Indian designer Kartik Kumra, who is the founder of designer brand Kartik Research, presented a collection that merged opulent craftsmanship and ’90s references at Paris Fashion Week. He spotlighted two inspirations—Yashwant Rao Holkar II, the Maharaja of Indore during the ’30s and Sourav Ganguly, the captain of the Indian cricket team in the ’90s—to create a collection that championed Indian artisanship and local heritage.

Meanwhile, German duo Serhat Isik and Benjamin Alexander Huseby, who have together founded designer label GmbH, brought Palestinian design elements to the Paris runway through handmade keffiyah—cotton headdresses fashioned from square scarves that are the national symbol of Palestine—made by refugees in Jordan, as well as motifs such as evil eye that’s linked to Isik’s Turkish heritage.

Red has become a bit ubiquitous on the runways in recent times, thanks to the “pop of red” trend that took off at the end of 2023—but now both Loewe and Gucci are introducing a new colour altogether to brighten up a look. Acid yellow and olive green are the trending colours seen at both houses, and are implemented through bags or gloves, as seen on the Paris and Milan runways for Loewe  and Gucci respectively.

Scarves are a classic autumn and winter accessory, but the styling makes all the difference. At Milan Fashion Week, Zegna had chunky knitted scarves effortlessly bundled around model’s necks atop coats, while Giorgio Armani opted for delicately tied neckerchiefs to add a touch of flair to velvet suits. 

There’s been a more playful approach to menswear shows, with room for fun performative elements. The KidSuper presentation in Paris saw a model wearing an all-black crochet set that unravelled as he walked down the runway, revealing a crisp white ensemble underneath.

Meanwhile, Dsquared2 played with the concept of instant fashion, where one model walked through a machine and their twin emerged in a different look at Milan Fashion Week.

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