Highlights from the Fall/Winter 2024 Menswear Collections

The 2024 Fall/Winter Menswear collections were showcased in Milan and Paris, respectively. Several exciting concepts and developments were shown across the suite of luxury designers. This article offers an overview of a few memorable collections from this season.

Pharrell Williams, Louis Vuitton's Men's Creative Director, journeys into the American frontier with his latest menswear show. Inspired by iconic workwear from America's early days, the collection transforms utilitarian garments into high fashion through meticulous craftsmanship. 

The runway showcases a progression from everyday workwear to refined American dandy, featuring leather cowboy hats, vaquero jackets, and suits adorned with Western imagery, including original cowboy paintings, cacti chain stitches, and floral embroideries. 

Collaboration with native populations, from which the fashion is derived, is a cornerstone of the collection. Artists from the Dakota and Lakota nations contributed to accessories, scenery, and the soundtrack, actively countering the white-washed portrayal of the West. The collection's intentional inclusion of Dakota and Lakota culture is evident in details like embroidered Dakota flower motifs on bags and hand-painted parfleche imagery. 

The show included a desert landscape backdrop reminiscent of classic Western movies, complemented by a film prelude featuring animator Ron Husband and a performance by the Native Voices of Resistance, fully immersing the audience in Louis Vuitton’s take on the Wild West.

JW Anderson's Fall/Winter 2024 collection draws inspiration from Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. Designer Jonathan Anderson expresses his newfound fascination with Christine Kubrick, the artist behind many artworks in the film. Collaborating with the 91-year-old Christine, the collection features knit jersey dresses adorned with her depictions, including potted plants, car windshields, and her cat Polly. 

The red Poinsettia plants that adorned various of Anderson’s pieces nod to the film's Christmas theme and pay tribute to Christine's quiet involvement in cinema. Anderson continuously plays with dimensions, inflating cardigans and bloomers with eccentric satin linings while experimenting with oversized elements like exaggerated shoulders, sleeves, and trousers. Despite the collection's daring quirks, Anderson strikes a balance, creating highly imaginative yet wearable pieces that showcase his unique touch.

The KENZO Fall-Winter 2024 Collection offers pieces encompassing both men’s and women's wear. Under Nigo as Creative Director, the fashion house embraces a cross-cultural exploration, with non-Western influences being brought to Paris fashion. Notes from Akira Kurosawa's samurai films are present throughout the collection. 

The collection seamlessly blends Japanese tradition with sci-fi elements, featuring a kimono coat resembling a warrior cape, a weave inspired by a Japanese fireman's jacket, and a plissé dress draped like a space fiction heroine's cloak. Edo Komon's dot pattern from fifteenth-century kimonos transforms into star constellations in prints and embroideries. Western utility and military influences surface in flight jackets, cargo suits, and shearling jackets, subtly infused with the codes of another universe.

Emporio Armani's Fall/Winter 2024 collection took center stage during Milan Fashion Week in the atmospheric backdrop of a fictitious dark lighthouse. Set to Loredana Berte's "Il Mare D'inverno," the menswear line embraced a nautical theme, reflecting Armani's love for the sea through sharp formalwear, precise tailoring, and a neutral color palette. Navy sailor hats, buttoned overcoats, and zip-up jackets with silk cut-outs echoed a maritime feel, complemented by black leather gloves, bulky boots, and striped sweaters.

Shifting to browns and beiges, Armani's virtuoso tailoring showcased blazers and trenches paired with billowing trousers, while skiwear featured down parkas, puffers, and knitwear in snow-white tones. Maritime motifs adorned gray formal coats, leading to crystal-covered eveningwear, offering a tasteful feminine touch to traditional men's suiting separates.

Fendi's Fall/Winter 2024 menswear collection embraces a dual theme, blending traditional masculine silhouettes inspired by the great outdoors with a metropolitan "swagger." Designer Silvia Venturini Fendi describes it as "town and country." The runway, shaped like the letter "F," features unexpected elements, with the highlight being the incorporation of skirts, skorts, and kilts into the menswear lineup. The feminine shape becomes a prominent theme, appearing in various materials like thick wool and slim cotton, challenging traditional norms.

Generous outerwear designs feature raglan shoulders, leather tab buttons, and Selleria collars, with fisherman's coats and wax jackets adopting the iconic "FF" canvas. The collection includes a diverse array of roomy trousers in corduroy, denim, and mohair materials. Fendi introduces new accessories, including the Siesta bag and Melon Hobo, alongside the return of classics like the Peekaboo ISeeU Soft.

The Fendi man in 2024 is characterized by an excellent ability to mix and propose pieces in new ways, showcasing a progressive approach to classic suiting and rugged jackets. Venturini Fendi explores the complexity of modern manhood, expanding Fendi's appeal to a broader audience and transcending town and country boundaries.

In both Paris and Milan, menswear makes an effort to honor its influences properly. From the Dakota and Lakota tribes to the maritime sailors of yesteryear, a motley crew of tastes and inspirations graced the runway this season, and we are all the better for it.