Why leather is back, and not just for jackets: designers are creating everything from aviator jackets to elegant skirts this season – just look at Saint Laurent, Hermès, Prada, Fendi and Bottega Veneta

If the many things to take from the spring/summer 2025 shows – including a palpable feeling that personal style is making a comeback – it’s that leather is an essential in our wardrobes.

By that we mean well beyond your trusty leather jacket. Though judging by how many iterations of this “It” girl favourite were spied on the runway – from aviator styles at Saint Laurent and chic bombers at Hermès, to mustard-coloured overcoats at Prada – these are not going anywhere, either.

Beyond leather jackets though, there were super-sharp leather sets at Jil Sander and ultra-luxurious crocodile leather tops at Fendi. You could find leather trench coats at LaQuan Smith and at Prada; in a collection intent on challenging homogeny in fashion, the leather swimsuits and harnesses were especially striking.

Meanwhile, at Bottega Veneta, Matthieu Blazy – since named the creative director at Chanel – played with the house’s inimitable leather offerings. This season he incorporated oversized leather camp shirts in a burgundy snake print and orange snakeskin leather pencil skirts with tassels that swished as the models walked.

Let’s not forget, this was the man who created a leather check shirt and leather trousers that looked like jeans – nobody has played with leather as a trompe l’oeil quite like Blazy. Actress Michelle Yeoh wore an intricately woven leather shirt from the label at the spring/summer 2025 show in Milan.

Hermès’ womenswear creative director Nadège Vanhée explored the sensuous feeling of leather on the skin with supple leather paired with filmy, sheer separates. Another highlight when it comes to reimagining leather was Tod’s. Here, a certain tactile take on elegance could be found in the blouson leather T-shirts worn with leather trousers, and pleated leather maxi skirts. The feeling emanating from this collection was of a certain allure and ease – the woman in leather separates looks expensive, but also sure of herself. Indeed, the feeling of the season was that a woman in leather – a material that adds texture and contradiction – is almost always guaranteed to be interesting.

Gaëlle Drevet, founder of Parisian cool girl label The Frankie Shop – worn by the likes of Hailey Bieber and Gigi Hadid – says leather elements in an outfit add edge to an everyday look.

Something else to like about leather, she notes, is its versatility.

“It’s a simple fact that leather does shine a little, and it will instantly elevate even the simplest outfit; it gives a sense of confidence and power. Whether it’s a tailored leather shirt or pencil skirt, [leather separates] make a statement and are easy to style for day or night,” she says.