The Return of The Material Girl: NYFW SS25 roundup and why the runway is trading fads for fabric and cultishness for craftsmanship

It is no secret that the pendulum of fashion trends hypnotically and unwaveringly swings back and forth from season to season. The number of collections churned out by brands each year is at an all time high, driven by consumers hungry to do what they do best: consume. Luxury fashion houses that once produced two to four seasons annually, now crank out six to nine, moving the pendulum at such a rapid rate, it will have moved to one extremity of the trend spectrum faster than you can say the word fad. New York Fashion Week’s Spring/Summer 2025 runway might have broken a cycle that the industry can no longer keep up with. While no universal silhouette, style, or color (projecting next season’s hypertrend only to be forgotten a mere three months later) was in sight, one common denominator was blatant: materiality, and exquisite materiality at that. 

Before hopping into this season’s greatest hits, allow me to lead us down a trend-centric trip down memory lane of SS24’s modernist and minimal “quiet luxury” rage. Playing as an ode to aviation and a modern homage to previous collections, Saint Laurent’s utilitarian cargo style khaki, black, and cream jumpsuits and trenches were hardly innovative. Helmut Lang’s highly anticipated runway revival featuring Peter Do’s first season as creative director left cult followers wanting more, with flat black leather and denim formalwear and the occasional pink satin embellishment. Cool girl gone soft Khaite released models clad in neutral organza dresses, silk blouses, and oversized suit jackets naked of detail apart from exaggerated leather lapels. Repetitive kitten heel pumps marched alongside one unbothered model after the next. It seems as though even campy and unserious brands like AREA put obscenity on the back-burner, in a collection overwhelmed by lack of color and ample with repetition. It seemed as though the desire to look expensive became synonymous with lifelessness. 

Now, do not allow my criticism of last year’s fashion faux pas to serve as a jump onto the tired bandwagon that “the New York fashion scene is dead.” I think we all know that that humdrum narrative is a) not entirely true and b) has only fallen into a coma from our silly little demand for more, before our poor seamstresses have finished threading their bobbins. Instead, let the landscape of NYFW a mere year ago serve as a foil to the 180º turn that it took this season. What traveled down the runway last week found a balance between maximalism and minimalism, futurism and timelessness, avant garde and wearability, and branding and ingenuity, all thanks to an eruption of materiality. 

Maison Alaia conceived an analogous runway and collection, with bouncy puffer skirts and spiral shearling and draping matching the spiral staircase of the Guggenheim Museum where the show took place. 

Khaite’s Katherin Holstein celebrated the recent birth of her child, inspiring the presence of the womb in her designs (Ala the Art Deco movement’s Eileen Gray), featuring the introduction of soft pinks, geometric crotchets, and silk and organza draping and tailoring.

AREA was back in the raunchy races with their 10 year anniversary collection, where hands of AREA employees were photocopied and printed on wool and denim dresses. Laser copied and double faced nylon origami was molded to look like feathers and even latex dish gloves, along with their classic crystal embellishments and animal prints.

Grace Ling, one of the industry’s most anticipated new designers to watch crafted metal thorned and birded dresses. The collection from start to finish invented sculptural styles and hardware, while mixing in wearable sheer knits. Rose inspired skirts and bags blurred the line between fashion and art.

Ronald Van Der Kemp discovered a versatile use of the American flag on his 9/11 runway show in denims, dresses, boots, and even absurd oversized scarves. While no two looks were alike, his use of vintage, sustainable, and upcycled textiles with wacky styles and patchwork told a story of 1980’s Americana. 

Rachel Scott of Diotima proudly justified her nomination for American Womenswear Designer of the Year in this season’s presentation. Her classic knitwear was taken up a notch, with detailing like crystal encrusted perforated jeans and melted down paillettes resembling encrusted shells in the form of garment embellishments and accessories.  

Tory Burch continued the brand’s revival, toeing the line between femininity and durability. Wire placed underneath business casual midi skirts, elastic hems beneath formal dresses, and crystal embellished bodysuits and bathing suits all redefined the meaning of the utilitarian woman. 

And finally Weiderhoft…ah Weiderhoft. The brand’s signature impeccably crafted corsets took an unconventional twist as models confidently epitomized comfy chic in grey jersey corsetry. The additional wide variety of fabrics featured down the runway included lace trappings, shiny sequins, loose fitting latex, and overall impeccably crafted gown adornments.

So as the pendulum swing slowly comes to a lull, it seems as though New York’s fashion scene is reclaiming its personality. Luxury and emerging fashion brands alike are rediscovering their individuality through fabrication, ditching exhaustive and short lived trend manias, and instead joining the built-to-last movement of materiality. 

*Please note that not all of the photos included in this article are owned by Ayala Chocron. All rights to these images belong to their respective photographers and copyright holders

RDVK SS25

RDVK SS25

AREA SS25