parisfashionweek26

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Paris Fashion Week SS26 & creative respect: How the best designers serve the maison’s legacy

The discipline of legacy is the defining quality of a true designer—a quiet antidote to the chaos of the modern fashion system. Amidst the clamour for hype and popularity, a standard that often feels paramount today, this discipline remains the bedrock of enduring design.

This principle is most critically tested within the hallowed halls of historical fashion houses. Here, the designer’s role transforms from sole creator to interpreter; their success is measured not by the strength of their individual voice alone, but by their ability to channel the maison’s soul. The true test is bringing a fresh perspective while honoring the foundational codes and essence of the house. It is a rejection of the notion that a creative directorship is a platform to treat the heritage of a maison as a mere canvas for one’s own brand. Read it—for one’s own ego.

When this creative respect meets artistry—when a designer truly serves the legacy they have been entrusted with—something remarkable happens. The work transcends a seasonal statement. It becomes a continuation of a story. And in that delicate balance, we don’t just see clothes; we feel the enduring enthusiasm for fashion itself.

Paris Fashion Week SS26: The discipline of legacy

Tom Ford: On a dark, smoky runway, Haider Ackermann presented a masterclass in nocturne sensuality. This was a striking lesson in sexiness mood, a masterful fusion of his own stark elegance with Tom Ford’s established codes of luxury and seduction. He proved his ability to evolve the brand while staying true to its core DNA of desire and glamour. (See the collection here.)

Issey Miyake: Movement has always been the core of Miyake’s work, and the SS26 collection redefined the very concept of dressing with clothes that come alive. Fabrics breathe, transform, and adapt to the body in a continuous metamorphosis. This is fashion as an act of love for movement—a fundamental code brilliantly respected by the designing team.
(View the full show here.)

Givenchy: Sarah Burton delivered a spectacular vision of femininity. The collection was a study in contrasts: brilliant, powerful tailoring infused with a poetic and sensual spirit. Here is a female designer dressing women—appreciating, respecting, and empowering them, all while honoring the maison’s codes. (Watch the show here.)

Balenciaga: The beauty, the elegance, the mastery. This was a return to the fundamental principles of the house. Thank you, Pierpaolo Piccioli, for restoring Balenciaga to its legacy of sublime craftsmanship. Piccioli loves women; he celebrates rather than mortifies them, bringing beauty and dignity back to the forefront. (The horror show is over, at least for Balenciaga.)
(Revisit the collection here.)

Chloé: Chemena Kamali earns a “brava” for decisively evolving the brand beyond its hobo phase. She skillfully repurposed the maison’s heritage codes—florals, delicate drapes, and a soft, romantic spirit—to trace a new, refined path for Chloé’s femininity. (Watch the presentation here.)

Final thoughts

At its heart, fashion is beauty. Fashion is a dream.
So, what becomes clear is that the discipline of legacy is not a constraint, but a catalyst. It is practised by a discerning few—the designers who truly understand their role. Those who see their role not as a platform for their ego, but as a sacred trust. They are the skilled interpreters who understand that their true creativity is revealed through a dialogue with the maison’s history.

Their work proves that fashion, at its best, is the marriage of beauty and meaning. It is a shared dream. And when corporate strategy has the wisdom to empower these masters of their craft, it proves that fashion’s most stunning creations are those that honour a past while boldly shaping its future.