Menswear wants to be seen again

Demna's first Gucci collection, staged as a 'Store Show' in Milan on September 25, is a deliberate break with the discreet era. Logos are back on the outside: GG branding reads across jackets, Horsebits grow oversized, and belts come in threes, slung low over trousers.

The silhouette is built for presence. Shoulders go broad and exaggerated, collars turn up, trousers crop or sit low, and loafers stretch long without socks. A navy double-breasted peacoat with heeled equestrian boots sets the tone: tailoring with attitude.

The signal for menswear is clear: after years of stealth wealth, the pendulum swings toward clothes that announce themselves. Expect high-street echoes of the triple belt and the elongated loafer by spring.

Glenn Martens closed his Diesel tenure with a collection that treats denim as something in motion. Jeans and knitwear appear to disintegrate into each other, shearling and leather turn up as trompe-l'oeil, and T-shirts arrive laser-cut.

The body is the point. Waists sit low, shorts get progressively briefer, and 200 (LA)HORDE performers turned the runway into a nightclub: a reminder that Martens' Diesel was always designed for after dark.

Where Gucci polishes its hardware, Diesel roughs up its textiles. The two shows read as opposite answers to the same question: one dresses up to be seen, the other dresses down to be felt. For the street, the takeaway is texture over logo: washed, frayed, cut-up denim with a low rise and a cropped leg.

The week's strongest sneaker stories share a fashion-first instinct. New Balance's Made in USA 990v4 lands in 'Monarch Burgundy' with pumpernickel brown: a tonal, autumnal take on the dad-shoe icon that sold out its September 24 launch.

Kiko Kostadinov continues his ASICS run with the LYASA FF II, a split-toe silhouette with a bound leather toe-box that borrows more from the runway than the track. It dropped September 21.

The headline collaboration is Mowalola's Air Jordan 14, which gets its global launch today: brown leather, faded plaid at the rear, red plaid lining, script Mowalola branding, and the Ferrari-inspired side window swapped for a circular hit. Retail $255 via Nike SNKRS and Mowalola.