MFW SS25: Moschino

Adrian Appiolaza’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection for Moschino was a masterclass in striking that perfect balance between irreverence and refinement, a feat that feels particularly poignant in today’s fashion landscape. For a house built on a legacy of whimsy and subversion, Appiolaza has managed to inject his own brand of playful luxury without losing sight of Moschino’s tongue-in-cheek spirit. This season, the designer seemed intent on melding the oppositional forces of poignancy and the rebellious streaks of subcultures—a tricky fusion that Appiolaza pulls off with surprising ease.

At the heart of this collection lies Appiolaza’s ongoing exploration of “shared identities”—a reflection on the way distinct communities leave a collective imprint on fashion. It’s a heady concept, but one that the designer grounded in clothes that felt refreshingly wearable, despite their conceptual underpinnings. The show opened with a series of looks that riffed on Franco Moschino’s archives, but with a lightness and modernity that feels distinctly Appiolaza. You could see this evolution in the way he toyed with volumes, an approach that has been central to his design practice since the beginning. Where past collections may have leaned too heavily into experimentation, this season’s silhouettes were more considered, more cohesive. Men’s tailoring was reimagined for women’s bodies, but the proportions were refined, the oversized elements less bombastic and more nuanced.

Appiolaza’s signature play on size and proportion still made its mark, but the pieces felt more grown-up, less inclined to provoke for the sake of it. Dresses fused with printed silk housecoats exemplified this maturation—there was a sense of ease in the way the fabrics moved, a balance between structure and drape that lent the collection an air of effortless sophistication. Even the most outlandish elements, like outerwear crafted from upholstery fabrics, felt tempered by an eye for wearability. This wasn’t about shock value anymore; it was about creating pieces that felt both thoughtful and fun.

The detailing this season was particularly strong, and it’s here that Appiolaza’s nod to luxury really came into focus. Pearly embellishments traced the seams of otherwise understated garments, elevating them from everyday essentials to something more precious. And while Moschino has always had a playful relationship with tailoring, Appiolaza introduced a lighter touch—chalk drawings, originally scribbled by Franco Moschino as a child, appeared as graffiti on sharply cut blazers and trousers. It was a subtle but effective way of infusing the collection with a sense of humor, a wink to the past that didn’t feel weighed down by nostalgia.

Tailoring was a focal point of the collection, but rather than deconstructing it to oblivion, Appiolaza played with its components in a way that felt breezy, almost nonchalant. The first few looks, in particular, had an airiness about them—a philosophy of fuss-free fashion that felt particularly timely. In a world where the fashion system often feels on the brink of collapse, there’s something to be said for clothes that don’t try too hard, that offer a little levity amidst the chaos.

Appiolaza’s Moschino is still irreverent, still playful, but there’s a new depth here—a recognition that fashion can be both fun and meaningful, lighthearted yet luxurious. This collection felt like a step forward, a sign that Appiolaza is ready to hone his vision with a little more focus, a little more maturity. And in a world that feels increasingly serious, his playful subversion is exactly the kind of relief we need.