Regime. Gucci AW26

February 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Everything about Demna’s Gucci runway debut made me feel nauseous. The monumental, neo-classicist venue designed by Sub.Global felt deeply discomforting to me – it immediately evoked Mussolini-era architecture, the kind that asserted power and signaled the omnipresence of a totalitarian regime. Playing with such tropes simply doesn’t sit right, especially in the context of figures like Giorgia Meloni shaping current politics. I was genuinely surprised that nobody else said this out loud. But then again, I suppose it’s easy to turn a blind eye when it’s convenient.

And what about the clothes? To me, they suggest that Demna – a designer I truly admired during his Balenciaga years – is at a creative standstill. Or downfall. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Lost Sister. Marni AW26

February 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

Marni, founded by Consuelo Castiglioni in 1994, immediately resonated with women from different walks of life – gallerists, buyers, chefs. Yet critics and the broader fashion establishment often dismissed it as derivative of Prada: a kind of lost Miu Miu sister, but without the family lineage. As a result, it was rarely taken seriously as “major” fashion.

When Francesco Risso took over the brand about a decade ago, he transformed it into something closer to an art school experiment – at times strikingly on point, at others completely missing the mark with over-intellectualized gestures. Now it is Meryll Rogge’s turn to redefine Marni.

At her own eponymous label, Meryll cultivates a certain kooky, cluttered aesthetic that, on paper, seems perfectly suited to the Marni universe. Her debut felt almost expected – much closer to the brand’s 2000s image than to its more recent iterations. Which is why staging her show on the same day as Prada felt particularly unfortunate. It was Miuccia’s playbook all over again: socks with sandals, oversized paillettes on skirts, quirky, retro-tinged necklaces – only without the socio-political subtext humming in the background.

There are plenty of designers working in a kind of faux-Prada mode – from Henry Zankov to N21’s Alessandro Dell’Acqua – and Rogge’s Marni seems to fall into that same category. But perhaps that is precisely the point?

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Nobody Is Fun Anymore. Fendi AW26

February 28, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

For some strange reason, I had hoped that Maria Grazia Chiuri’s debut at Fendi would surprise us all with something genuinely fun (believe it or not, once upon a time Fendi was fun – before Kim Jones turned it into yet another beige Italian brand). But there was no trace of that spirit on her runway. At least, it was nowhere to be seen beyond a passing statement in the press release.

It seems that the only thing distinguishing Maria Grazia’s current mindset from her years at Dior is a looser relationship to a unifying theme. Her Fendi woman is slightly less uptight – perhaps. Yet this newly found “chill” made the latest collection resemble Zadig & Voltaire more than Fendi: slip dresses, military references, velvet jackets, denim – the building blocks of a rather dated understanding of “cool.”

And the menswear? Perhaps because Chiuri hasn’t designed menswear in decades, it ended up being one of the most compelling aspects of the collection. Funnily enough, in her universe, men are allowed to wear more fabulous furs than women.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Layers. Prada AW26

February 27, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

During the last season – the so-called “season of debuts” – I found myself wondering whether fashion is truly committed to the pursuit of the new if not a single designer even vaguely attempts to challenge the format of the fashion show. Finally, that changed at yesterday’s show by Prada in Milan, where Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons proved that the runway can, indeed, be reimagined. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.

ED’s SELECTION:

Prada Eyewear Square-frame Silver-tone Optical Glasses

Prada Distressed Leather Bow Sandals

Prada Check Georgette Sleeveless Midi Dress

Prada Boat Neck Knit Balloon Sweater

Prada Camel Wool Circle Midi Skirt

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Back To The Good Times. Conner Ives AW26

February 24, 2026 | Design & Culture by Ed

What I love about Conner Ives’s latest collection is how unfussy, unpretentious, and effortless it feels – while remaining absolutely glamorous. The designer drew inspiration from Weimar-era Berlin: a time of freedom and untamed expression, a moment of societal shift, and the rise of a queer community that helped shape modern art. Echoes of the 1920s came alive in Ives’s low-waisted dresses with fringed hems and sleeves, as well as in a phenomenal fur-trimmed silk coat adorned with chinoiserie motifs. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE.