Lauren Manoogian SS25

Lauren Manoogian, known for her minimalist yet deeply textural designs, brings a fresh approach to her latest collection, blending artisanal craftsmanship with thoughtful design to create pieces that feel interconnected, yet remain individually unique. During our Paris Fashion Week visit, Manoogian shared her vision for the collection, revealing a deep exploration of materials, techniques, and how seemingly simple items can convey a nuanced complexity.

At first glance, Manoogian’s new collection may appear familiar. Trousers evoke the aesthetic of everyday denim, but a closer inspection reveals a complete different story. “It gives the appearance of something that might feel kind of common, but it’s really a different process to get to that,” Manoogian explained. This idea of subverting expectations is central to the collection, where materials like cotton are transformed through hand-rubbed processes and intricate dyeing techniques that create unique, one-of-a-kind colors & textures.

One of the standout aspects of the collection is the intricate detailing that ties everything together. Despite the handcrafted nature of many elements, each piece is meticulously finished, allowing for a consistent reproduction while maintaining its artisanal quality. This balance between handcrafted individuality and polished consistency gives the collection its distinct character.

Having started in knitwear, Manoogian is no stranger to creating seamless garments, free of rigid seams or predetermined fits. In this collection, she carries that ethos into woven pieces, ensuring they maintain the same fluidity and organic feel as her signature knits. A notable example is a dress that was constructed from a single piece of fabric, twisted and finished by hand to create a seamless appearance. "We didn’t want to show any stitching, so we did one piece of fabric, twisted it, and finished everything by hand on the inside. That way, it feels like it's friends with one of the knits,” Manoogian said, emphasizing the importance of creating harmony between different fabrications.

Her ability to reinterpret and repurpose materials is further evident in a braided T-shirt, where traditional jersey fabric was reimagined. By cutting and stitching together pieces of jersey, Manoogian mimicked the process of knitting yarn, giving the T-shirt an unexpected, textured appearance. “We are trying to tie these groups together where someone might be looking at it like, ‘Oh, it feels very cohesive, but I don’t know why.’ And that’s kind of the idea,” she shared, pointing out the subtle, almost imperceptible connections within the collection.

Manoogian’s creative process is rooted in experimentation with materials. Rather than starting with pre-made fabrics, she begins with the raw yarn, exploring what it can do—whether it’s knit, woven, or manipulated into something new. “It always starts with the base material,” she said. “We start from the yarn, not from the fabric or a swatch.” From there, she develops numerous swatches, gradually building towards a final collection that is both cohesive and exploratory.

The texture is another key focus of the collection. While cotton and linen are typically associated with flatness, Manoogian uses novelty stitches that introduce texture and depth. “We wanted to figure out ways to sort of make texture with something that’s typically not textured,” she explained. The result is a collection that, while grounded in simplicity, offers a rich, tactile experience.

In this collection, Manoogian achieves a rare balance between experimentation and subtlety. The garments are experimental, yet not in an overt or dramatic way. They invite curiosity, drawing people in with their nuanced construction and detail. As Manoogian herself noted, “I like when people like something and they don’t know why. There’s a nuance and subtlety to it, while it’s very experimental.”

Through this latest collection, Lauren Manoogian showcases her mastery in elevating everyday materials into something more refined, textured, and interconnected. Each piece carries its own story, but together they form a unified narrative—a testament to the designer’s ability to weave cohesion through innovation and craftsmanship.