Hed Mayner’s Lived-in Structures Come Undone
Review of Hed Mayner Spring 2025 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
THE THEME
Last season Hed Mayner opted for a presentation over a runway show, but in returning to the trusted format, those who witnessed his spring 2025 offering were not disappointed. As by getting up-close (quite literally, as the runway was mere millimetres away from the front row) to the designers latest collection you gained a true appreciation for Mayner’s unquestionable talent with an outsized silhouette.
Moving away from the restrictive construction techniques that have made his brand covetable in forward-thinking circles was a brave move for the designer, but in a break away from the overall mood of the season, Mayner is willing to embrace something new in order to go “against habit” according to today’s notes. Speaking to The Impression backstage Mayner said of the collection “The garments already have this kind of body language imposed on them, so when you wear them, it gives you a character and at the same time you are in a familiar world. You can recognise the piece as it’s not something which is made from scratch, it has a history”. And here familiar silhouettes were challenged in softer materials which cocooned the body of the wearer. There were tapered trousers and a lightweight waistcoat which was almost falling off the shoulders, a shorts suit was a new, more relaxed iteration of the summer uniform, and waistbands were gathered, but still belted to create a directional new detail. The designer also flipped silhouettes on their head as a tailored blazer was worn inside out and stripped of its sleeves, while a home-made plissé was used to demonstrate how something big could also be used to create something small. “We created a home-made plissé to create a squeezed or shrunken effect, so you still find the fabric is big, but you create a small silhouette” explained Mayner.
The use of new textiles were also used to foster new relationships between the body and the clothes, as Mayner said backstage that “There is a lot of relation between the skin and the clothes with this collection, as you see with the slashed cable sweater, that allows the air to come in”. To this point there were also slashes and openings created using fastenings such as zips and buttons on denim shorts and a crisp cotton shirt, adding an evolutionary slant to todays collection.
A tie-up with sneaker brand Reebok also produced 90s inspired high-tops which were a cross between basketball and cross-training, but what looked most innovative were the styles made in undyed sponge with raw edges.
THE BUZZWORDS
Breaking the tension of structure, reimagining proportions, pulling the outside in
THE SHOWSTOPPER
Look #9
Experiment’s with a classic shirt resulted in a multi-layered construction that twists tradition, as the hem of a second shirt is overlaid as a belt and the opening is shifted to the back.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
There is a lot of relation between the skin and the clothes with this collection, as you see with the slashed cable sweater, that allows the air to come in.
Hed Mayner, creative director, Hed Mayner
THE WRAP UP
In only a few short seasons Hed Mayner has become the name to know for outsized silhouettes that have the effect of enhancing the body rather than enveloping it, but in todays spring 2025 collection there was an unexpected challenge – which the designer had self-imposed – to reimagine his signature silhouettes using new textiles and pulling back on the focus around construction. What was presented was just as desirable as ever, as the designer shifts into a new way-of-working that still embeds volume but utilises fabric to give it a “buoyancy and persuasive grace” according to todays notes.
