In 2019, Rhuigi Villaseñor presented his first show at Paris Men’s Fashion Week. It was a big deal to get on the official calendar—it involves a lengthy application process and approval from the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), the governing body that organizes Paris Fashion Weeks. But he made the cut and joined a group of American designers with streetwear roots—Virgil Abloh, Matthew Williams, and Heron Preston, for example—who were starting to infiltrate Paris Fashion Week to be viewed as legitimate designers who don’t only make T-shirts and hoodies.
The strategy worked for Villaseñor. Rhude is sold alongside European luxury houses at stores including Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Galeries Lafayette in China, and Luisa Via Roma in Florence. He’s also collaborated with brands like Puma, Zara, and Lamborghini, and he landed a coveted creative director position at Bally, a Swedish luxury house known for its accessories, in 2022.
Although the role only lasted for 14 months—Villaseñor cited creative differences—the appointment signaled that Villaseñor had arrived and was fully operating within the system rather than on the fringes of it. But after his Spring/Summer 2025 show, which took place this week in Lake Como, Italy, Villaseñor seems much more interested in creating his own system.
“I came into this field the unconventional route. So to conform to the system would be sort of foolish for me,” said Villaseñor. “I’m not saying I’m fully bowing out, but I am reconsidering our approach.”
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