Off-White S/S 2020 Paris Fashion Week Men's

Mood board: The pop polymath behind Off-White has a lot on – a large retrospective of his work just opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. Abloh’s approach cuts through and around multimedia; his Paris show charted his connective, collaborate approach across the visual arts, music, architecture and, of course, fashion. Backstage, Abloh talked about legacy – the Chicago show has put him in a reflective mood. What will Off-White look like in 30 years time? With this in mind, his S/S20 collection felt more refined than ever before – the street savvy silhouette was there, but the messaging had rigour and power.
Team work: Abloh’s staging is often a commentary on humankind and our impact on the world – last season the models walked through a maze of suburban decay in a sprawling inner city Arcadia. The set for S/S 2020 was a field of white carnations. Each bobbed lightly during the show and at the finale the models romped through the flora. A sky blue sci-fi figure stood forebodingly in the middle of it all. Constructed by cult American graffiti artist Futura aka Lenny McGurr, the sculpture heralded a much bigger collaboration; McGurr worked on linear scrawling prints which appeared throughout the collection. Abloh remarked that McGurr started his career by tagging trains illegally on the New York subway in the early 1970s and within a decade had ended up in group shows with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The parallel with Abloh’s own meteoric rise was clearly made.
Best in show: The show was titled ‘Plastic’. Abloh explained the material was something of a metaphor for transformation. It has gone from utility to polarising issue. ‘I’m using it here as a metaphor to talk about culture,’ he said. The show opened to the sounds of a train and a young Björk talking about her way of living in the vastness and magic of Iceland. Abloh’s collection channelled a sense of adventure too in the climbing uniform style. Baggy tie-dye cargo pants were sprinkled with diamanté; a matching ripstop jacket came with ‘MODERN’ written across the chest. There were zipped up denim shirts, multipocket bags and plastic Pac a Macs. Suiting featured curved seams on the front. There was an active/outdoorwear repositioning – a long sleeved jersey was panelled into a T-shirt. Done in knit, a cycling vest boasted graphic patches.
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.
-
Nothing pitches itself into the premium realm with its new flagship Nothing Phone (3)
The Nothing Phone (3) is a serious creative tool that brings fresh design, new features and a commitment to keeping tech fun
-
Nothing takes its first step into high-end audio with the new over-ear wireless Headphone (1)
Created in partnership with KEF, the Nothing Headphone (1) is designed to shake up the sector and present over-ear audio in a wholly new way
-
In Copenhagen, Charlotte Taylor gave us a glimpse into the mess of real life
At 3 Days of Design, Charlotte Taylor staged ‘Home from Home’, a group exhibition in collaboration with Noura Residency, showcasing the chaos of the everyday, from unmade beds to breakfast leftovers
-
The collections you might have missed this S/S 2026 menswear season
Between the headliners in Paris, Milan and Florence, a few off-schedule displays are deserving of honourable mention – from Martine Rose’s sexually-charged portrait of Kensington Market to Sander Lak’s appointment-only namesake debut
-
‘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: Hermès to Craig Green
Wallpaper* picks the very best of Paris Fashion Week Men’s S/S 2026, from Véronique Nichanian’s portrait of summer in the city for Hermès to Craig Green’s return to the Paris runway
-
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