An Experimental New Beginning For Hed Mayner’s Opulent Proportions
Review of Hed Mayner Fall 2025 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Opulent Proportions, Dynamic Experimentation, Rugged Play
Creativity at the mercy of reality is a statement in todays show notes that could sum up the state of luxury fashion right now. Yet, as the designer also explained, for him this moment in time is one for potential, saying “This is a beginning full of dynamism”. This can mainly be attributed to the fact that he has moved from the studio he once called home for close to a decade (7 years to be precise), which has given him the head (and physical) space to imagine anew.
Now creating clothes inside his factory he is working with his hands again and forming a new relationship with his craft. This has created a collection where different ideas were tested which resulted in a wholly positive effect. The lines of each garment for fall 2025 were guided by “a craving for fluidity, shapeshifting” which gave each look a dose of generous movement. His curved pant shapes created with excess fabric were caught and belted at the waist and tapered at the ankle creating the dynamic movement Mayner spoke of just starting to explore. Even the toughest of materials, from leather to denim were given over to a swooping effect and his textural additions from knitted fringing to wispy fur protruding from collars and cuffs confirmed the designers openness to ‘approaching newness’ in light of the changes which have taken place in his studio.
The brand is most well-known for helping men achieve the delicate balance of taking up space (from a fashion sense) through larger-than-life silhouettes that never appear to drown, and it still feels relevant right now. Today there was a certain ruggedness to his designs accompanying his signature tailoring, as he experimented with new fabrics. Fur (could it be the material choice of the season?) in the form of shearling made another guest appearance along with a detail popular at the women’s spring 2025 shows in September i.e. fringing. Here, in the absence of embellished tassels or decorative borders a compact knit in a blanket check was cut into with fringed hems and reworked as oversized pants and bolero jackets styled over knitwear and suiting. This was another alternative take on the ‘Outdoor Man’ which designers have been playing with this season – especially creative was the MA1 bomber jacket with circular cut-outs allowing an under-layer of fleece to peak through. Evidence of the space the designer has given himself for “more rigour in the experimentation of cut and gesture”.
As we have seen across the season the need to experiment has not been tempered by the financial troubles of the luxury market, as designers are being tested to, in many ways, prove their collections are worthy of consideration. Undoubtedly this has led to a shift in the way the brand is remodelling its approach, but sacrificing nothing when it comes to “the extremity of opulent proportion”. And this is what is breaking Mayner out from his comfort zone into something entirely more dynamic.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
Mayner’s impossible silhouettes are a lesson in the art of a designer working in sync with his pattern-cutter, as how each voluminous style achieves the simple task of adhering to the wearers body can only be put down to expert engineering. As explained in todays notes “The shoulder on a tailored jacket [is] built high, only to collapse over the torso” his clothing pools around the body while maintaining its functionality and holding to the wearer. Now, by shifting out of the familiar (his studio, his choice of fabrics) a rejuvenation is taking place within his fall 2025 collection that is at once dynamic, and also at the mercy of no outside influence.
