“Detox Society” SS26: A fashionable new beginning with mind and mindfulness
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Fashion reflects society's desires and challenges - and when times get darker, we increasingly look for light. In an era characterised by fake news, endless doomscrolling and an omnipresent negativity bias, an urgent restart becomes essential.
The Zeitgeist analysis for the coming spring/summer season presented by the German Fashion Institute (DMI) started right here. Trend researcher and DMI managing director Carl Tillessen suggested a “detox society” during the Online Fashion Day and thus an urgent desire for detoxification - socially, digitally and aesthetically.
Fashion seems to have heard the trend researcher's plea, because after years of visual overstimulation and an excess of social media-driven superficiality, it is experiencing a renaissance of values, intellect and mindfulness for SS26. The latest collections have already shown that designers are focusing more on content and substance and are presenting us with an antidote to the toxic influences of digital dynamics.
Intellectualism as a remedy
The fashion of the upcoming SS26 season elevates inner values to the highest maxim. The first steps in the right direction were already taken in the previous summer season. For example, Italian label Del Core focused on literary references and designed fashion for a ‘fictional scientist’ who would not leave the house without works by authors such as Hannah Arendt and Susan Sontag. A choice that makes it clear that intellect and education will be the accessories of the future.
Books thus become essential stylistic devices, and Sontag finds resonance in several other collections. Jonathan Anderson, for example, was inspired by Sontag's work “Against Interpretation” for his Loewe collection.
The designer went a step further and integrated literary quotes into the knitwear of his own label J.W. Anderson. The British label Erdem continued this idea by incorporating book covers as labels in designs - further proof that the printed word is becoming a central motif.
This homage to literary inspiration is evidence of a movement that consciously opposes the superficiality of visual media, but also turns away from online media and towards the almost antiquated newspaper, which has become rare in an age of rapidly dwindling print publications. It is therefore no surprise that the classic press, which in this context is seen as a conscious counterpoint to the often manipulative dynamics of digital platforms, is not only present in the front row of fashion shows, but also finds its place on the catwalks.
At Miu Miu, the guests' seats were decorated with newspapers, and the location was reminiscent of a printing press in which the latest issue literally floated through the room. Stella McCartney also took up this motif. The British designer staged newspapers as accessories that the models carried in their hands or bags. The bottom line, however, is that it does not seem to matter whether they are used as a decorative design element in the room or as an accessory in the hands of the models - the medium of the past is becoming the fashion of the future.
Saint Laurent is also underlining this trend with its latest campaign, which puts books and reading models in the spotlight. Reading, and the written word, is thus being re-celebrated not only as an aesthetic but also as an intellectual act - an alternative to fast-moving consumer culture.
From gigantism to intimacy
The way of telling stories is not only shaped by novel heroes and star authors, but also by a slower style of staging. Where visual overstimulation and the pursuit of maximum attention previously dominated, a trend of slowing down and conscious staging is now taking hold. This change is primarily driven by a growing longing for authenticity and attention to detail - largely shaped by a rethinking of the previous mechanisms of social media.
"In recent years, the visual overstimulation on the Internet and the associated fidgetiness have often been elevated to the only contemporary attitude towards the world in the staging of fashion shows," says Tillessen. But that is changing now, because even though the big fashion shows continued to deliver a spectacle of sheer overwhelming splendour - catwalks made of 1,000 original suitcases at Louis Vuitton or a giant birdcage at Chanel - it was above all the small, charming details that were remembered.
The best examples of this were at Bottega Veneta and Loewe, where lovingly designed details such as crocheted flowers or handmade bag charms became secret stars. It is these small, charming accents that are remembered and win the hearts of the viewer. The focus is shifting from pompous staging to the “trivialities” that exude depth and personality and are not only examples of artistry, but also symbols of a paradigm shift. Away from gigantism, towards an intimate, accessible aesthetic.
This shift is also reflected in the presentation itself. Where once the goal was to oversaturate with visual effects, there is now calm and concentration. Alessandro Michele's transformation - from Gucci to his current work at Valentino - is a recent example. According to trend researcher Tillessen, Michele's new collections invite you to pause, notice details and discover the quiet stories behind the designs.
Fashion, once the setting for the greatest spectacle, will therefore increasingly become the stage for quiet stories again in spring/summer 2026. It is an expression of our time, because in a world that has become louder and faster, the quiet, the gentle and the real are taking on a new meaning, says Tillessen, who interprets this development as a self-protection mechanism against the toxic side effects of social media.
This article originally appeared on fashionunited.de. It was translated to English using an AI tool called Gemini 1.5..
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