Adrian Appiolaza showed distinct gestures of luxury for Moschino’s spring-summer 2025 collection with a quirky nod to classics.
How do you blend poignancy with the sweet, subversive streak of subcultures? That’s the self-commissioned pursuit that Moschino’s creative director Adrian Appiolaza very much intends to accomplish.
The designer’s collections evolved out of the young creative’s experiments in fitting men’s volumes onto a woman’s body. In the beginning that meant blowing up, unpicking, streamlining and twisting Franco Moschino’s archival pieces in a play of over-meets-undersized which further provoked inevitable comparisons with designers of his calibre.
Now Appiolaza is moving on, applying his knowledge and lessons learned by developing a far more cohesive feeling across his lineup. Still using the like-minded characters of his practice—which he calls “shared identities”—SS25 explores communities of dressing, where fashion leaves a mark as a result of distinct groups, echoing and reflecting one another’s spirit.
Everyday essentials become part of a more mature equation where ordinary seams are elevated by pearly details. The grown-up step as seen in dresses fused with printed silk housecoats worked well, and tailoring is held together and deconstructed too. Honing his occasionally sophomoric experiments (outerwear made out of upholstery, anyone?), and adding a little drape to the mix of neutral textiles, Appiolaza portended well for a good balance of masculinity and femininity.
There were playful moments seen across the chalk drawings originally created by Franco Moschino as a child, reproduced as ‘graffito’ on dark tailored offerings. He revisited some of the house’s earlier dissections of traditional tailoring but with a lighter touch: standouts included the first looks that had a tasteful breeziness to them, birthing a fuss-free philosophy.
In a creative shift that sees the fashion system in a troubled state, the world could use a little of Appiolaza’s levity to balance things out.
by Chidozie Obasi