Earlier this week, Visvim formally debuted their FW25 collection both in physical dissertation form and via an online lookbook/dissertation. I’ve said it before, but the return of physical dissertations is one of the best creative choices Hiroki has made in recent years. For geographically isolated customers like myself, it provides the chance to look beyond a leaked linesheet and get some actual insight with each product and the larger vision for the season. With constantly rising MSRPs, and increasing amounts of graphics across the collection, this book helps assuage some potential concerns with the brand’s future.
The highlight this season is a proprietary wool the team has developed. While there’s some information about the superfine qualities of the wool, the most exciting feature is that it is now fully washable. For the longest time, this has been my gripe with Visvim. Some of their nicest products are rendered completely impractical through their reliance on dry cleaning. With something like a sweater, of course, it is fair that it may require seasonal dry cleaning. On the other hand, in previous seasons, with something like a short-sleeve shirt, it makes next to zero sense. Wool is an excellent fabric in hot, humid weather due to its moisture-wicking and cooling properties, but that is normally found with a washable wool such as merino, not the dry-clean-only fabrics Visvim tends to use. Now, with a washable wool, hopefully these items will serve as more practical for enthusiasts such as myself, who want to wear their products daily. Easily my favorite standout piece is the Travail Coverall Moleskin DMGD (0125205013026). I had seen some photos of it from friends at the FW25 Trunk Show, and was disappointed to find out that it was wool, but now, with the knowledge of it being washable, it’s actually practical. By being washable, it will actually give the moleskin a chance to patinate and develop in a way that would be impossible with dry cleaning. Personally, I prefer the blue iteration with the contrasting, aged ivory color buttons. Another standout and now-practical wool piece is the upcoming Jumbo SB Dual Hoodie F.Z. DMGD (0125205010022). While the hoodie itself is cotton, it features a wool thermal lining, a vintage reference I have been wanting Visvim to interpret for some time now.
Throughout the rest of the lineup, there were a few other notable standouts. Firstly, the Benning Pants (0125205008009) are coming back in a new herringbone twill fabric. I initially thought very little about the Benning Pant silhouette, but after my visit to Japan, I kept seeing the sateen iteration on store employees and eventually fell so in love with them that I purchased my own pair once I got home. Its proportions feel distinctly contemporary by taking the OG-107 fatigue and making it a wider cut with the same high rise, and then adding the Visvim touch through a beautifully glossy custom sateen cotton fabric.
There is clearly a focus on the moleskin used on much of their pants this year (and the aforementioned chore jacket), which comes in both cotton and wool versions. Especially with the return of the Pastoral Pant, this feels not only like a throwback to SS14 but a display of the brand's growth over the past decade, now holding a distinctly more mature perspective.
Lastly, there are some exciting new footwear silhouettes, but nothing seems more surprising than the Virgil Boots-Folk (0125202002008). The boots now feature a stacked leather heel similar to the recent SS24 7 Hole '73-Folk Boots (0124102002014). Come November, when the boots release, I will be interested to compare them to the Brigadier model, as the two look nearly identical aside from the speed hooks and maybe added height in the shaft of the Virgils. Personally, I disliked the modification they gave to the 7 Hole model, but these look slightly better.
Overall, as is true with most years, I think FW25 seems like a much stronger offering than that of SS25. I am excited to see where Visvim takes this new wool technology development, but also extremely wary of retail prices. Based on the linesheet I got in Japanese yen, those prices looked okay, but we can safely assume the U.S. retail will be twice as much, if not more. While it is typical for luxury brands to increase in cost each year, it feels as though the brand is on the edge of pricing out a lot of their usual clients. Additionally, the United States’ tumultuous tariff relationship with the rest of the world is set to put an additional strain on consumers, whether that's through import taxes from proxying or Visvim pricing it into their clothing once it lands stateside. It is important to note that the United States removed the De Minimis rule, allowing shipments below $800 to avoid customs, making absolutely anything shipped from outside the U.S.A. liable to import fees. Either way, I feel more optimistic about this season as there is true innovation and product development in a way that some recent seasons have felt more lackluster and monotonous.