Fashion Month Spring 2026: A City-by-City Breakdown
Better late than never. I took a moment to reflect on the main Spring 2026 fashion weeks—and decided to dig a little deeper than just what we saw on the runways. With the ongoing tariff situation, New York faced notable tension; London experienced significant behind-the-scenes growth; Milan brought excitement, though not without challenges; and, of course, Paris was a nonstop parade of major debuts.
New York: Resilience Amid Disruption
Props to New York for pulling off a solid fashion week despite major retail disruptions. The tariff drama threw production planning into chaos and created pricing confusion across the board. A lack of sponsorship left many designers scrambling to cover increased shipping fees and the rising cost of materials.
Still, some designers rose to the occasion with creative solutions, while others simply persevered.
"I didn't change anything about the creation of the collection. The prices have gone up, unfortunately. We import a lot of our fabrics from Italy into New York and so, with the tariff increase, some of our core fabrics that we've used from the beginning are now getting higher. But I didn't want to change how I'm designing or change the quality of our fabrics because I feel like our core customer responds to the really beautiful hand and that's how we get her to keep coming for more. We have a really nice repeat business, so I didn't want to all of a sudden cheapen the fabric. We did have to adjust the prices a little bit."
— Stephanie Suberville of Heirlome (via fashionista.com)
London: A Quiet Powerhouse Reclaims Its Spotlight
London often doesn’t get enough credit by the fashion scene, but this season proved the city deserves far more recognition. Spring 2026 marked a major turning point, thanks in large part to the British Fashion Council’s new CEO, Laura Weir, who is determined to bring the spotlight back to London.
Simone Rocha Spring 2026
One of her first major moves? Eliminating the London Fashion Week participation fee—a decision that helps ease the financial stress for emerging designers. According to Vogue Business, scheduling was curated to reflect London’s cultural relevance, and investment in the International Guest Programme was doubled.
“We are aiming to create a cultural experience that truly serves our designers…”
— Laura Weir (via Vogue Business)
Female talent also took center stage. Though fashion is still largely male-dominated, London saw 11 female designers showcase on Sunday alone—including Dilara Findikoglu, Ashley Williams, Simone Rocha, Edeline Lee, and more.
Milan: Drama, Debuts, and a Dose of Reality
Ciao Milano, what a week. From highly anticipated debuts to dramatic moments, Milan was anything but boring.
After releasing a cinematic lookbook titled La Famiglia, Demna presented the new Gucci collection with a film screening of The Tiger, blending fashion with narrative storytelling.
Another cinematic moment: Dolce & Gabbana's show featured none other than the Miranda Priestly—yes, Meryl Streep—filming scenes for The Devil Wears Prada 2.
The week closed with a moving tribute to the late Giorgio Armani, featuring 120 of his iconic creations displayed under paper lanterns across the courtyard of the Pinacoteca di Brera.
Giorgio Armani Spring 2026
However, behind the glamour, Italian fashion faces serious concerns.
In recent months, several luxury houses—including Armani and especially Loro Piana—have come under judicial investigation for alleged unethical labor practices in their supply chains (Vogue Business). The investigations have uncovered exploitative practices (forced overtime and unsafe conditions).
To address this:
In June, a “Memorandum of Understanding for the Legality of Procurement Contracts in the Fashion Production Chains” was proposed during the investigation to improve labor conditions and combat exploitation, tax evasion, and social security violations.
While some say the voluntary agreement isn’t enough, The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana is collaborating with the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy to introduce a legally binding, third-party certification system.
Paris: Debuts Redefining Legacy
Paris—the crown jewel of fashion month—delivered an endless stream of debuts.
Backstage Dior via Harpers Bazaar
At Dior, Jonathan Anderson made a powerful entrance. He commissioned Adam Curtis to produce a film of archival Dior footage, opening with the line: “Do You Dare Enter the House of Dior?” It was a brilliant way to point out the brand’s legacy and the enormity of the role Anderson has stepped into.
Meanwhile, Matthieu Blazy took on another major creative director role at Chanel. With the solar system backdrop, Blazy presented a show with a new vision, a new world of Chanel.
Other notable creative shakeups included:
Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough at Loewe
Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga
Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gaultier
This year, Paris showed a new era unfolding in real time.
Final Thoughts
Spring 2026 Fashion Month was a win for all four cities—but each for its own reasons.New York is pushing through some tough challenges, and it'll be interesting to see how the industry continues to evolve there.London is putting designers first and giving space to emerging talent. Milan needs to reckon with ethics behind the scenes to protect its reputation. Paris set a high standard with all its big debuts—so much so that next season’s follow up will be under intense scrutiny.
Can’t wait to see what’s next.
Sources
https://fashionista.com/2025/09/tariffs-nyfw-impact-designers-2025
https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/new-york-fashion-week-cheat-sheet-spring-summer-2026
https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/sustainability/carlo-capasa-on-the-future-of-made-in-italy
https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/sustainability/can-luxury-ever-guarantee-clean-supply-chains