Past Present. Act No.1 AW26

April 9, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Luca Lin of Act No.1 is leading Milan’s new wave of designers, carving his own path in a landscape still largely dominated by mega-watt houses. His brand is a decade old, yet Lin’s work feels unseasoned in the best possible way. Trained in a traditional design discipline, he aims to “take that standard and use it to mix and match, creating something new.”

The result is a distinct way of carrying oneself: layered, oversized tailoring interwoven with details that possess a soul of their own. For autumn-winter 2026, the standout piece is a structured top hand-embroidered with more than 25,000 tiny deadstock buttons sourced from Italian manufacturer RIBL. Some of these buttons are over 50 years old, allowing the piece to blend past and present in the spirit of new materialism – a direction poignantly echoed by Hodakova in Paris.

But Act No.1 isn’t only about one-of-a-kind collectibles. The label also offers beautifully cut jackets, coats, and trousers, all subtly deconstructed and radiating an airy coolness. The sunburnt palette – ochre, mustard, orange, and burgundy – is delicious.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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The Kids Are All Right. Abra AW26

April 6, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

For Abraham Ortuño Perez, the kids are all right. While designing his autumn-winter 2026 Abra collection, the Spanish designer – who has spent years building his reputation with some of the most imaginative footwear for leading brands – found himself thinking about his niece and nephew rummaging through their parents’ closet, piling on whatever they could get their hands on. He recalls his own childhood with similar fondness: he and his sister played with roles, she the tomboy and he the girly one. “At some point, we kind of blended together.”

That spirit of childlike naïveté – so beautiful, and so fleeting – runs through Perez’s latest ready-to-wear collection. Sack dresses are slashed and patchworked from contrasting materials, while blazers and jackets hang several sizes too big. The playful energy continues in confetti-like dresses, and long gilets crafted from vintage rabbit-fur belts feel like something discovered in an attic treasure chest – exactly the kind of find that would spark a child’s imagination.

We need fun, and Abra is where seriousness goes to die.

Collages by Edward Kanarecki, featuring backstage photos by Jamie-maree Shipton.
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The Beauty Of Fluidity. Samuel Guì Yang AW26

April 4, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Shanghai Fashion Week is an increasingly important player on the global stage, and the clearest proof of this is the guest show by Maison Margiela. Yet the true highlight of the week is Samuel Guì Yang, a brand I have followed for quite some time and one that has become a genuine magnet drawing audiences to Shanghai. Among all the labels presenting their work, the collaboration between Samuel Guì Yang and Erik Litzen feels the most authentic – and, crucially, not derivative of their Parisian or Lodnon counterparts. The label possesses a distinct aesthetic that cannot be found elsewhere.

As the designers themselves explain, what is often referred to as “Chinese style” encompasses an expansive and complex world: it resists simplification, as it draws equally from history and contemporary life – from the rhythms of the street to color, humor, and everyday experience. This multiplicity informs their refusal to confine themselves to a singular cultural framework; instead, they embrace lighthearted fluidity.

At a time when fashion is increasingly returning to a mode of freely drawing inspiration from global cultures – as seen, for instance, in the autumn–winter 2026 collections of Louis Vuitton and Loro Piana – Samuel Guì Yang stands at the forefront with its nuanced (and very chic) exploration of cultural provenance. A double-faced silk qipao, for example, was cut to fall from the body at the right hip before winding down to the floor like an evening gown. Elsewhere, a fringed poncho was tied with a piece of blue string, achieving a sense of harmonious ruralism. Additional elements – a striking feathered cloaklet layered over a raincoat, headpieces seemingly constructed from repurposed garments, and a square parasol with a trailing black canopy that nearly obscured the entire look – introduced a subtly folkloric dimension without referencing any single tradition directly.

As Litzen notes, his and Samuel’s process begins intuitively, followed by careful refinement to ensure that the results remain respectful and avoid coming too close to specific cultural boundaries. This balance between instinct and critical editing ultimately defines the unique strength of their joint effort.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Shanghai. Maison Margiela AW26

April 3, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

At this point, there’s little sense in trying to draw connections between what Martin Margiela’s brand once was and what it is today. In the days of the revolutionary Belgian designer, the scale was small, anonymity was essential, and no-nonsense ideas were paramount. Today, this is Renzo Rosso’s house being scaled up – not only through perfume lines or Miley Cyrus campaigns, but also by presenting its latest collection in Shanghai.

I don’t see Maison Margiela as a “destination” brand like Chanel or Louis Vuitton, so it’s difficult to justify this move as anything beyond commercial expansion. The autumn-winter 2026 collection marks Glenn Martens’ third outing. It is, so far, his strongest – far more compelling than his spring effort, with its inexplicable metal gags tucked into models’ mouths – yet that doesn’t mean I’m entirely convinced. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Maison Margiela Tabi Ballerina Split-toe Distressed Velvet Pumps

Maison Margiela Dégradé Checked Woven Midi Skirt

Maison Margiela Embroidered Mesh-trimmed Wool Cardigan

Maison Margiela Box Leather Shoulder Bag

Maison Margiela Padded Wool-trimmed Quilted Crinkled Shell Jacket

Maison Margiela Ombre Leather Anatomic Block-Heel Pumps

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Well-Traveled. Loro Piana AW26

March 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

There’s something inherently soothing – almost regal, but in the best possible way – about the fact that Loro Piana has no publicly known creative director. It sets the Italian house apart from the endless game of musical chairs in which designers constantly arrive at and depart from brands. Not that it doesn’t evolve – on the contrary, a breath of fresh air has lifted its ready-to-wear in recent years, and substantial internal recalibration has brought it back into the orbit of clients who once flocked to The Row – but the absence of headlines like “Breaking: X leaves Y after just two years” lends Loro Piana a sense of stability. It feels like a safe space, a sanctuary insulated from creative turbulence and industry storms.

And yet, the brand never lets you feel too comfortable. It’s like a Poliform or Cassina sofa – something you can sit in for a while, but not indefinitely, because you begin to notice a certain luxurious discomfort. There’s an intriguing, almost intimidating quality to the world of Loro Piana, and that tension is precisely what makes it aspirational.

The styling of its lookbooks is undeniably snobbish, though in a well-traveled, flamboyant way (the menswear especially has that sensibility, as if it was custom-made for a queer prince – Manvendra Singh Gohil, the first openly gay prince in the world, comes to mind). It feels less concerned with the “good taste” archetype so restlessly pursued by brands like Toteme, and more with a kind of irreverence toward anything that even faintly reads as “mass.” When everyone else leans into a CBK uniform, Loro Piana charts a cross-continental journey, its latest collection tracing influences from Normandy to Persia. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.