Nanushka Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection

According to Nanushka, the paper anniversary ought to celebrate the 20th year, not the first. With spring 2025 marking the brand’s 20th anniversary, designer Sandra Sándor wanted to pay homage to both the past and the future of the Budapest label.

With a collection aptly titled “Paper,” Sándor played off the idea of turning a new page, in both a literal and figurative sense. “I was looking at what Nanushka stood for in the past 20 years, and I also want to see how it is going to be relevant in the next 20 years. So it’s kind of flipping the page to the future,” she said. In a more sartorial interpretation, she crafted strips of raw-edged poplin which bore a striking resemblance to cut paper. A recurring motif, the dynamic tiered fringe rustled down the runway on skirts, dresses, and tops and was one of the show’s standouts. Sándor’s love of handcrafts appeared elsewhere in the show, like in a contrast blanket stitch, which appeared on the Origami bag and a black bra top.

While she may be looking ahead, Sándor’s longstanding house codes played a key role in the collection. She returned to Hungarian Kopjafa symbols (16th century emblems that help denote identity) printed on silk scarves, embossed in leather purses, and stamped on gold coin jewelry, as well as Nanushka’s trademark Okobor vegan leather.

Sándor’s prevailing sense of nostalgia helped her decide to bring the show to New York instead of Europe, where it usually shows. “I remembered this moment when I was around 16, and I was walking in SoHo and going into some stores, and that really cemented my desire to become a fashion designer,” she said. We’re all better for her decision. Between the striped knitted micro-shorts paired with a semi-buttoned blouse, floor-length green leopard print cardigan, and sloped shouldered jackets, Sándor injected a welcomed dose of Eastern European cool into New York Fashion Week.