scene and made more young people take notice of the work of fashion designers and the culture they convey.
