It was almost impossible to leave the Marques’Almeida show without mentioning the soundtrack. It began serenely with Pachelbel’s Canon, and then suddenly, somewhere mid-show, thumped into J Balvin and Willy William’s “Mi Gente.” The correlation there? HBO’s Euphoria, the melodramatic TV series that kept audiences rapt with teenage mischief and really great clothing. Designer Paulo Almeida—Marta Marques was at home with their new baby—described watching Euphoria as a eureka moment regarding today’s youth and their obsessions. “I think we finally understood that all the references and research we had played with in the past are only free and powerful enough for now when completely carelessly mixed,” he said.
On the runway, this meant a mélange of all things traditionally M’A, topped off with Zendaya-worthy curls and Hunter Schafer–level facial glitter. The show opened with a custom jacquard made with the artist Paul Anderson Morrow, rainbow streaks dancing across a couture-like opera coat and glamorous kick flares. From there, the duo pulled from youth culture of all decades, offering a grungy marigold ’90s hoodie dress, slinky ’70s knits with ostrich feather details, and acid-wash raver denim in a spectrum of neon colors. Asymmetric ruffle dresses and tops will seem most familiar to their fans, as will the shredded denim, but where the pair really shined were in goat fur coats in contrasting acid hues. They were enormous, turning M’A’s street-cast models into aggressive fashion beasts (aided in their feral look by platform club kid boots). It was a furiously free message for today’s youth: Take up space and do it fashionably.