17 Dec 2025
Rabanne unveiled its Spring–Summer 2026 collection with an energy that rippled far beyond the runway. The show channelled the tension and glamour of the decade before the Maison’s founding—a 1950s world filled with picture-perfect domesticity, glossy cinema idols and escapist holiday fantasies, all masking the deeper societal shifts waiting to erupt. This season, Rabanne transformed that tension into clothing: seductive, sharp, unconventional and impossible to ignore .
Creative Director Julien Dossena reimagined mid-century swimwear as high fashion armour. Bathing suits and wetsuits—already sculptural by nature—were reconstructed into couture-like pieces. Bikini tops appeared as standalone statements or slipped beneath dresses edged with ruffles. Zip-front neoprene trousers folded casually at the waist blurred surf culture with Parisian sophistication. The result was a wardrobe that looked as if it had been carved from sunlight and sea spray.
Then came the disruption. Pieces appeared intentionally undone—pulled apart, reassembled, knotted, tied. Short skirts draped into unexpected trails. Pencil skirts dropped lower with exaggerated belts, shifting the proportion rules with rebellious precision. It was Rabanne’s version of elegance: sensual, defiant and rooted in the body.
The collection’s visual world expanded through embroidered florals lifted from vintage swim caps, tropical prints, poisonous-sweet colours and lived-in leather jackets that added grit to the softness. Colour played a psychological role—idyllic yellows, blues and peaches from a 1950s dream collided with deeper marine and emerald tones, signalling something more mysterious beneath the surface .
Accessories amplified the drama. A car-crash skirt made of articulated metal plates echoed with each step, turning movement into sculpture. Metallic pumps curled like unfurling leaves around the ankle. Flip-flops were redesigned with exaggerated soles. Surf booties became daywear. Jewellery looked edible—silver leis, glossy fruit charms, even ice cubes hanging from chains. Gradient patent bags gleamed like fresh automotive paint, giving the collection its sleek, mechanical shine.
Rabanne SS26 captured a moment where beauty and unease coexist, where nostalgia meets disruption, and where the ocean’s softness suddenly sharpens into something electric. It was a collection made for those who crave fashion with tension, sensuality and cinematic ambition.
