SHOWnews: Alaïa Architecture, Stella McCartney Aviaries, The Courréges Square

100% Pure Alaïa

In a room full of doves

I'm waiting for the Angels

Spreading my wings

So I can fly

• Grace Jones ('Wiliams’ Blood')

...always nice interweaving Azzedine Alaïa’s iconic muses into this Pieter Mulier iteration of Alaïa.

In his new Winter Spring 25 campaign, Mulier distillates an essence of Alaïa purity — something scintillating yet second nature — into a striking moment captured by Tyrone Lebon. Daria Werbowy centres serenity in an ethereal space where natural Miami light bathes her, illuminating sculptural lines reminiscent of Azzedine’s own (the nerd in me recalls one in silk mousseline from 2003, my favourite ever Azzedine Alaïa show).

Mulier’s architectural dress weirdly coalesces with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater home here. Fallingwater itself is a structural ode to organic quietude extending naturally from the mountains it rests under. Daria’s presence unifies environment with essence to portray an organic beautyresulting in both contemporary and eternal perspectives. She connects the slight distance of eras between Azzedine and Pieter here. She is the Alaïa woman in free, unadorned, radiant simplicity.

‘Daria is the perfect extension of the show at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. With her powerful sensuality that emanates effortlessly, she embodies this collection like no one else. She is the ultimate woman.’

• Pieter Mulier, Creative Director, Alaïa

The campaign defines both the collection (that ivory Guggenheim spiral) and the thoroughbred women who wore Azzedine, and will wear Pieter. Mulier reconstructs Daria Werbowy’s aura that transcend interiors into a canvas for heightened visions of women. We know this is a deeply Alaïa quality, which is why we enjoy this moment a lot.

Stella McCartney Takes Flight For S/S 25

Stella McCartney’s new S/S 25 campaign, reunites select cast members from their A/W 24 animals and artists version — featuring Eva Mendes, and Raye — with new cohorts Myha’la and Alex Consani. Splicing AI-avian wonders (you know, cool-looking doves) next to each campaign star drives home Stella McCartney’s ongoing call-to-action manifesto, titled ‘Save What You Love’ for spring. Drawing inspiration from Jonathan Franzen’s The End of the End of the Earth, the campaign emphasises urgency to protect our planet’s bird species, which face the threat of decline and extinction. This season’s collection champions sustainability with 96% conscious materials, making S/S 25 Stella McCartney’s most eco-forward collection to date, while celebrating beauty in nature and human forms.

Each star amplifies a cause they believe in. Myha’la is an advocate for racial and social justice, while reigning Model of the Year (and SHOWstudio fave) Alex Consani advocates for inclusivity in fashion and the rights of trans children. Eva Mendes, a longtime champion of women and children, draws on her Latin heritage to propel entrepreneurial initiatives aimed at reducing plastic waste. Raye’s voice for music amplifies its platform to confront the industry's impact on marginalised communities. Photographer Ethan James Green shoots a fully coherent visual representation of Stella McCartney’s ongoing mission to evolve fashion with ethical design, for intelligent collections that soar with purposefulness.

Courréges Magic Is In The Square

A long geometric game propels the Courrèges S/S 25 campaign forward. The ‘Carré Magique’ anchors its signature design principle from the A/W 24 collection for a different . The ‘magic square’ inspires a stark background that invites a loft-sized window frame for Courrèges to show the clothes. Less an obelisk mass from A/W 24 campaign, the Carré Magique holds space as a window to Nicolas Di Felice’s collection, where geometry danced with time. The Courrèges universe lets the light in, revealing how micro to infinity tailoring intertwines seamlessly around bodies. Mark Borthwick teams again with Di Felice and scenographer Rémy Brière to set design models in windows — Jeanne Cadieu, Sara Caballero and Leon Dame among others — who lounge around the magic square to reduce pretension kissed by sunlight.

The campaign illustrates the Carré Magique from S/S 25 as a longform story. This time it unlocks a world of optimism that feels almost too real. Its magic metaphor is freedom — an inner landscape where every personal narrative becomes possible. Courrèges insists that you journal those pages starting now.

Ann Demeulemeester For Save The Children

Ann Demeulemeester pauses the elongated concepts binding neu rave and classic rock to embrace the infinite need for philanthropy. The house introduces a limited-edition t-shirt in collaboration with Save the Children, blending trademark Demeulemeester poetic elegance to a higher purpose. This exclusive piece, designed by creative director Stefano Gallici, extends the house’s long-standing commitment to social responsibility, while continuing to infuse fashion with meaning beyond hollow aesthetics. As part of the collaboration, all proceeds from t-shirt sales will benefit Save the Children, providing essential resources to children around the world that contribute to their brighter futures. Gallici has a vision always circling around sonic landscapes rooted in artistry. These genuine values are applied to express an honourable cause, further intertwining Demeulemeester’s legacy that blends creativity with compassion:

‘We are honored to support Save the Children. This collaboration allows us to extend our creative vision beyond fashion, contributing to a cause that resonates with our brand’s values.’

• Stefano Gallici, Creative Director, Ann Demeulemeester

The limited-edition t-shirt will be available at the Ann Demeulemeester flagship store in Antwerp, as well as through the Ann Demeulemeester online store and at selected retailers, from 21 February, 2025.

Off-White™ Puma And AC Milan Dream In Dreamland

Off-White™ have re-joined forces with AC Milan while adding Puma to toast Black History Month proper. Since 2022, Off-White™ and the football club have partnered on initiatives to drive decidedly positive outcomes. That inherent spirit sees the Big 3 collaborate on a merger between football, fashion and a cultural moment that transcends sport. Dreamland marks their collective tapestry of values and vision-making across football gear. The kit's number ‘63’ references AC Milan's first European Cup victory in 1963. It also cross-references Martin Luther King Jr.'s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. This fusion of sport and culture, underpinned by historical activism, is a testament to how dreams unite and inspire. This is a typical Off-White™ example to leave space for endless progress.

The new kit arrives in two Pan-African colourways that typify unity, excellence and progress. The design features bold transitions in color, including a fade from black to power green, accentuated with yellow and red detailing. The kit incorporates the trademark Off-White™ logo whose arrows connect to symbolise strength through connective unity. To bring this vision to life in the digital space, Dreamland expands into Rocket League and Fortnite, where fans can interact with the kit’s design through exclusive in-game activations. Launching in February, Dreamland deliberately coincides with Black History Month, to emphasise what Dr. King’s dreamland hoped to visualise — a democratic utopia striving together in unison.

The AC Milan x Off-White™ is available at Puma stores and online, AC Milan Official Stores, store.milan.com and select retailers worldwide from 14 February.

Songzio Orchids In Spring

Avant-visual Korean fashion house Songzio introduces its first womenswear collection through a new campaign titled 'orchid,' shot by the renowned Cho Gi-Seok. We’ve become fans of Songzio and Gi-Seok this past year. Their new campaign interprets the strong presence that highly feminised beauty brings to the fore, similar to the flower this campaign draws its name from. Visual storytelling here is another exploration of Songzio’s ongoing collaboration with Gi-Seok, a surreal depiction of how beauty blossoms with imagination. Gi-Seok’s lens addresses blossoms as bursts that detonate the soul of Songzio’s womenswear, where strength and softness engage to redress beauty being about more than a symmetric look, it is within the asymmetric spirit also.

Cecilie Bahnsen Offers A Sporting Life

Cecilie Bahnsen and ASICS Sportstyle push the functionality and the feminine with their latest ASICS collaboration, the Gel-Terrain MT. This evolution of their ongoing partnership continues to explore intersections of design and technical innovation. Cecilie Bahnsen characteristics are a signature use of sculptural silhouettes that elevates everyday essentials. The 2017 LVMH Prize finalist’s collections often feature fabrics empowered by craft results, feminine draping and unexpected materials that provide both comfort and slightly decadent appeal.

This collaboration with ASICS embodies those trademarks, offering a striking balance of fashion-forward details and technical functionality First debuted during Bahnsen’s S/S 25 show in Paris, the Gel-Terrain MT is reimagined in two styles, each reflecting the balance between soft, feminine detailing and the rigorous demands of everyday. The first style showcases a shiny quilted upper adorned with intricate floral embroidery beneath a translucent overlay, while the second is a weatherproof design featuring a TPU rain cover and floral patches that reveal silver ASICS Tiger Stripes beneath. These contrasting elements reflect the collection's duality, structured yet soft, much like the Cecilie Bahnsen identity of energy and eclecticism. Bahnsen and ASICS Sportstyle succeed with a harmonious balance between technical and emotion-driven aesthetics.