Edvin Thompson has accrued some enviable good will from the New York fashion set, and his runway shows, high-octane and fun, often elicit lots of positive conversation. But the thing about finding such a level of popularity early on—Thompson also received a CFDA Award for Emerging Designer of the Year in 2021—is that it can often be distracting. It’s easy to fall into the trappings of feeling wanted. Thompson’s spring 2025 show last season, a buzzy return to the runway, suffered from a couple of production snafus—nothing out of the norm for a young label with budget constraints, but some press, this writer included, had to walk out before it even started. This time Thompson was showing his collection by appointment, and he seemed to have regained his focus.
It feels natural for a personality as extroverted as Thompson to gravitate towards the runway, but this format suits him and, most crucially, fits his clothes. Right out of the gate he established a language that combined his warm-blooded Jamaican origins with the edge, grit, and sex appeal of New York. Along the way the clarity of this point of view became a little muddled, and his production quality, particularly last season, wasn’t always up to standard. This season Thompson found a welcome sense of refinement (see a pretty great suede and leather patchwork jacket). While his men’s tailoring could still use some finessing, his womenswear in particular is edging closer than ever to just right.
This was the first fall collection Thompson has made for Theophilio since 2021. He said that he was thinking of “what Jamaica looks like in the winter” while designing, and that he simultaneously wanted to focus on tailoring. A first look at the 2025 Met Costume Institute exhibition, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” revealed that some of his work has been included in the show. With the inevitable spotlight this will cast on his label, there is no better time for Thompson to, as the kids say, “lock-in.”
Most effective was his pony hair tailoring in zebra and tiger colorways. Handkerchief hems and a sharp, slim shoulder with corset lacing down the back made for a flirty, covetable dress. Ditto the grommeted leather separates, which felt cool and enjoyable to wear, and two knit dresses: One was flattering and from fitting in panels of striped ribbed knit, and another, drapey and loose, was just a very sexy thing.
This New York Fashion Week has been, thus far and for the most part, characterized by a sense of primness. There are big skirts and bigger coats, hefty knits, and generally an abundance of fabric thrown around the body to varied degrees of effectiveness. Thompson at his best imbues a certain sex appeal into his clothes. It’s something he should embrace wholly.
