Fashion-world veterans have been firing subliminal shots about what they like to call “The Clothes.” As in: Pay attention to the clothes, not the hype, is the new ethos. But somewhere along the way, fashion became pop culture, brands started siphoning power from celebrities, and there was so much more there to entertain the masses. The spectacle obscured the clothes. It’s true that Virgil is a world-famous DJ, and that the collaboration Kim orchestrated between Vuitton and Supreme was seen by some as a stunt. Both Virgil and Matthew have spent enough time working in Kanye’s orbit to know how powerful hype can be. But in Paris, a new beginning for each of them, there was clarity and a glorious new kind of synergy that elevated all three and birthed the Biggest, Most Exciting Menswear Moment Ever.

The three share a number of aesthetic similarities, and the effect was a pleasant sort of familiarity. The recognition of a wave taking shape. There’s a subtle but distinct relationship between the three. Like three brothers, separated at birth and raised apart, who all possess unmistakable genetic similarities.

Matthew Williams’s signature Alyx buckle in the Dior show. Estrop Alyx Laurent Viteur

From left: Louis Vuitton, Dior. From left: Louis Vuitton, Dior, Alyx.

One trait is the embrace of and experimentation with classical tailoring. This is not new territory for Kim, who has cut a suit or two during his time at Vuitton, and before that as head of Dunhill. But here we saw all three designers present suits as part of monochromatic looks with technical sneakers and unique detailing—hidden zippers along the seams at Alyx, inventive button closures at Dior and, at Vuitton, with a jacket-harness hybrid that covers just half of the torso. Reminder: Suits haven’t gone anywhere, and they won’t in this lifetime. As our closets overflow with sneakers and T-shirts, now is as good a time as ever for an update.

The most obvious convergence of the three was the bags. Virgil had been posting images of his personal Kim Jones–designed Dior bag on Instagram weeks before showtime. And a version of the red-hot Alyx chest rig appeared in the Vuitton show. Then there were those industrial-grade metal clasps Matthew engineered for Dior. Looking for a purse and clutch-sized man bag? These dudes got you. Undoubtedly, bags are the money makers. But the layers of shared ideas and collaboration between peers (and rivals—if you’re going to buy one holster-purse next spring, which is it going to be?) is astounding.

From left: Louis Vuitton, Alyx.

There are other, more subtle overlaps worth noting: floral motifs, pops of neon, unexpected variations of proportion and volume, heavy-duty hardware. All three have a utilitarian streak. Maybe it’s a sensibility borrowed from athletic wear. A sensitivity to ergonomics. A deep respect for the necessity of pockets because you don’t want to keep everything in your leather body harness.

There are also plenty of things that make these three collections unique, original, and distinct. I do not see them as interchangeable. Alyx continues to feel like apocalyptic bondage gear. The big statement at Vuitton was all about color—white becoming a rainbow through a prism. And at Dior Kim Jones flexed his new couture superpowers with an elegance that neither Vuitton nor Alyx could match.

Maybe it was a fluke that this season the three made a few similar moves. They’ll correct next time and take off in different directions. But I hope it wasn’t a fluke and that they continue to work together—directly as collaborators or not—to prove that menswear is capable of change.