Through juxtaposition, Chris Nick provokes a desire in a subversive twist on classic tuxedos with the New York character
Chris Nick has always been unapologetic in his design language—a vocabulary of sensuality, elegance, and the kind of boldness that comes when fantasy meets reality. This season, his collection at New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2025 was no exception. It was a conversation between seduction and sophistication, connected with the kind of confidence that can only come from a designer who knows exactly who he is.
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“It’s who I am, it’s New York. It’s classic, it’s elegant, it’s sex. It’s absolutely Chris Nick,” he states, suggesting he’s fully aware of the gravity behind those words. The collection is an ode to his life in the city that never sleeps, where the underground gay club scene hums with liberation, desire, and the thrill of anonymity.
But Chris also takes us back to his youth—specifically, to an encounter with the erotic art of Tom of Finland. “I saw it thinking, ‘I like that. A lot,’” he recalls, that memory forever shaping his creative identity.
Reveling in Provocation
The tuxedo, an essential component of Chris Nick’s designs, takes pride of place once more—this time, through a gaze of forbidden freedom. There’s something in the way he balances the clean lines of classic tailoring with the provocations of kink and promiscuity, a defiance in making the conservative tux something altogether subversive. “It plays around how in a way something frowned upon and forbidden—like kinks, cruising, promiscuity—is freeing,” Chris muses. “This season, it’s more about how fantasy is freedom.”
The materials speak to this duality of refinement and rebellion. “We have Korean silks and cashmere wools paired with belts,” Chris says. The fabrics entail sophistication, but it’s the belts that shift your perspective—symbols of restraint, power, and, paradoxically, liberation. The silhouettes, sleek and understated, hold a complexity that isn’t immediately apparent, like secrets wrapped tightly in silk.
Seductive Simplicity
For Chris, this collection shines a light on the provocative edge that underpins his aesthetic. It’s the interplay of temptation and elegance, with each enhancing the allure of the other. His love of juxtaposition is like a slow burn: irresistible, deliberate, and charged. There’s nothing overtly flashy here—yet it drips with sensuality, feeling the tension between simplicity and complexity.
When asked what he hopes people take away from this collection, the designer is as direct as his designs: “Simplicity is beautiful, and edge doesn’t necessarily have to mean over the top or ‘slutty.’” It’s a sentiment that cuts through the noise of today’s fashion, where more is often mistaken for better. Chris Nick is here to remind us that subtlety is seductive, and restraint can be revolutionary.
Under His Belt
When it comes to defining Spring/Summer 2025, Chris Nick doesn’t hesitate: “Belts. Definitely belts,” he declares, with the kind of authority that makes you want to believe him. But it’s not just the accessory itself; it’s how he’s rethinking the way we wear tuxedos—cropped, low-waisted, and integrated into everyday dressing, whether on the waist, over the hips, across the bodice, behind your arms.
Now, with both Los Angeles and New York under his belt, the designer has his sights set on taking his brand to a global clientele. He undoubtedly sees this as only the beginning. But what happens next? There is an awareness that whatever Chris Nick does next will be nothing shy of himself.
Photographed by KAUS TAVSARKAR and CHRIS NICK. Production FROWFW. Event Producers ERROL ISIP and JL RABELAS. Project Manager and Stage Manager GABI GARCIA-GALLONT. Production Team REBECCA GUTHRIE. Model Coordinator CARLY FREDERICK. Beauty Director DON HSIAO. PR Manager MONICA AGREY. Social Media Manager MARC GUECO. Marketing Director CEDRIC CID. Marketing Coordinator EJ MANUEL. Volunteer Coordinator ANGELIQUE GONZALES. Photo and Video Coordinator KIMANI GILBERT
