Gosha Rubchinskiy is the type of designer more likely to stage presentations of his clothes at refurbished Cold War-era gymnasiums than any typical fashion settings: the Russian menswear maven's streetwear sensibility has always been tethered closer to the sidewalk than to the catwalk. A more grown-up show, though, feels inevitable for a designer as on-the-rise as Rubchinskiy—in just a few years, he's become the crown prince of underground men's fashion, winning the financial backing of no less than OG style punks Comme des Garçons—so buzz was high today as he sent a spring collection down his first ever runway in Paris.
If there was any doubt that a more conventional presentation would dampen the eccentricities and excitements of Rubchinskiy's clothes, rest assured that his singular point of view was as alive here as anywhere else he's ever showed. In fact, without distractions, the runway lets you focus completely on just how cool the clothes are: furry double-breasted jackets, his signature casual-wear done in Crayola shades of yellow and orange and an unlikely leather blazer did all the talking today, conveying perfectly his 1980s sportswear-inspired perspective. There's also the major takeaway that sweatpants and scuffed-up slip-ons can and should be worn with pretty much anything—not the most expected message to glean from a catwalk in Paris, but that's what makes Rubchinskiy so special to begin with.