Kolor Fall 2025 Men’s Fashion Show Review

Kolor Fall 2025 Men’s Fashion Show Review

Thank You and Farewell to kolor’s Creative Maverick

Review of Kolor Fall 2025 Men’s Fashion Show

By Angela Baidoo

THE COLLECTION

PROS

Junichi Abe has created such a solid vision for the kolor brand that any successor will be able to follow his playbook while adding their own layer of creativity.

Cons

As a farewell collection it would have benefitted from more statement looks to mark the send off.

THE VIBE

Fitting Farewell, Material Matters, Textural Layering

The Showstopper – Look #36

The cryptic packing boxes posted to kolor’s Instagram account prior to today’s show should have provided a clue as to the surprise announcement concealed within today’s show gift. A foil ‘lunch bag’ handed out to guests before they took their seats (and which they were encouraged to open before the start)  contained a T-shirt and a short message from founder and head designer of kolor Junichi Abe “This will be a special moment for me. Because it will be my last show as a kolor head designer.”  The creative force behind the Japanese label is stepping away, but as with any brand that hopes to create a seamless handover he is choosing to stay close to the design team he nurtured saying “Even after this season, I’ll stay to support kolor from the inside.” After starting  the brand in 2004, and celebrating his 20th anniversary last year, now seems as right a time as any to bow out. 

So, what was Abe’s parting message in today’s swansong? Well, that the material will always be the medium that matters, or as per the designers creative process ‘materials’. The stand-out of this fall 2025 collection was the mash-up of outdoor gear and gentlemanly tailoring that was layered both over and under chunky knits – think a graphic T layered onto a twee cream sweater while the layering of a check car coat under a textured funnel neck was an ingenious bit of styling trickery and is something that will be missed with Abe’s absence. 

Overall the collection felt like a through-line to the founders continuous reworking of preppy, tailoring, and outdoor codes that are peeled back, disassembled and reformed to create a visual narrative all of its own. 

THE DIRECTION

THE QUOTE

This will be a special moment for me. Because it will be my last show as a kolor head designer. Even after this season, I’ll stay to support kolor from the inside. Thank you for all these years. And I hope we will have your continuous support for kolor.”

Junichi Abe, Founder and Head Designer, kolor

THE WRAP UP

The civilised departure of Junichi Abe from the brand he founded over two decades ago is not always one afforded to creative directors, who in recent years have oftentimes been unceremoniously ousted from their positions. Worse still finding out a change is on the cards via a churn of the social media rumour mill where speculation can turn to cold hard fact. In stepping away, (if only partially for now) on his own terms and bidding us “Thank you and Farewell” via the gifted T-shirts sure to become valuable keepsakes as they now mark a commemorative moment, the industry has lost  another creative maverick. 


link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *