The first day of New York Fashion Week Spring 2025, on Friday, was also a number of firsts for John Varvatos. It’s the first fashion show the brand has held in five years, its first since it came out of bankruptcy four years ago, its first without brand founder John Varvatos who left the company in 2020 and the first collection under the supervision of new vp of creative Karl Aberg.
Aberg, who joined the company in May, described the show as a “reintroduction” to the brand. Held on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the show was titled “Kiln & Craft.” In another first, it was a presentation format, with models placed around the venue where guests could freely roam around and inspect the clothes on models, on display and read a statement from Aberg about the intention behind the collection.
“We’re starting with a presentation, which is a bit brave since it’s our first show in a while and it’s a format we’ve never done before,” said Catherine Jobling, John Varvatos’s chief operating officer. “What we’ve found is that this format allows us to communicate more directly. You can get up closer to the clothes, you can talk to us directly. It’s much more intimate.”
That extra time and intimate look at the clothes is helpful, Aberg said, because this collection is also a departure from the brand’s usual look. John Varvatos has been known for nearly 25 years for its edgy, rock-and-roll-inspired looks of leather jackets and denim. But the Kiln & Craft collection puts a much greater emphasis on tailoring, with the introduction of three-piece suits, jackets, loafers and other formalwear.
“What I hope people see from this collection is the greater use of color and of tailoring,” Aberg told Glossy. “It’s more of a tailored aesthetic — a cleaned-up, modern American look.”
After going bankrupt in 2020 amid the chaos of the pandemic, John Varvatos, sans its founder, was purchased by Lion Capital in 2021 and merged with Lion’s other fashion brand, AllSaints. Since then, the brand has had a slow but steady turnaround. In 2023, AllSaints and John Varvatos together saw revenue grow 36% to nearly $600 million. John Varvatos, in particular, saw strong growth under AllSaints, according to financial statements, with annual revenue for the brand reaching $86 million.
Much of that growth has come from international expansion, particularly in parts of Asia like Taiwan and South Korea where both AllSaints and John Varvatos have opened new stores.
Jobling said there’s more to come from John Varvatos’s comeback tour. Next year is the brand’s 25th anniversary and, without revealing exact plans, Jobling said she and Aberg have much in store to celebrate the brand’s legacy and new direction.
“By the end of this year, you’ll know what we have planned for the big 25th anniversary,” Jobling said. “But for now, it’s just good to be back.”
