Never say never…Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren are getting back into ready-to-wear. This is a surprising move because in 2015, when the duo decided to dedicate themselves almost wholeheartedly to couture, they had been—in Horsting’s words—“very vocal,” about abandoning prêt-à-porter What changed? “At a certain point,” Hosting continued, “we said to ourselves, ‘with all the experimentation that we do in couture, it’s a bit of a pity not to also use it in a more wearable way.’” OTB, which acquired Viktor Rolf in 2008, is helping the project along. This time around the collections will be developed in-house and produced by OTB rather than a licensee, as in the past.
The number of people who are actually able to buy and wear couture is infinitesimally small. At the same time the appetite for fashion and the reach of the couture is broader than it ever has been. For Horsting and Snoeren, it’s ideation rather than price that separates their made-to-order and off-the-rack designs. “For us, couture is about ideas,” said Horsting. And their ideas are as abstract as they are innovative. The new line enables the conceptual to become wearable.
Plasticity rather than hierarchy seems to drive this project. “In couture, we always play with exaggeration, with a strong silhouette, and that is where this is coming from,” Horsting explained. In ready-to-wear, he added, “you can use the same amount of fabric but not the same techniques; let’s say it’s the wearable version of the couture’s sculptural proposition.”
What differentiates this line is that the patterns and techniques originate in the couture. “It’s the same and it’s different,” Horsting said. Things are transformed rather than lost in translation from one category to another. For fall 2025, the designers have largely focused on their fall 2024 Haute Abstraction couture collection that had a cubist feeling. In reimagining the pieces, the square shapes are retained but the internal supports that created extreme, 3D angularity are softened into drape. (Think of a box pre- and post-assembly.) The tailoring retains the “rigorous and slightly masculine feeling that we’ve always loved,” Horsting said, while taking on “feminine proportions.” (Though it should be noted that the daywear in this collection doesn’t look especially gendered.) When the “stuffing” comes out, sharp angles become folds. The result is thrilling silhouettes that stand out (in all ways) from the prevalent school of wardrobe dressing.
These daring garments look different when seen from front, side, and back—morphing from flat, to boldly geometric, and slouchily oversized. The same square cuts are used on long and short trenches, made in collaboration with Macintosh. Tops with lavish, Byronic jabots add a bit of romance without being fussy. More casual are triple-waisted pants and three-collared shirts (also tanks and bralets) that reference ready-to-wear collections past. The way the collection was shot, on the street by the Théâtre de l’Odéon, really shows the real-life viability of these experimental designs. Without being shouty, the clothes set the wearer apart from the crowd, and they bring artfulness into the everyday.
There is a dandy element, maybe even a vague feeling of Watteau’s Pierrot, to the daywear. In contrast the after-dark options are less daring. A strapless, ladylike LBD with a sleek bow-trimmed bustier has a full skirt that blooms with rows and rows of ruffled tulle, a technique carried over from the spring 2023 couture. Lighter, less retro, and quite sensual is a celadon green dress that has a pussy-bow neckline and a short buoyant skirt. There’s also a chic cocoon coat that generously envelops the body. “This one is not directly linked to couture,” Horsting noted, “but since we had all these either very square or very round shapes, this coat fitted in really well.” Its oval shape is a visual reminder that the designers have come back around to ready-to-wear. It was worth the wait.
