Even Tough Guys Want Soft Sweaters in Kotn's FW25 Campaign

In a world that worships armour – leather jackets, clenched jaws, chunky boots – Danny Trejo stares deadpan into the camera wearing a soft sweater.

KOTN’s new FW25 campaign, “Tough Guys. Soft Sweaters.”, unravels the myth of masculinity through a face that has lived every shade of it - Danny Trejo.

Trejo grew up in LA, went through addiction and prison, and at one point was staring down death row at San Quentin. That could’ve been the ending. Instead, it became the start of the story he actually wanted. Hollywood didn’t “discover” him in the traditional sense. He was brought onto a film set in the ’80s to help someone get clean, and the director took one look at him – real scars, real history, real presence – and put him in front of the camera.Since then, Trejo has been every tough guy we’ve ever rooted for – the anti-hero with the scarred face, the man you’d never cross in a dark alley. Now his face is recognised across generations: kids who watched him in action films like Spy Kids, millennials who grew up with him as a cult icon in Desperado, or family members who might not know his name but instantly recognise his face. That’s the evolution of toughness – not just surviving it, but owning it.

Each frame in the FW25 campaign is photographed like a love letter to imperfection. There’s no gloss, no airbrushed bravado – just light catching on wrinkles and silver hair, skin that tells its own stories. The set builds a world around Trejo in soft reds and beige woods, mid-century décor and textures that feel like home. You can almost smell the cedar, hear the hum of a record spinning something old and soulful.The campaign plays with expectation: Trejo stares straight into the lens, all deadpan grit and unmistakable bravado – exactly how the world thinks of him. But the moment he starts talking, that armour drops. He’s funny, surprisingly warm, telling stories from set with this mischievous ease. The contrast is deliberate: the unbreakable man owning his tenderness.

This is masculinity in its 2025 form: not rewritten, but redefined. Men who once grew up idolising Trejo’s machete-swinging characters now see him in knitwear, advocating against bullying and refusing to play villains on screen unless they face consequences.KOTN’s FW25 collection celebrates that continuum: the boy who wanted to be tough, the man who learnt to be soft.

Because at the end of the day, even the hardest guys crave something warm, something cosy. Something like a soft sweater.Credits:
Talent: Danny Trejo @officialdannytrejo
Agency/Production: BYNK Media @bynkmedia
Photographer: Othello Grey @othellogrey
Director of Photography: Steven Tsinokas @steventsinokas
Stylist: Christian Geigel @j.geigel
Grooming: Tenzin Palkyi @tenzinpalkyiii
Production Design: Brendan Sommerville @hesuschrist
Stylist Assist: Justice Shand @digitaljems
Gaffer: David Grif @neon_criminal
Post House: Birthday Editorial @birthdayedit
Editor: Steven Tsinokas @steventsinokas
Post Producer: Renzo Sunga @iirmsunga
Colourist: Santiago Trugeda @sandteaeggo
Audio House: Post Office Sound @postofficesound
Audio Engineer: Evan Miles @evanmiless Brent Ballès @brentballes