25 menswear grails that hit the mark in 2025

From high fashion Barbour jackets to club-kid ball caps, men’s fashion was firing on all cylinders this year.

In 2025, menswear was swamped with new releases, collaboration announcements, and celebrity fit checks. With all of that noise, standing out from the crowd felt harder than ever.

But if you were a minimal Japanese brand like ssstein, you’d link up with a stalwart of British sportswear like Umbro and create techy menswear gold. If you were a British skate behemoth like Palace, you’d partner with Nike to drop a capsule drenched in Naughties nostalgia. And if you were a supersized Italian fashion house like Gucci, you’d head in a new direction with designer Demna at the helm, amping up leather goods with fiery horsebit detailing. 

In short, there was a lot going on. And some of it lingered, staying around for a little longer than an Instagram post, leaving an impact on how we dress. Thankfully, we’ve rounded up 25 items that stoked up the menswearverse in 2025, all in one place for your holiday-reading pleasure. Grab a drink, make yourself comfortable, and scroll on. 

Maison Margiela Future Sneaker

Mid-2010s nostalgia is in full effect, and very few shoes restore that feeling like the Maison Margiela Future. Released in 2011, it quickly caught on with tastemakers like Playboi Carti and Young Thug. Now, back in all of its original glory, the leather sneaker with the iconic ankle strap is primed and ready to take you back to your hypebeast heyday. Shop here. 

Umbro x ssstein track jacket

2025 was a breakout year for Japanese menswear label ssstein, and this collaboration with Umbro is one they can be proud of. Referencing England’s 1996 training gear for the World Cup, the track jacket hits the oversized sweet spot with a lightweight water-repellent linen-nylon composition. Now that’s a real top corner finish to its stellar year. Shop here. 

Supreme Number (N)ine sunglasses

Supreme revived its Number (N)ine not once, but twice this Autumn/Winter 2025 season, leaving every archive head starry-eyed. The Kurt Cobain-esque shades lean into the Japanese brand’s signature punk aesthetic with an oval shape and fun colourways, including a black, a transparent blue and a sleazy cheetah print. 

Omar Afridi x Vuja Dé Newman Leather Bag

For the in-the-know menswear community, this Omar Afridi x Vuja Dé collaboration was an unexpected yet highly welcome link-up. In the compact four-piece collection, the Newman Leather Bag was a definite highlight with its glazed Italian leather and extended zip line that reinterprets the familiar into something sleek and enigmatic. Read more about the joint venture here. 

mfpen x Schott CWU bomber

Schott’s CWU bomber is a unanimous classic, born out of functional innovation, designed to keep pilots warm in the cockpit in the ’50s. So when you’ve been handed the keys through a collaboration, like Copenhagen-based label Mfpen, you don’t need to go over the top. In this case, details such as a hook-and-bar closure on the collar that convert it into a funnel neck, and a double RiRi zipper elevate the jacket without doing too much to an already great piece. 

Husbands Flared Denim

Parisian label Husbands dishes up the classics through a ’70s lens. Specialising in tailoring with strong shoulders, sharp waistlines and flared bottoms, these same details that make their suits so sexy can be found in their denim line too. With a high waist, top-of-the-line Japanese cotton and a dapper centre crease, these jeans are indulgent. They’re plucked from a time when bars were soaked in velvet, everyone wore aviator sunglasses, and you could smoke inside, but it still works today.  Shop here.

Saint Laurent Wool Long Coat

The search for a winter coat is definitely not for the weak. And if all else fails, there will always be a swishy Saint Laurent Long Wool Coat that’s a guaranteed win. Padded shoulders, wide peaked lapels and a slender long body make it the perfect smart option that looks equally as good when dressed down. 

Taiga Takahashi Lot 704 Jeans

Cult Japanese brands have enjoyed a strong 2025 and Taiga Takahashi is no different. A favourite amongst denim connoisseurs, the Lot 704 jeans reference 1920s trousers. They feature a slow-woven American organic cotton to show off the irregularity in the texture and a high rise and wide leg make the jeans comfortable for all-day wear too. And the added buckle back allows for a customised fit and, well, style points. Shop here. 

Ernest W. Baker Military Bomber Jacket

The latter half of the year was dominated by the resurgence of Napoleon jackets from the runway to the streets. If you’re into that military aesthetic and want something a little different from the norm, look no further than the Military Bomber by Ernest W. Baker. The cropped body and shoulder epaulettes mimic a 19th-century military jacket, while tweed and silver pearl buttons give a more high-end edge to round off an outerwear piece fit for true menswear savants. Shop here. 

Willy Chavarria x adidas Originals Long Shorts

2025 was the year Willy Chavarria cemented himself as a household name – and this Adidas Originals collab definitely helped his case. These shorts carry all the Chavarria-isms you’d want like an elongated length, rose embroidery and his favoured red hue.  

A Night at Davé book

A lot of great books were released this year but our personal favourite was A Night at Davé by Charles Morin and Boris Bergmann. The unassuming Chinese restaurant in Paris became a hotspot for the biggest artists and creatives in the ’80s and ’90s including Madonna, Lee Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent, Tai “Davé” Cheung shows us all of these legends in his restaurant eating spring rolls and having a good time. 

Gucci Demna Horsebit Leather Jacket

A huge moment this year was, without a doubt, Demna’s debut collection at Gucci which quickly hit the shelves only to leave them just as fast. A highlight amongst it all was the Horsebit leather jacket which perfectly combined the Georgian designer’s preferred oversized fit with the Italian house’s emblematic motifs for a low-key statement piece.  

Bottega Veneta Andiamo Voyager bag

We cannot confirm nor deny whether Jacob Elordi had something to do with this pick, but Bottega Veneta’s Andiamo Voyager bag is an undeniable banger. A combination of smooth leather and the House’s famed Intrecciato weave, you get the best of both worlds. The silver rope hardware and substantial large size also supports any cross-body needs, combining beauty and practicality. Shop here. 

Our Legacy WORK SHOP x C.P. Company City Anorak

If you’re into fabrics and culty menswear, then you were probably very excited about the Our Legacy WORK SHOP and C.P. Company collaboration that landed last month. Both brands experiment with various dyeing techniques and have a fiercely devoted following. Throw them together and you’ve got menswear gold. Take this leather anorak. It’s a leather heavyweight pullover that sits somewhere between chic Milanese fashion titan, 1950s race car driver, and warehouse raver. Plus it’s fully modular, which means a C.P. Company goggle hood can be easily attached. That’s menswear that makes it rain right there. Shop here. 

Stone Island Denim Research project 

While mostly known for its technical nylon, when Stone Island does denim, it does it proper. That’s why this year’s “Denim Research” line started off in Japan, the spiritual home of mighty jeans. The capsule uses special textiles like polypropylene denim (which makes the product ultra hardwearing and water resistant), as well as micro corduroy and traditional selvedge denim to craft cargos, jackets, overshirts, and utility vests. It’s all deeply wearable stuff, but with some added material wizardry. Shop here. 

Kiko Kostadinov x Levi’s Articulate Jacket

The denim jacket is well-deserving of its perma-grail status. It’s resistant to trends, looks good with just about everything, and rooted in function (although we’re unsure how many people still use it for its true workwear purpose). This unflinching coolness also makes it a mega platform for collaboration. For London-based label Kiko Kostadinov, this means adding trippy stitching and darted seams. It’s experimental but not too left-field, and the perfect marriage of both brands’ DNA. Shop here. 

Palace x Nike Total P90 jacket

Palace and Nike’s inaugural collaboration took things straight back to the 2000s, recruiting Wayne Rooney to star in its 2000s-style throwback campaign alongside legendary skater Guy Mariano, Giggs, and Leah Williamson. So if you want a jacket plucked from the time when footballers wore bootcut jeans, had questionable haircuts, and didn’t like the press, while still landing in the certified menswear winner camp, look no further.

Conner Ives “Protect The Dolls” T-shirt 

One of the most poignant menswear moments of the year was Conner Ives’ “Protect The Dolls” T-shirt. The American designer wore a white tee displaying the slogan at his Autumn/Winter 2025 runway show in February. It was a show of support to the trans community, in the wake of increased attacks and hostility both in Ives’ home country and in the UK, weeks shy of a UK Supreme Court ruling that the definition of a woman in equality law was based on biological sex alone (“Dolls” nodding to the empowering label used self-referentially by the trans community, with roots in ballroom culture).

Ives sold the tees for £75, donating all profits to the Trans Lifeline charity. And they landed into the wardrobes of Pedro Pascal, Troye Sivan, and Tilda Swinton who wore the T-shirts publicly, helping create a large-scale menswear moment for a positive cause. 

Barbour x Paul Smith Bedale jacket

Barbour’s waxed jackets have found their way into the Royal Family’s country wardrobes and the rucksacks of Glasto-going cool guys. They’re practical, traditional, and have been protecting outdoors-y people long before ‘gorp-core’ came along. This year, it got Paul Smith-ified, arriving in an exclusive tan colourway, with a bird-printed lining, a red neck tab, and a Yves Klein blue label inspired by Paul Smith’s Spring/Summer 2012 runway show invite. Cheers to the great British menswear collab. Shop here. 

Auralee Leather Blouson jacket

Yes, this Auralee jacket is expensive – £2000 to be exact. But it’s worth its weight in the compliments you’ll receive when you wear it. The combination of its subtle sheen, asymmetrical pockets, and the fact that it’s going to age like fine wine make it a certified menswear hit. Shop here. 

Evan Kinori Big Shirt

This Evan Kinori button-up, aptly named the “Big Shirt”, is roomy, slouchy and features dropped pockets. Wearing one is a serious chill guy move; you’re saying that you value high-quality American-made gear (it’s crafted in California). And given Kinori’s form in creating deeply solid minimalist furniture, it’s a likely sign that you have a very nice apartment, too. Shop here. 

Geordie Campbell Sprinkler shirt

British designer Geordie Campbell is all about menswear rule bending. Part of this vision means spicing up the classics by borrowing from womenswear. Just see the sprinkler shirt, which combines a raglan with a ballet-inspired necktie in-keeping with the boyishness present across his collections.  Shop here. 

Aaron Esh x Post Party cap

This hat says “I go to cool parties (or at least I dress like I do), and I hide my hangovers in a very chic and nonchalantly thrown together manner”. It’s a partnership between London designer Aaron Esh and Post Party, the club night hosted by Lux and Wolf Gillespie, and was worn by moody models in Esh’s Spring/Summer 2026 runway show. It was available to buy ahead of the party in London’s cool clothing mothership Dover Street Market … of course. 

Bleue Burnham Explorers Signet

Bleue Burnham often looks to the world around him when designing his sustainably made jewellery. With the Explorers Signet, he looked to the luxury trunks of yore, the uber-collectable kind with sturdy metal detailing, and compressed it into a mid-sized silver signet ring. Talk about first class. Shop here. 

Wales Bonner and Stüssy Double-Breasted blazer 

Wales Bonner and Stüssy’s 2025 capsule might be the platonic ideal of a menswear collaboration. With items ranging from studded denim to graphic tees and Oxford shirts it had something for everyone. But the stand out has to be the preppy double-breasted blazer crafted from Loro Piana wool, which perfectly infuses Stüssy’s Laguna Beach chill into Wales Bonner’s marriage of tailoring and preppy athleisure.