Fashion in 2025 highlights the shift to sustainable production and consumption as the industry finds the balance between restraint and expression amid economic and environmental instability.
Textile and surface designer and visual artist Olivia Jaro Lopez stressed the need to maximize existing resources, amplify the capabilities of product creation in digital realms, and minimize waste.
“People have grown impatient for solutions to the world’s problems. Brands must act with urgency to reassure they are advocating while engaging in inclusive and equitable cultural exchange.”
Lopez, an educator at the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Environment and Design, reiterated the significance of both craft and technology in this endeavor.
According to giant trend forecaster WGSN (Worth Global Style Network), we are in the second Space Age and are moving from the Information Age into the Imagination Age. “Developments in artificial intelligence are rapid. Virtual prototyping will open up new forms of inventiveness and build more efficient paths across design, production, marketing, and customer experience,” Lopez expounded.
Since access to essentials is no longer guaranteed, the expert stressed innovation as the solution.
“Forward-thinking brands will harness natural and synthetic resources and use lab-grown processes to generate alternative material streams or revive endangered ones.
“Expect them to make recycling, repairing, or reselling to carry on from previous practices,” she added. “Anticipate strengthened local supply chains as more businesses embrace regenerative crops and redistribution of resources.”
To guide the general public, Lopez rounded up next year’s style directions per WGSN and analytic website Business of Fashion (BoF).
Modern romantic
Nu Boheme pours fresh vitality into the modern romantic. Ornate maximalism is back: Ruffled trims, heirloom-look lace, chiffon, rich embroideries, and floaty sheers on soft-volume dresses, cuffed soft-volume trousers, and homespun blouses render retro charm. Suede also serves as a key player. Shorts and bloomers over miniskirts will modernize bohemian elements to appeal to youthful customers.
A blend of preppy and nostalgic coastal influences welcomes a splash of summer all year round. Energetic nautical brights, aquatic blues, playful prints, and joyful stripes bring resort-ready looks that are set to remain relevant throughout the seasons.
Youth labels are not slowing down with sportscore. Jerseys reinterpreted as deconstructed dresses, tops, and corseted polo bodysuits and activewear in lavish fabrics and frisky palettes turn the spotlight on the feminine side of sports fashion.
In contrast to the spirited aesthetics comes simple elegance: low-key luxury items in premium fabrics and neutrals.
For the ladies, designers explore core silhouettes like pencil skirts and column dresses through a minimalist lens. Sensuous lightweight knits, relaxed suits with subtle sensual motifs, oversized blazers, soft-volume trousers, and Bermuda shorts are in vogue.
For gentlemen, all-black ensembles and romantic draping reign. The return-to-office theme evolves with continuous exploration of contemporary tailoring.
Soft separates in roomy fits and tonal colors are the way to go. Rethink button-up shirts, update the Bermuda shorts, and choose a lighter-weight knitted vest.
The men’s department sees new prep, thanks to the rise of athletic culture and physical activity post-pandemic. The year 2025 continues to redefine masculinity. “The definition of menswear is evolving, allowing for greater expression,” Lopez explained. “Color, drape, and embellished details add to the conversation about what is masculine.”