Grab Your Baskets, It’s Market Day at Martine Rose
Martine Rose cast her eye over that staple of European city life, the street market, and its colorful cast of characters ranging from the loudmouth traders to the curious customers shuffling their way through stalls piled high with bananas, oranges, discount socks and underpants.
She put the focus on workwear, and clothing made for early-morning shifts in the frosty weather, and added a dash of animal print glam, a nod to the old ladies dragging trolleys who still dress up to do their daily shopping.
More from WWD
“I’m still curious about funny, outsider-y characters, and how to communicate personality with clothes,” said Rose during a walk-through of the collection in her north London studio. Her signature humor was out in force.
“It’s men’s staples, with a lighter touch,” she said, and she wasn’t kidding. Men and women alike wore tight Y-front underpants which came in fuzzy animal print, or dyed cotton. Rose treated them like trousers, slipping a belt with a silver buckle around the waist.
Sturdy washed cotton, leather and faux fur formed the foundation of the collection, which was a fusion of function and form.
She used zippered bum bags as epaulets on cotton coats or as patch pockets on the arms of hefty parkas and wide-leg workwear trousers. A long leather coat had utilitarian cinches and pulls, like those on a ski jacket or windbreaker.
Other looks had a vintage, patched-up feel. A roomy, dark check wool coat came with exposed seams, while leather skirts were edged with fuzzy leopard and tiger-print fur.
There were reversible coats and gilets with leather on one side and animal print on the other, some of which had mismatched buttons “like they were from the lost and found,” said Rose, whose own market has been thriving.
In addition to collaborations with Clarks and Supreme, the designer has been dressing Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna and, most recently, Timothée Chalamet, who rolled up to the London premiere of “A Complete Unknown” on a rented Lime bike.
Chalamet wore a custom-made the slim suit, which Rose had based on her “Bowie” silhouette. He paired it with a silky, marble-print shirt from her spring 2025 collection and a pair of Rose’s mules, which the designer said was a “high-risk strategy” given his mode of transport.
Launch Gallery: Martin Rose Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.