With the Paris Olympics on the horizon, the spring/summer 2025 menswear collections at Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks are proudly showcasing their team spirit, drawing heavy inspiration from the upcoming Games.
Lebo Malope is once again flying the South African flag high, e for some of the world’s top luxury brands. This season, he made his runway debut at Gucci and returned to Louis Vuitton. DJ Uncle Waffles and DJ Black Coffee were also spotted mingling with A-listers like Burna Boy, Tems, Colman Domingo, Sabrina Carpenter, and Pharrell Williams, who unveiled his latest collection at Louis Vuitton.
On Monday, Limpopo-born model Malope channeled Italian suave, strutting down the hallways of the arts and design museum Triennale di Milano for Gucci’s creative director Sabato De Sarno’s surfer-inspired presentation. “Bonjour Sowetan! Backstage at Gucci was so cool. The Gucci team and family were friendly, and I felt welcomed. The outfit they put me in was a good fit and felt awesome. Their shoe collection for the show was amazing,” Malope told Sowetan LIVE in-between fittings on Wednesday morning. “It was a nice experience as it was my first time walking… We toasted at the end of the show with champagne, and they gifted me with a T-shirt.”
In a heartwarming video on X (formerly Twitter), Uncle Waffles is seen hugging Malope and congratulating him on his achievement of walking at Paris Fashion Week.
As the countdown to the Olympics on July 26 begins, the final stretch of men’s fashion weeks in Paris is set to showcase more dazzling collections. According to Sowetan LIVE, Paris Fashion Week 2024 featured standout fashion trends with an emphasis on physique and tailoring. Think working vacation: structured shoulders with blazers paired with sleeveless dress shirts, coordinating shorts, and slim-fit patent boots. Gucci’s runway featured models in buttoned-up collared shirts paired with blazer jackets and shorts, completed with trench coats. Fendi and Louis Vuitton models walked in checkered suiting styles with coordinating headgear, wide-legged trousers, neckties, and slip-on flats from last season.
Puffer jackets, fur coats, evening-wear suits, and varsity jackets were glamorised with metallic and crystal appliqué embroidery. At Louis Vuitton, models wowed in glittery evening suits, adding pizazz to the modern men’s uniform. They also sported fur jackets in shades of sand and chocolate brown, adorned with crystal engravings. Gucci models sparkled in fringe outerwear paired with red liquorice candy accessories, epitomising the fusion of fashion and fun.
With such electrifying fashion on display and a star-studded lineup, Paris Fashion Week 2024 has set a high bar, leaving fashion enthusiasts eagerly anticipating the Olympics-inspired trends to come.
