Berluti S/S 2020 Paris Fashion Week Men's

Mood board: In his second show for the house, Kris Van Assche ramped up its métier. ‘There was colour in January, but there is way more now,’ he said backstage. ‘It’s all about tradition and being contemporary. I refuse to think that Berluti should only be about timeless luxury, I think that’s in there, but it’s also supposed be for now.’ Slim suiting came with green and jade accents around shoes; trousers split at the front to reveal diamond sculpted boots. Wide palazzo pants in bright orange had pep. Cotton bikers were worn over suiting. For his debut last season, Van Assche drew inspiration from the stained marble tables on which the Berluti craftsmen in the Ferrara manifattura hand-dye the brand’s classic patina shoe. ‘The colours all come from the inks that are used. This time I wanted to make it into a fashion proposition. Last season was a photograph of reality. Now I’m putting more acid in there,’ he said.
Best in show: The colours were bold and bright – fluro orange and mustard, cobalt blue, navy and vivid violet. Standout were pieces onto which Van Assche had embossed the maison’s heritage ‘scritto’ motif, a largely indecipherable 19th-century manuscript sacred to the Berluti archives. For S/S 20, it is inscribed onto leather suiting, written on the lining of jackets and used like a shadow on pin-striped tailoring. It is the logo of the house. Leather blazers were punched with nail-head embellishments: ‘When I went to the factory where they hand-make the shoes, what struck me is that they put the nails in their mouths as they are working. It struck me that these boot makers do that. This know-how is underneath the sole of the shoe – I wanted to use that as an embellishment to show what’s inside,’ Van Assche said.
Sound bite: The look was more playful than the house has usually been accustomed. ‘I am still making a new interpretation of the heritage, the patina, the embossed leather, but pushing things forward, almost making archive pieces that didn’t exist,’ Van Assche said. ‘It’s more Berluti than I could be, and it’s also more fashion.’
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
London based writer Dal Chodha is editor-in-chief of Archivist Addendum — a publishing project that explores the gap between fashion editorial and academe. He writes for various international titles and journals on fashion, art and culture and is a contributing editor at Wallpaper*. Chodha has been working in academic institutions for more than a decade and is Stage 1 Leader of the BA Fashion Communication and Promotion course at Central Saint Martins. In 2020 he published his first book SHOW NOTES, an original hybrid of journalism, poetry and provocation.
-
Serious cyclists now have serious options, courtesy of two new models from Canyon
With two new bikes, the Endurace: ONfly e-bike and Endurance: AllRoad, Canyon is innovating with both price and performance
-
New members’ club Beihouse revives Beirut’s architectural heritage
Following the devastating 2020 explosion, three 19th-century homes in Gemmayzeh become a social hub balancing cultural memory with contemporary luxury
-
Aman New York unveils exclusive US Open-themed experience
Aman’s ‘Season of Champions’ pairs Grand Slam action with personalised recovery and performance treatments designed by Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova
-
‘They gave me carte blanche to do what I want’: Paul Kooiker photographs the students of Gerrit Rietveld Academie for Acne Studios
Heralding the launch of a new permanent gallery from fashion label Acne Studios, the celebrated Dutch photographer’s new body of work praises the bravery of ‘people who choose to go to an art school at a time like this’
-
‘I’m surprised that I got this far’: Rick Owens on his bombastic Paris retrospective, ‘Temple of Love’
The Dark Prince of Fashion sits down with Wallpaper* to discuss legacy, love, and growing old in Paris as a display at the Palais Galliera tells the story of his subversive career
-
The standout shows of Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: Dior to Willy Chavarria
Wallpaper* picks the very best of Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026, from Jonathan Anderson’s astute Dior debut to Willy Chavarria’s love letter to his hometown of Huron
-
Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026: live updates from the Wallpaper* team
From 24-29 June, Paris Fashion Week Men’s arrives in the French capital. Follow along for a first look at the shows, presentations and other fashion happenings, as seen by the Wallpaper* editors
-
What the Wallpaper* editors are looking forward to at Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2026
As Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2026 begins in Florence, the Wallpaper* style team select the moments they will be looking out for – from Jonathan Anderson’s anticipated Dior debut to outings from Wales Bonner, Kiko Kostadinov and Prada
-
Donna Trope celebrates the power of the Polaroid in Paris
‘Polaroids used to be my rejects, and now they are my holy grail,’ says the beauty photographer, as she shows rarely seen images in a Paris exhibition
-
Horace’s new men’s scent is the linen shirt of the fragrance closet
Vetiver Primavera, the new fragrance from men’s grooming brand Horace, is casual but elegant, says Wallpaper’s Mary Cleary – a citrussy scent for summer
-
‘Don’t forget to get the bread!’ Serge Lutens writes an ode to a singular perfume
Published exclusively by Wallpaper*, Serge Lutens writes an ode to Jeux de Peau, a singular perfume of his creation inspired by a childhood memory of baking bread