From menswear specialists reviving heritage houses to up-and-comers from South Korea flying to Paris for the first time, I’ve spent the past few weeks speaking to designers about their new collections and plans for 2025. At first glance, many of these creatives might seem worlds apart but they all share one thing: everyone is tired of the industry’s relentless pace and need for novelty. As it turns out, there’s no bigger luxury than time.

Back to basics: Chanel’s spring/summer haute couture show

Across the sector, I’ve noticed a desire to return to a slower, more deliberate way of designing. “The most subversive thing that you can do is to dress in a classic manner,” Dunhill’s creative director, Simon Holloway, told me as he carefully laid vintage pocket watches, ties and leather gloves across a desk in his London studio. In Milan, Zegna’s Alessandro Sartori recalled his father taking time every morning to shave and put on his three-piece suit in front of the mirror. Meanwhile, A Presse’s Kazuma Shigematsu compared his clothes (perfectly executed alpaca-cashmere coats, boiled-wool suits and naturally dyed cotton jackets) to the furniture of the mid-20th century – a time before mass manufacturing took over.

This focus on time and handcraft reached new heights when Haute Couture Week kicked off on Monday in the French capital. At Schiaparelli, Daniel Roseberry drew inspiration from a box of ribbons dating back to the 1920s and 1930s, and the works of couturiers such as Paul Poiret and Madame Grès. His elaborate, baroque creations encouraged the audience to rethink their constant search for originality.

At the Grand Palais, Chanel’s studio team also focused on time-tested designs: think skirt suits, lightweight silk cocktail dresses and tweed blazers. These pieces proved that the brand, with or without a creative director, can fill up a room and command attention. It’s time for more labels to take note and stop chasing novelty for its own sake – and return to the basics.

Natalie Theodosi is Monocle’s fashion director. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.