The decorations of these dresses are upcycled

 

Credit: Maison Margiela

 

During the Paris couture shows last July, Glenn Martens made his debut collection for Maison Margiela, sending down the runway pieces composed largely of vintage materials, sourced from Guerissol, a chain of Parisian stores where the average price per item is 5 euros. A choice perfectly aligned with the brand’s spirit, as Martens himself stated to Vogue: «Flaunting wealth is not part of Margiela’s language. We will find other forms of opulence».

 

Soon done: the collection, magnificent, shows luxury in its highest form, the artisanal one, which does not necessarily need precious matter to move emotion. On the contrary, upcycled objects not only have a story to tell, but also possess the most exclusive quality of all: uniqueness.

 

It is no coincidence that, in the shows marking a return to maximalism, those of Autumn Winter 2025, many designers have chosen to open their grandmothers’ trunks and comb through flea markets to decorate their creations. With results that are sometimes provocative and part of a very clear message: see Hodakova, who has always used second-hand belts as well as reclaimed leather to create collections that prove fashion can and must be circular.

 

Others, instead, naturally blend into couture universes. As shown by Sarah Burton’s blush-pink gown, which at her debut with Givenchy was inspired by the dressing tables of women of the past, filled with treasures like mirrors and powders, to tell a story of femininity with deep roots, walking in perfect balance between past and present.