How Rick Owens’s Futuristic Feather Boots Stomped Through Fashion Week

To make FW25’s extraterrestrial boots, the dark lord of fashion tapped a 26-year-old designer who specializes in CGI.

Menswear’s Fall/Winter 2025 season was a riot—unruly yet deliberate. The year kicked off with seismic moments: Prada’s primal twists on spontaneity; Saint Laurent’s precise, sultry suiting with kinky leather thigh-highs; and Pharrell and Nigo’s definitive fusion at Louis Vuitton. Kim Jones delivered a poetic (and final) collection at Dior Men, while Willy Chavarria made a politically charged, history-making European debut. Emerging talent had its share of the spotlight—SETCHU impressed as guest designer at Pitti Uomo, and Laura Andraschko commanded the Paris men’s schedule (despite showing womenswear). Yet, as always, indie disruptors defined the season, with Rick Owens’s serpentine feather boots cementing their place in editors’ minds.

A master of dark, sculptural fashion, Owens thrives on pushing his vision. This time, he enlisted rising talent Victor Clavelly, a 26-year-old Parisian designer with a background in CGI artistry and a flair for the futuristic. Their collaboration resulted in footwear that felt extraterrestrial—laser-cut, hypertechnical, and mesmerizing in motion. Part feather, part armadillo, the boots blurred the line between organic and mechanical, a hybrid creature of both softness and steel. “Owens’s collection felt surprisingly pragmatic—rooted in thermals, slouchy knitwear, and genuinely wearable pieces,” said Lucy Maguire, senior trends editor at . But the boots, with their extreme proportions and intricate detailing, brought that unmistakable Owens-level drama to the runway.Clavelly’s journey to this high-profile collaboration was anything but straightforward. Born and raised in Paris, he initially envisioned a future in video game design, drawn to the immersive storytelling of titles like . “Video games were a huge influence growing up,” Clavelly says. “The characters, the atmosphere, the storytelling—it all left an impression.” That sensibility later found its way into his work, where he combined his digital expertise with garment design, forging a unique aesthetic that bridges fantasy and function.

Graduating from École Duperré in 2020 into the fashion industry during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Clavelly found traditional pathways closed to him. Instead, he pivoted to CGI freelance work while developing his own collections. His first, “Le jugement,” debuted in 2022, followed by “Les Amnésiques” the following year. Both were deeply conceptual, incorporating elements of armor and prosthetics into wearable art. “I started by sketching characters and stories, building these entire worlds before even thinking about clothing,” he explains. “Each collection is an expansion of that universe.”His technical prowess and futuristic aesthetic caught the attention of Owens, who reached out to Clavelly via Instagram in 2022 after seeing his experimental prints. The two stayed in contact, and this year, Clavelly found himself working on Owens’s latest collection, designing both the boots and a series of miniskirts. “Rick and his team gave me an incredible amount of freedom,” he says. “I was able to experiment without constraints, which made the process incredibly rewarding.”The boots themselves, featuring laser-cut leather and an architectural, floor-grazing silhouette, became an instant fashion week obsession. “They’re insanely tactile, deeply satisfying,” said Emma Davidson, fashion features director at . “And honestly, they made me want to go skiing—not to actually ski, but because you’d look so at après with them on your feet.” Michael Rinaldi, digital content manager at SSENSE, was equally struck by the visceral nature of the boots. “When I first saw the new iteration of the boot, I immediately thought about how it might feel to wear them—the leather slapping the pavement as you stomp, embracing the raw, animalistic pleasure of not caring if your talons get dirty.”

For Clavelly, the response to his work has been nothing short of surreal. “Seeing people’s excitement in real time, both at the show and on social media, was overwhelming,” he says. “My family and friends were so happy for me—it’s been incredible.” The designer is no stranger to viral success—last year, he made waves with a custom pair of boots for Katy Perry’s “Woman’s World” single cover art. “They took months to develop and went crazy on social media, which helped open new opportunities for me,” he says. That moment, he explains, was pivotal in bringing more attention to his craft and pushing him toward high-profile collaborations like the one with Owens.Now, Clavelly is focusing on his next moves—specifically with his eponymous label. He plans to refine his approach to 3D fabrication and laser printing while continuing to push the boundaries of wearable tech. He’s also expanding into custom pieces for artists and musicians and is open to future collaborations with other fashion houses. “I want to keep evolving and challenging myself,” he says. “This is just the beginning.”