The Evolution of Animal Print: Highlights from the AW’25 Shows

The ready-to-wear womenswear collections are always a brilliant source of print inspiration. They're often where we first see new trends take shape, and this year, the Autumn/Winter 2025 shows fully embraced print as a powerful storytelling tool.

If you don't already know, I'm a big fan of animal prints so I was pleased to see a variety of takes this season—from bold re-imaginings of classics like leopard and snakeskin to more refined, subtle textures and spot motifs that hinted at nature without overpowering the look. Brandon Maxwell's Autumn/Winter 2025 collection captured this balance beautifully. His use of understated, monochromatic patterns brought a sense of natural elegance to the runway, while still nodding to the untamed beauty of animal print. The collection featured delicate deer spots and fur-inspired textures, creating looks that felt both luxurious and sophisticated.

Dries Van Noten's collection, titled "Behind the Curtain," drew inspiration from the opulence of the Palais Garnier opera house and featured sumptuous fabrics and rich textures. While traditional animal prints were not prominently featured, the show did include luxurious and furry outerwear in monochrome animal spots as seen below. I love the mix of larger, more heavy spots with the smaller ones, creating irregularity and contrast between the dark and light space.

Dries Van Noten AW2025

A.L.C. drew inspiration from the 1970s for their Autumn/Winter collection, which infuses the brand's modern aesthetic with a touch of vintage nostalgia. I love their inky abstract take on animal print seen below—using gestural marks and brushstrokes for a contemporary-feeling print. The white ground also keeps it looking bright and fresh.

A.L.C. AW2025

Zebra was a standout trend across many of the Autumn/Winter 2025 runways, with some of the boldest and most graphic interpretations coming from designers like Balmain, Theophilio, and Conner Ives. Large-scale, high-contrast stripes brought drama and impact to their collections.

From left: Conner Ives, Theophilio, Balmain, Duran Lantink

BCBG Max Azria's Autumn/Winter 2025 collection also delivered a striking take on zebra, applying the print to a minidress, trench coat, and a coordinating skirt and top set featured below. The hand-painted quality of the stripes gives the pattern a beautiful sense of movement and, along with the pale beige ground, adds a touch of softness to the design.

Ganni also took a more painterly approach to animal print, using soft, blurry-edged stripes in varying thicknesses to give a more natural and fur-like feel, as seen below. The inky, textural effect is more of an abstract tiger print, reimagined with the unexpected colour choice of deep olive tones which feels really modern.

Overall, the Autumn/Winter 2025 collections offered some fresh and inspiring takes on animal print, reminding me just how versatile these patterns can be. From soft, painterly textures to bold graphic stripes, designers continued to reinvent and push animal prints into new and exciting places.

I’m feeling full of ideas and can’t wait to explore some of these themes in my own work—watch this space!

You can follow me @sophieslaterdesigns to learn more about my process and to see my latest work or head to my design portfolio for more. I also have a range of designs, including many animal prints, available to purchase in my online print shop.

View all of the ready-to-wear collections from the Autumn/Winter 2025 shows via Vogue.com, including the full collections from the designers I've mentioned above.