VETEMENTS’ SS26 Show Was All Provocation
Guram Gvasalia’s pulsing collection brought Cara Delevingne back to the runway, too.
If there’s one thing that’s certain about Guram Gvasalia’s Vetements, it’s that you will always walk away with a head full of questions, thoughts and feelings. The Georgian designer has long been known for courting controversy with shows that straddle protest and provocation, occasionally tipping too far into one or the other. The Spring/Summer 2026 show was no exception.
Set in a parking lot-like setting just off the Champs-Élysées, the show unfolded dramatically in a stark concrete arena strewn with a spiderweb of flashing, strobing lights. Accompanied by an original soundtrack by Anyma and Chris Avantgarde, known for their melodic techno, it was less of background music and more sensory assault. The show opened with a series of barking dogs, which immediately put the audience on edge, before the lights took on that role, obscuring the model’s path (a few walked straight into the photographer’s pit, clearly unable to see where they were going) and making the garments themselves hard to see, too.
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Still, Gvasalia’s signature was unmistakable. Business up front and party round the back tailoring meant that as models walked towards you, they seemed buttoned up and serious constructions; elegant, even. The pink gown looked like something you’d expect to see on the Oscar’s red carpet, and Natalia Vodianova wore a Grace Kelly-like white dress, too. Yet as they turned the corner, you got an eyeful of, well, not much. Open backs (and bare bottoms) revealed a sheer, pantyhose finish.
Butt-exposing dresses aside, lingerie elements featured heavily. There was also a new pillow dress, which is always fun. And familiar faces, too: Cara Delevingne navigated the blinding runway (in shoes that were clearly too large for her) with total grace. Anok Yai closed the show in a black ballgown, shedding tears as she dramatically made her way down the runway, giving pure cinematic drama before the lights went down.
There were plenty of masks, of course: a tribute to Margiela, who Gvasalia has long looked up to. The tailoring on some of the outerwear also seemed exceptional, with the super-high collars creating a shield to protect the wearer from any unwanted invasions of privacy. Clever, and increasingly necessary in today’s world, no? The less said about the swastika T-shirts that opened the show, the better, though.
Take a look at the VETEMENTS show above and for more from PFW, check out our latest recap.
