Akris’ presented their Spring/Summer 2025 collection during at Paris Fashion Week on Friday – a poetic celebration of lightness, grace, and the timeless beauty of the Italian Renaissance. Inspired by the luminous works of Andrea Mantegna, particularly his Camera degli Sposi, Creative Director Albert Kriemler crafted a collection that felt both ethereal and grounded in the craftsmanship of their St Gallen headquarters whilst moving confidently toward the future.
Kriemler’s fascination with the Renaissance deepened earlier this year when he collaborated with choreographer John Neumeier on the costumes for Neumeier’s final ballet, Epilogue. The subdued and sublime colours of Piero della Francesca and the sculptural use of light in Mantegna’s frescoes captivated Kriemler, sparking a vision for a collection. “Grace is not something close to the surface; it comes from inside,” Kriemler noted, describing his approach to the collection. This idea of grace, a quiet but powerful force lives deep within the Akris women.
The collection unfolded like a dream, with models draped in sheer, diaphanous fabrics—silks, panama organza, and fine gauze cotton—each look playing off the ornate venue. Ribbons and folds became sculptural elements, whether in the fluidity of a delicately cascading gown or the precise lines of a sheer but tailored jacket. Kriemler’s use of volume—gentle, layered, and airy—created an impression of the garments suspended in space, bathed in an otherworldly light.
The colour palette was perfect for spring. Soft and serene, dominated by delicate pastels, light greys, buttery creams and faint blues, with occasional bursts of coral and mustard, adding vitality to the ethereal mood. Textural elements like tulle overlays, lightweight water-resistant resin-coated fabrics, raffia, embroidery, and linen-blend poplins offered a kind of quiet luxury, seen up close at the collection re-see.
Tailoring was soft yet precise, with trapezoidal Akris-coded forms emerging directly from the textiles, and practical outerwear like trenches and parkas juxtaposed against the more fluid, elongated dresses that closed the show. Sheer layering also prevailed for spring with double-layered tank tops, skirts, and sleek outerwear pieces styled diagonally across the shoulders, reinforcing Kriemler’s expertise to fuse elegance and pragmatism.
Accessories, too, spoke to this duality. The all-new Alice bag also made its debut. Named after Akris founder Alice Kriemler-Schoch, the bag signifies a sense of modern heritage deeply rooted in the brand with its rectangular form, curved top handle, and signature trapezoid closure. The bag’s clean, structured lines perfectly complemented the collection’s minimalist approach, embodying the spirit of a confident woman who forges her own path.
Every detail of the collection felt considered and deliberate, capturing the sublime in the ordinary, the grace in the every day, and the radiant beauty of a woman in motion. The influence of Andrea Mantegna’s Camera degli Sposi was unmistakable, but what truly resonated was Kriemler’s vision of lightness—an invitation to embrace freedom, fluidity, and the quiet power of craft.
