Spring runway report

London-based designer Phoebe Philo debuted her eponymous women’s-wear brand in 2023, following influential stints at the helm of Celine and Chloé. Presented through lookbooks rather than on the runways at fashion week, the eagerly anticipated collections are released in lettered drops – instead of following traditional seasons, the edits are released on their own schedule – and are intended to be seasonless, long-term additions to a modern wardrobe.

Collection A1 launched in late 2023, while Collection D, shown here, arrives in stores from January to June this year. These are “designs that are ultimately meant to be collectibles over time versus trends,” says Ting. “She executes detail and texture really well and uses incredible materials.”

Spring 2026 marks Louise Trotter’s first collection for Bottega Veneta. The British-born talent previously designed for brands such as Carven, Lacoste and Joseph. Covering both men’s wear and women’s wear, this collection incorporates intrecciato-woven leather (that’s the brand’s signature weave) in new ways, while also introducing textile innovations, including a recycled fibreglass fringe that moves beautifully and feels like fur.

Perhaps the easiest trend to take away from the standout debut, though, is the “considered volume and oversized takes on some of the outerwear pieces,” says Ting.

Perhaps the most anticipated designer debut for Spring 2026, Matthieu Blazy’s first collection for Chanel didn’t disappoint. The French-Belgian talent, previously the creative director of Bottega Veneta, presented a vibrant women’s-wear collection that updated house codes without losing sight of craftsmanship and heritage. Think: lighter, relaxed takes on tweed suiting, and boxy button-ups made in collaboration with Charvet, a French shirtmaker favoured by Gabrielle Chanel.

The collection has been drawing plenty of attention in stores, too. In Paris last month, there was “mayhem” around the brand’s Rue Cambon boutique as clients and fashion week attendees clamoured to try on – and buy – pieces from the new season delivery, says Ting. Smythe Cropped Sleeve Mini Jacket

After 11 years at Loewe, Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson was named creative director at Dior last year, the first designer to oversee both the men’s and women’s collections at the French fashion house. His men’s-wear debut, presented in Paris last June and now in stores, presents a fresh vision for the brand that’s tailored and preppy, but also idiosyncratic.

On the runway, there were Donegal tweed Bar jackets (which were more relaxed than the iconic, nipped-waist original introduced by Christian Dior in 1947), tailcoats and bow ties alongside pleated cargo shorts and blue jeans. Silhouettes in the collection “challenge the existing view of men’s wear a bit but pay homage to how important tailoring is and how it can be brought into a newer gaze for the younger generation,” says Ting.

Grace Wales Bonner launched her namesake men’s-wear label in 2014, adding women’s wear a few years later. The brand “infuses European heritage with an Afro Atlantic spirit,” and Bonner deftly blends sportswear and tailoring elements in her designs. “She weaves in a lot of texture and materials borne through studies of different cultures … and it feels like a very intellectual take” on men’s wear, says Ting.

The English designer will soon have an even bigger audience. She was named the new creative director of men’s wear for Hermès in October and will present her first collection for the luxury brand in January, 2027.

Before becoming the artistic director of Celine last year, American designer Michael Rider oversaw women’s wear at Polo Ralph Lauren and worked at Balenciaga and Celine (under Phoebe Philo). His debut collection for the French fashion house, unsurprisingly, incorporated preppy and sportswear elements alongside tailored separates and slouchy suiting – an effortlessly chic mix that showcases Rider’s range.

“The styling, the use of colour and then that preppy attitude definitely makes it something … you can imagine on yourself,” says Ting. Tiger of Sweden Double-Breasted Jacket