Fried, Filtered & Fashioned: the Delicious Subversion of Sinead Gorey’s FW25 show

Written by Mary Hezekiah

With layers of fur, plaid, and the unmistakable sheen of fast-food packaging, a girl dramatically walks down the runway. The KFC bag is tight in one hand while, in the other, the slowly burning cigarette sends tiny clouds of defiance into the air. This is Sinead Gorey’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection: a riotously hyper-stylized love letter to nocturnal street culture, draped in night out aesthetics that conclude with fried chicken and questionable decisions.

Gorey has never shied from excess. Her creativity draws from the unalloyed brute youth culture, club kids, and British higher fashion and everyday grime. This season, she does not simply go furthest with the chaos signature to her designs, but she creates a different world in which luxury is defined by an attitude rather than merely exclusivity.

Reinventing the Dress Code of the Streets

Fashion has borrowed from the streets for a long time, but Gorey has gone a step further; she has memorialized. The FW25 is, rather, a living, breathing example of what directs and guides street culture—not in the distant, commodified way that so many luxury brands tend to do, but in the way it is dressed. This collection carries with it to great excess the night takeaway aesthetic of London, where heels click against greasy tiles, fur coats rub against neon-tinged menu boards, and the night’s last cigarette is flicked under a flickering streetlight. The styling choices-bold tartans, fur-lined hoods, metallic mini skirts, and form-fitting club attire-closely mirror the dressing of individuals who are unwilling to call it a night. There’s a certain grit, a refusal to beautify or sanitize. It’s no longer about merely looking expensive; it’s about looking like one has lived.  

And there’s the KFC bag—in the manner of a fashion plate clutch. A symbol, a smile at how quickly fast food and fashion blur on the eve of a night on the town. It calls the idea of ‘cheap’ versus ‘rich’ into question and merges them together into something one can wear—a consumable piece of beauty declaring itself.

Smoking, Sex, and the Aesthetic of Defiance

The cigarette is its own personality within. In an era where cigarette smoking is practically a dinosaur in upscale fashion marketing, Gorey celebrates its retro, subversive appeal. It’s not about glorifying the behavior itself, but referencing an era when the cigarette was synonymous with sexiness, coolness without attachment and unbridled excess. With gigantic furs and shorter-than-short dresses, the models do not just get dressed up—they tell stories. They’re the ones who shut down the club, the ones caught in the rain at 4 AM and yet still appear to have rolled out of bed. There is something movie-like about them, like stills from low-budget film on youth, debauchery, and the pursuit of the next high.

Trash or Treasure? The Art of Playing with Perception

Gorey’s anthology forces us to reevaluate our ideas of value. Why does something ‘trend’? Why does something ‘cost less’? The fast food bag as an accessory is such a blatant rebellion against the belief that status lies in designer labeling. By creating something inherently ephemeral on an equal plane to high fashion, she’s asking us to consider what we’re actually assuming to be aspirational. The collection thrives on contradictions. Faux fur jackets drape over near-there mesh dresses; punk-influenced tartans collide with the glamour of sequins. It’s maximalist, sloppy, and completely disregarding of classic ‘good taste’ principles. Gorey does not cater to the sleek, edited Instagram aesthetic that currently holds court in fashion. Instead, she luxuriates in the raw, unfiltered, messy beauty of real life.

Beyond the Clothes: A Cultural Commentary

In its core, this book is a love letter to the kind of nights that become stories. It captures the spirit of those who thrive on the thrill of dressing up, going out, and existing with the unpredictability of the city. It’s about the cab home when your makeup is smudged but confidence is still intact. The lesson ends where the laughter echoes louder than the club music still resonating in your ears. Gorey doesn’t just make clothing; she makes experiences, sensations, and outlooks. This collection isn’t about fashion specifically—it’s about identity, being a member of a subculture that happens at the after-hours.

The Future of Fashion, Unfiltered

In a world where fashion is increasingly polished, curated, and commercialized, Sinead Gorey’s FW25 collection is a refreshing rebellion. It’s not interested in being ‘timeless’ or ‘classic.’ It’s here, it’s now, and it’s unapologetically of the moment.

By embracing the aesthetics of late-night London—the fast food, the neon-lit streets, the cigarettes and stilettos—Gorey has crafted more than just a collection. She’s crafted a movement, one that refuses to separate the glamorous from the gritty.

And in a world obsessed with status, there’s something thrilling about a designer who dares to make a KFC bag the most coveted accessory on the runway.

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