19 More Fashion Predictions for 2025

The annual predictions issues I publish in this newsletter are some of the most popular stories I write. I’m personally addicted to predictions on any sector — entertainment, tech, politics, real estate, what have you. In the spirit of publishing more of what you love to read, today’s issue is devoted to even more predictions from you, the Back Row community (pulled from the comment section and chat), plus outside experts I’ve asked to contribute.

Thank you so much to everyone who generously took the time to share a prediction with this community. Making predictions can be scary (no one wants to be wrong!) and I appreciate everyone featured here who took a thoughtful swing at it.

Organized by category but otherwise presented in no particular order, here are 19 more predictions for 2025, covering media, trends, designers, menswear, and more.

Media and Marketing

“As trust in social platforms like Instagram, Tiktok, and X continues to erode, people are increasingly turning to Linkedin to share more of their personal lives alongside their professional achievements. It's no surprise to me that as a result of this, we're witnessing the rise of the ‘Linkedinfluencer’ and paid partnerships on the platform. I predict that by the end of 2025, fashion brands are going to begin partnering with Linkedin creators as a way to break through the noise and reach the highly engaged audiences with disposable incomes who make up a significant portion of Linkedin's user base.

—Sarah LaFleur, founder and CEO of M.M.LaFleur

“Affiliate shopping will get even more sophisticated, complex, and competitive and could even become the most dynamic means of shifting the seasonal current of trends and ideas, too. It might sound insane, but affiliate platforms like ShopMy feel a lot like you're shopping from street style again, back when it was really personal, independent, and inspiring. That kind of hyper-focused, deeply personal curation is going to open up a whole new world where authentic personalization can scale (in a good way, not a gross way), especially if smaller/newer brands can play in these arenas, too, (i.e.: not getting blocked by some of these platforms sizeable fees).”

— Christene Barberich, author of the Substack newsletter A Tiny Apt. and co-founder of Refinery29

“Anna will keep her job until she gets tired of it.”

— Anne H., Back Row subscriber

Modeling

“[The year] 2025 will usher in groundbreaking (and long-overdue) protections for fashion models, thanks to New York’s Fashion Workers Act.

“Beginning in June, modeling agencies in New York will be required to follow basic rules, including providing models with deal memos and access to their own contracts with brands, implementing a company policy against sexual harassment and discrimination, and limiting the fees they can deduct from models’ earnings (goodbye to charging interest on their own money, a practice that's been way too common). Agencies will need to register with the state, so aspiring models can more easily tell if they're dealing with a legit agency or a scam. And models will get much-needed safeguards against the misuse of AI — marking the beginning of models exercising control over their image in the digital age.

“If agencies are already treating models fairly and being financially transparent, this Act won’t be a big deal. But for those who’ve been making a profit off exploiting young and aspiring talent, 2025 will be a wakeup call.

“New York’s models deserve basic labor protections — and 2025 will be the year they get them.”

— Sara Ziff, Model Alliance Founding Director

Designers

“I think that by the end of 2025, Maria Grazia Chiuri will no longer be at Dior, and Jonathan Anderson will no longer be at Loewe, and I wonder if Sabato de Sarno will still be at Gucci. Given that most contracts today are two years long, and he started in 2023, probably not. No one in the luxury C-suites has the patience anymore to wait for the effects of a proper turnaround. What I’m sure of: the constant churn in creative directors will continue — it’s the new standard operating procedure — because, as I wrote in my Substack newsletter The Style Files, brands are really no longer about designers. They are guns for hire. I also think that Peter Copping is going to be a grand success at Lanvin. He’s so gifted, cares deeply about heritage, and understands French couture. There’s only one way to go there, and it is up, up, up!”

— , NYT bestselling author of Deluxe, Gods and Kings, and Fashionopolis and Style Files on Substack. (Ed. note: Dana submitted this prediction before the rumors about Anderson going to Dior picked up over the weekend. Lacking confirmation from Dior, we decided to leave the prediction as is.)

“How about Kim Jones at Burberry... I think designers should be given more time like Sabato [de Sarno at Gucci] but I don't really think he will last there. I agree [that Sarah Burton will do well at] McQueen... But finally happy with good designers at the helm instead of the latest buzz. [Matthieu] Blazy the youngest of all but at 42 and with his experience he is very seasoned and I've believed in him since his graduation collection at La Cambre.”

— Diane Pernet, Back Row subscriber and founder of A Shaded View on Fashion

“I could see Thom Browne leaving after seemingly not getting the Chanel gig he was basically designing for.”

— Bobby C., Back Row subscriber

“My only designer prediction for the year is that Demna will be out at Balenciaga. It’s kind of surprising he’s lasted this long tbh, I think he’ll be the next designer musical chairs.”

— GG, Back Row subscriber

Menswear

“I hesitate to repeat such a tired sentiment, but every article on menswear trends I read seems utterly disconnected from reality. None of it resonates with me, particularly since I'm not based in NYC or part of the fashion scene. Cathy Horyn hit the nail on the head in her 2015 New York Times Magazine article — it's hard to believe that was a decade ago — when she argued that we've entered a post-trend universe. Yes, there are small, community-specific trends, but there's no single, sweeping trend anymore. Plus, menswear trends move at a glacial pace, they hardly warrant annual reviews.

“That said, I do think certain things are happening. In the last ten years, we've seen menswear silhouettes fill out again. As we get some distance from the early 2000s, a lot of men are realizing that not everything has to be suction-fit, which means they feel more comfortable playing around with different shapes and silhouettes. Mercifully, people are starting to realize that not everyone looks good in shrunken suits and skin-tight chinos. I also think that the line between menswear and womenswear has been blurring. More men, including me, are taking inspiration from how women style clothes (e.g., big overcoats with wider leg pants, unisex lines such as Lemaire and Auralee, and items such as Tabis and side-zip boots). 1970s sleaze and Westernwear have also seen a revival: giant sunglasses, denim Western shirts, tailored jackets with padded shoulder lines and leafy silhouettes, cowboy boots, etc.

“Overall, I think we'll see a continuation and evolution of these trends: more men feeling comfortable wearing fuller fitting clothes, borrowing inspiration from women, and playing around with workwear, Westernwear, and even themes such as sexiness, which used to be taboo in menswear. In terms of creative directors and brands, I'm interested to see what comes from Haider Ackermann (now at Tom Ford) and Alessandro Michele (now Valentino). Both designers have been so influential in setting the tone of menswear for the last ten years, and those appointments seem to be very good fits, I suspect what's to come this year will shape the conversation.”

— Derek Guy, whose addictive menswear commentary you’ll find on Twitter, Instagram, and Die Workwear

Sustainability

“I think we're going to see even more opposition to plastic in fashion, and a continued rise of interest in natural fibers. Until recently, I don't think most people understood that polyester is plastic. But in the past year, there's been so much discourse — from me, of course, but also from health and wellness influencers, yoga instructors, fertility experts — about the health risks of not only drinking from plastic water bottles, but also wearing synthetic leggings for hot yoga class or wearing synthetic underwear if you're trying to get pregnant. The term ‘endocrine disruptor’ is entering the mainstream discourse across the political spectrum, and synthetic fashion has plenty of those: BPA, phthalates, and PFAS. My most popular post by far is plastic-free athletic gear, and I'm often asked about supportive, natural sports bras or the best natural underwear. I see a lot of consumers getting frustrated to find that even high-priced brands use a lot of polyester, which is becoming synonymous in their minds with "cheap." It's one of the reasons why Quince is doing so well (aside from its truly massive ad spend). It offers natural fibers at an affordable price point. Whether Quince's stuff is actually good quality is another thing, it's not. But Quince is tapping into the zeitgeist very effectively.”

— Alden Wicker, author of To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick — and How We Can Fight Back and founder of Ecocult

“Big Fashion is producing up to 150 billion items annually. At this point, no amount of organic cotton or recycled polyester will save us. Instead, we need legislation and globally accountable Extended Producer Responsibility [EPR] to ensure that brands are held responsible for the entire life cycle of a garment. The first step is for all fashion brands to disclose the number of garments they produce annually, this is where The Or Foundation’s Speak Volumes campaign comes in.

“My fashion prediction for 2025 is that Marks & Spencer — the brand responsible for the largest amount of textile waste washing up on Ghana’s beaches — will be pressured to become the first major fashion brand to share their annual production numbers and publicly endorse the Speak Volumes campaign. From there, Nike — the most polluting brand from the USA — will be pushed to do the same.

“This prediction will only become a reality if we all support the Speak Volumes campaign! You can join our community action efforts by calling on your favourite fashion brand to Speak Volumes. If you work for a fashion brand, you’re perfectly placed to encourage them to share their annual production numbers.”

— Venetia La Manna, fair fashion campaigner whose videos you’ve likely seen on Instagram

The State of Luxury

“This year, luxury fashion will take further beating. Only brands that cater to the super rich like Hermès and Brunello Cucinelli, and relatively untouchable brands whose brand equity trumps everything else — namely, Chanel, Dior, and Louis Vuitton — will weather the storm. The downward shift in luxury consumption is not just cyclical this time; there is also a structural adjustment. First, new heads at brands like Gucci and Burberry have not been able to produce compelling work, while Givenchy, Versace, and Lanvin have been adrift for years. Firing creative directors in Europe is uncouth, so it is most likely that these brands will allow their contracts to expire, and even then there is no guarantee that new creative directors will turn these brands around. According to Bain, it takes five years for sales to peak at a luxury brand after a new creative director is appointed, and when was the last time we saw someone even last this long?

“But more importantly, the middle class is priced out of luxury fashion, and it will take time for its members to adjust to the new pricing reality, unless brands begin to lower prices (at which point they will jeopardize the entire notion of luxury by treating their products just like any other commodity). Furthermore, many young people don't view luxury fashion as cool, partly because they are priced out, so they are forced to make other fashion cool, such as vintage. Here, they will follow in the footsteps of the previous generations who made streetwear cool, partly because luxury fashion has kept them at arm's length."

— Eugene Rabkin, editor of StyleZeitgeist magazine and the host of the StyleZeitgeist podcast.

“I predict luxury fashion will become ever more reliant on ‘nouveaux riches’ (India being touted as the New China and such) while the attention of tastemakers and early adopters continues to shift away from fashion, towards other forms of recreational shopping/signaling (Ozempic is more aspirational than a tacky LV bag that too many people own anyway).”

— Simone O., Back Row subscriber

“[H]igh-end (and POC-owned) streetwear brands like Casablanca, Fear of God, and Rhude will struggle and/or get bought as mainstream fashion houses further incorporate overt streetwear aesthetics into their collections. ‘25 will be a year where Big Capital flexes its muscles on smaller businesses generally — in luxury, you’re already seeing that with LVMH[-backed private equity firm L Catterton] acquiring [a majority stake in] Kapital (pun intended). We are well past the streetwear hype cycle, so it’s time for these brands to cash in or crash out.”

— Travis L., Back Row subscriber

“A New Romanticism”

“Seeing this Chloé-esque dress go semi-viral among influencers on TikTok recently only further convinced me that we're going to see a rise in feminine, frilly, romantic, and perhaps even Victorian-inspired style in the year ahead. We will start to see more people looking to break up the monotony of minimalist wardrobe classics that have dominated the market from high to low in recent years. Chemena Kamali's new Chloé will be an inspiration point, but you could also see it in the recent collections of smaller designers like Colleen Allen and Salon 1884.”

— Chantal Fernandez, Fashion Features Writer at The Cut and author of Selling Sexy: Victoria’s Secret and the Unraveling of an American Icon

“Right now, we’re in the midst of The Row-ification of fashion (not unlike the Celine-ifiction that happened several years ago). The brand’s influence is everywhere, and one of the things I love about this is that it has made simplicity and comfort fashionable. But you and I both know that inevitably the pendulum will swing back the opposite way. Eventually, embellishment, texture, pattern, and trim will all be back in vogue. I think we are already seeing the preamble to this with Alessandro Michele’s return at Valentino. Those clothes are so rich and layered in print and detail. I believe there is a budding reactionary interest in more worked and stylized clothes. So, for 2025, I predict that more designers will be offering their own counter-minimalist proposals and thus launching a new conversation about ornament, craftsmanship, and savoir-faire.

“But it won’t be about being simply lavish and over-the-top. What is crucial is that these new rich and textured clothes are also charming, romantic, and easy. It’s about the tension of conspicuously expensive textiles, details, and techniques being used to create garments and looks that are humble or enlightened in their overall sensibility. It reopens doors to familiar fashion favorites like Boho and Hippie Chic (which just received an energetic revival by Chemena Kamali at Chloé), but I think it’s more about Poiret, Japonisme, Arts & Crafts, Wiener Werkstätte, Art Deco, Fortuny, Romeo Gigli, Pre-Raphaelites, and 1920s Lanvin. It also includes all things folk and fantastical like Koos Van Den Akker and Bill Gibb, as well as all things pastoral and period from Laura Ashley to Gunne Sax to ‘70s Ralph Lauren. This could all just be my wishful thinking, but I feel in my gut a new romanticism coming. An extremely sophisticated and terribly chic romanticism. I don’t expect 2025 to be a great year and I think we’re all going to need that kind of flourishing objective beauty to offset the darker tones of the real world without being irresponsibly escapist.

— Jeremy Lewis, author of on Substack, and a great Instagram follow

Pragmatism Is Here to Stay

“Products come, products go. There was a lot of ‘trying to attain happiness—and fantasy — through products’ throughout COVID. Then, we tried to apply that same fantasy-by-way-of-product to the real world when we returned to office, returned to life. Now, people are fatigued, and you can see that in what people post or write about. There's constant chatter about the end of micro-trends or cores. People want to thoughtfully wear their clothes. I predict more world-building in campaigns, editorials, and advertising in the coming year to give people a sense of ‘this is how you wear clothes in real life.’ Perhaps there will be more '90s-style, scene-setting photography to push this point forward. There will be fewer ‘viral, for-the-gram’ clothes, probably resulting in less risk-taking, but more wearable pieces.”

— Liana Statenstein, author of NEVERWORNS on Substack and Vogue contributor

“I predict that this year women stop changing out of their heels and into their sneakers on the sidewalk immediately after a meeting and just wear the sneakers to the meeting.”

— , street style photographer and author of on Substack

“2025 is the year of the snake, so we will see snake-related everything, especially snake print. Here for it, because it’s my fav animal-based print.”

— B S, Back Row subscriber