A.I. (Artisanal Intelligence)Takes Over at Tod’s
Review of Tod’s Fall 2025 Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Artisanal Intelligence, The Matter and the Material, Authentic Elegance
On entering todays showspace guests were wowed by a near ceiling-height dress whose skirt went on for ‘miles’ (or the very least meters). Covering half the floor at the entrance it was an art piece dreamt up by artist Nelly Agassi and Tod’s creative director Matteo Tamburini as a punchy way to demonstrate how materials can be transformed via the hands of skilled artisans. That aforementioned skirt was formed of hundreds of recycled leather fragments, and the piece would later be worn by famed model Carla Bruni who climbed into the bodice and wielded a giant sewing needle, as a representation of the power of the simple tools that craftsmen and women everywhere have used to build an entire industry.
In a press preview prior to the show we came to understand this transformation as ‘Artisanal Intelligence’, the original A.I. which was highlighted to “celebrates the wisdom of master craftsmen and the quality of Tod’s, reminding that behind every product there are skilled hands and great human experience that no one can ever replace.”
If there is one thing Italian women have never lacked it’s personality, and finding this trait a strength Tamburini leaned into our ability to own our individuality, which opened the door for a fall collection based on transformation. Speaking before the show he discussed wanting to make the materials used in the collection expressive and make each surface look richer, 3D, like Tod’s artisans had got their hands onto it to bring it to life. Revealing a jacquard wool had, had hairspray applied and was “brushed right to the limit, close to erosion so it’s becomes near transparent” was the process described by the creative director. The pliable nature of the materials – buttery leather, cozy furs, and weighty ribbed knits – was something that purposefully stood out, with the designer confirming “[the collection is] based on the matter, so the material. We liked the idea of taking key materials and turning them into something new”. This look to the new also involved a mix of soft and strict, as tailoring and outerwear was constructed in a way that was much more streamlined, bringing to mind the fact that we haven’t seen fitted tailoring on the runway in a number of years. Giving a better understanding of the need for tension in collections.
THE DIRECTION
THE QUOTE
We wanted the surfaces [of the material] to look richer, more three-dimensional, and as if someone had put his hands on it and played with it”
Matteo Tamburini, Creative Director, Tod’s
THE WRAP UP
Calling it “a natural step forward from where we started from” Tamburini has evolved with a sharper focus, not just in his vision for Tod’s but in the silhouettes themselves. Not a wholesale rejection of the well-designed relaxed silhouettes from last season, but more of a redressing of the balance in his offering and a refinement “deeply rooted in reality”.
