What is #menswear talking about? A David Hockney x Louis Vuitton exhibition, Moncler brings its collection to new heights, a new On sneaker, and more
Plus, G-STAR makes a return in Australia, BOSS x Aston Martin's new collection at the Chinese GP, and Van Heusen has your trans-seasonal wardrobe sorted
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WELCOME TO ‘What is #menswear talking about?’, a weekly dispatch where we discuss the news, rumours and conversations that are dominating the men’s style discourse, and therefore, our Esquire water cooler chitchat.
Scroll on for this week’s edition.
Acne Studios and Kappa come together for the ultimate sportswear collab
Cult label collabs don’t get much bigger than this. Your fashion friend’s favourite Scandi brand Acne Studios has partnered with Kappa for a 22-piece capsule collection that combines the two brands’ expertise in the sportwear and luxury arenas. The football-inspired silhouettes come at a good time, too, right as the popularity of the sport in the style set doesn’t seem to be slowing down. For Acne Studios creative director Jonny Johansson, working with the Italian sportswear brand comes at a point when styles are ever intermingling. “In a world where the lines between classic workwear, streetwear, ready-to-wear and sportswear are blurred, it feels totally natural for Acne Studios to collaborate with Kappa on a collection that represents a modern way of dressing,” Johansson said in a statement.
Key pieces from the collection include retro football kits, an Acne staple, with, of course, trackpants, with the Acne and Kappa logos running up the legs. It’s hard to delineate football shoes to wear for fashion or the field nowadays. But the ones in this collection are built for your football-inspired fits.
Shop the collection here.
Catch the David Hockney exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris
If you catch yourself in the city of lights over the Euro summer, make the journey out to Bois de Boulonge for the highly-anticipated David Hockney ‘Do remember they can’t cancel the spring’ exhibition at the Louis Vuitton Foundation. Set within the Frank Gehry-designed building, works from the British artist will be displayed throughout, on view from April 9 to August 31. The exhibition is set to be a blockbuster in scale and scope of his oeuvre; 400 works in total borrowed from partnering museums, institutions and private collections. View some of his masterworks like Portrait of An Artist (Pool with Two Figures) and Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy, as well as pieces from the Arnault family’s collection and Hockney’s own studio.
The exhibition is on view at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris from April 9 to August 31.
Bassike’s 2025 pre-collection is a masterclass in layering and colour-blocking for winter
If there’s one thing to get excited about with the weather getting colder, it’s layering season. This can sound overly complicated, but Aussie label Bassike’s new collection, which coincides with an exciting ‘identity refresh’ for the brand, is a lesson in the styling practice done right.
Indeed, founded in 2006, Bassike has played a large hand in shaping the trajectory of contemporary Australian menswear, so it’s only natural that it would continue driving our style identity forward. In this latest collection, Sams is lighting the way for more men to implement bolder and considered choices in their clothing. A beige jacket is layered over a plaid shirt left open with a black T-shirt base; jewel tones of blue are paired with neutrals for balance; long-sleeves are layered under T-shirts like it’s 2005.
“Our new visual direction is a reflection of us growing into ourselves as a brand which has endured, resonated and evolved over the years,” says creative director and co-founder Deborah Sams. “Within the collections, we are staying true to Bassike’s handwriting while expanding the appeal for a modern, universal clientele.”
Shop the collection here.
Moncler Grenoble brings its VIPs and autumn/winter 2025 collection to new heights
At 2,008 metres above sea level, Courcheval Altiport is Europe’s highest. Earlier this month, the airport’s runway became a double entendre, as air traffic control pressed paused on arrives so the strip could play the stage to Moncler Grenoble’s latest collection. The French winter-wear brand assembled an exclusive front-row on the Continent’s highest tarmacked peak: Oscar winners Adrien Brody, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway were in attendance; Penn Badgley also made the trip, taking a break from filming the second season of You. Not a fly-in, fly-out engagement, A-listers spent the long-weekend pre-gaming the collection with some time on the slopes and après-ski, hosted by Moncler.
As the high-performance arm of the Moncler brand, Moncler Grenoble autumn/winter 2025 presented 140 looks with a “sartorial tech approach”. Sure, dressing for the slopes has some restrictions in silhouette and colour range, but the brand wanted to bring personal style into the mix. The result is a collection that defies the conventions of ski-wear, borrowing style languages like workwear and tailoring and integrating them with technical fabric innovations built to endure the cold. Après-ski fits never looked better than this.
On launches the highly-anticipated Cloud 6
Few running brands have been able to integrate into an urbanite’s wardrobe better than On, not to mention the Swiss sportswear brand has also been making waves in the high fashion industry through its partnership with Spanish luxury brand Loewe. This is all to say that On has great style, and its Cloud shoe model – with its alien-like soles – has found a home amongst this set too, in addition to serious runners. As part of its latest collection for spring/summer 2025, Cloud 6 is introduced, with a slew of capsule pieces for streetwear and activewear. To inaugurate the new style, On tapped a cast of global creatives to take part in a dynamic campaign that demonstrates how the Cloud 6 blends so seamlessly into everyday life. Like the previous models of the iconic silhouette, watch it fly off the shelves.
Shop the Cloud 6 collection here.
Loewe gives the On Cloudtilt 2.0 a refresh in a new collab
While designer sneakers have become their own genre on the drop down menu, the intelligently designed designer sneaker is another league of its own. The ones created in collaboration between Spanish luxury brand Loewe and Swiss sportswear label On are one such sneaker. On their several outings, the two have prized versatility and performance to be the pillars of their creations – they design from the track to the catwalk. Their latest collab, launched in January, saw the two brands revisit the Cloudtilt, which was first introduced a year ago for spring/summer 2024. The main draw of the model is the CloudTec Phase midsole delivering comfort and ideal cushioning. In the Cloudtilt 2.0, mellow palettes of orange, navy, gradient grey and neutral inform its style versatility – appropriate colours for traversing the streets and the great outdoors.
Shop te collaboration here.
BOSS x Aston Martin capsule collection is unveiled at the Chinese Grand Prix
BOSS and Aston Martin may sound like they come from different worlds, but in their frequent collaborations, a mutual understanding for luxury high performance can be found. Over the weekend during the 2025 Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix, the duo launched their latest collection of apparel at BOSS’ newly unveiled Shanghai store. The accompanying campaign, featuring F1 Aston Martin drivers and BOSS brand ambassadors Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, highlights the summer pieces designed for high-performance agility. Need.
Learn more about the collection here.
Akoni spring/summer 2025 looks to the stars
Akoni has released their latest collection in time for northern summer (though these frames pair well with winter fits Down Under). The Swiss eyewear label was inspired for spring/summer 2025 by astronomy; models are named after the planets in our solar system. The starry inspiration is less pastiche but more scientific that informed the design. Jupiter, for instance, takes its rounded shape with gold temples from NASA’s Juno spacecraft that explored the king planet. Classic frame styles are also reinterpreted for the collection; the thick acetate of the Phoenix model forms a modern take on aviators. You need not be an astronomer to appreciate and wear these elegant frames.
Shop the collection here.
G-STAR is returning to Australia
G-STAR is back on Aussie shores. During its four-year hiatus from the Oceania market, the Dutch brand has collaborated with the likes of Pharrell, Snoop and Burna Boy to reinvigorate the denim space. Now, G-STAR returns Down Under with a new collection of functional denim remixed with tailoring and streetwear. It’s a good time, too; the laxness of tailoring isn’t slowing down, so to meld it with denim is a natural next step.
G-STAR is stocked in Australia at David Jones, The Iconic, Glue Store and Culture Kings.
Van Heusen’s latest collection has your trans-seasonal dressing sorted
There’s a secret to wearing a jacket in this in-between weather: lightweight construction and material. Van Heusen has this in mind for its autumn/winter 2025 collection featuring tailored pieces for the unpredictable trans-seasonal weather. Curated with lightweight blazer, classic knit polos and breathable chinos, the collection is designed for days to keep you warm in the morning but want to shed some layers and pack away by noon.
Shop the collection here.
Related:
How to dress like you’re checking into season 3 of ‘The White Lotus’
How to layer like a pro, according to tailor Christian Kimber
