During Paris Fashion Week, Balenciaga presented its Fall/Winter 2025 collection. The 80 looks, for both men and women, opened with a standard suit, shirt, and tie but quickly transformed through the creative vision and will of the brand’s artistic director, Demna. The collection challenged traditional notions of proportions, looseness, volume, and style, while also introducing collaborative collections with PUMA and the professional biker brand Alpinestars.
The suits, whether smooth, pleated, or with a “moth-eaten” effect, represented the diverse identity of the non-typical businessperson. After a long women’s trench coat, a black Alpinestars helmet emblazoned with the Balenciaga logo made a bold appearance, embodying the spirit of a fashion rebel. Nylon paired with suit trousers, ultra-narrow vintage denim jackets, oversized goggles with high-neck, extra-long knit sweaters, floor-skimming trench coats, and fuzzy sleepwear-inspired long coats with biker gloves continuously pushed the limits of style, formality, and traditional dress, drawing closer to streetwear and extreme sports. The sculptural daring and deliberate exaggeration or compression of proportions are classic Demna techniques. The overall presentation carried an air of danger, extremity, and avant-garde, reflecting Balenciaga’s ongoing style proposition for the season.
Beyond the clothing, the runway also featured a second collaboration with Alpinestars. Through high-density carbon fiber helmets, SMX-2 Air Carbon V2 gloves, and Morph gloves, the collection highlighted the brand’s commitment to expanding its competitive racing style into professional gear. Additionally, Balenciaga partnered with sports giant PUMA to create the Speedcat Ultrasoft vintage-style suede leather shoes, based on PUMA’s Speedcat model, and a line of athletic wear with the Balenciaga lion emblem, featuring ultra-dry cotton fleece. The collection fused numerous 1990s PUMA design elements, including shearling sports jackets and leather bathrobe coats with reversed cotton-fleece linings that created optical illusions.
Collaborations between affordable sports brands and luxury labels have been increasingly common in recent years. The Balenciaga X PUMA collaboration is expected to release more pieces, with additional drops planned for 2025.
