Beauty is pain. But this pain is also an unstoppable force. The most heart-wrenching show of the season is now behind us. Matières Fécales’s Steven Raj Bhaskaran said of his partner, Hannah Rose Dalton: “Watching her walk out into the world every day, receiving such judgmental reactions toward her expression, makes me feel sad sometimes about the intolerance of the world around us. It sends a message that being different from the norm isn’t valued in this society – it’s usually degraded. Regardless, she keeps walking through the laughter, the pointing, the stares, and often, the aggression.”

Being different from the norm has always been fashion’s prerogative, especially for designers like Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Rick Owens. The duo behind Matières Fécales aim to continue that legacy by challenging conventional beauty standards: not only with their looks, but the multi-generational, diverse characters they cast in their shows. They unveiled their remarkable Spring–Summer 2026 collection at Place Vendôme – where else, if not at the very epitome of Parisian vanity? – a lineup filled with frayed tweeds à la Chanel, strong-shouldered riffs on Dior’s Bar jacket, and couture-inflected, corseted gowns that, from one angle, objectify the wearer to extremes, and from another, become a bulletproof shelter, an armor of sorts.

Bhaskaran and Dalton draw on fashion history directly, but with a fierce bravado. Their message is clear: in an industry where everything is expected to be commercial and sanitized, charging head-on into radical beauty is nothing less than an act of rebellion.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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