Editor’s Note
This article highlights standout emerging brands from the 2026 Spring/Summer Paris Fashion Week, as selected by commentator Ai Ito Kuriyama. While the featured brand JennyFax debuted in 2011, its off-schedule presentation this season offers a fresh, noteworthy perspective.
Fashion industry commentator Ai Ito Kuriyama picks out shining, noteworthy young brands from the 2026 Spring/Summer Paris Fashion Week! From Monday, September 29, 2025, to Tuesday, October 7, 2025, we will continuously deliver “must-know” brands directly from the scene.
Although the brand started in 2011 and is no longer “young,” it is specially introduced here as it held an off-schedule presentation.
The keyword seemed to be “bathroom break,” a fleeting moment of free time where unexpected ideas might surface, with designs resembling being caught mid-way through lowering one’s underwear. In an office space, ten models expressed the feeling of zoning out and escaping during work.
True to the designer Jen-Fa Shue, who grew up in Taiwan admiring American culture, studied fashion in Europe, and is now based in Tokyo, the ideas are unique, interweaving various habits and values. In an era overflowing with déjà vu creations, we sincerely hope they continue to express their originality.
August Barron, which changed its brand name from ALL-IN this year, is a brand handled by Benjamin Barron and Brör August Vestbo.
Starting with magazine production in 2015, they have been presenting collections since 2019. They were finalists in the 2025 LVMH Prize.
This season, they held an off-schedule show. Apparently, upon visiting Japan, they found a bondage specialty magazine (?!), leading to a theme titled “Real Housewife,” expressing clothes in a state of being tied and flipped up. It’s quite a theme, but it imagines 1950s American suburban housewives, landing more on the cute side than the erotic.
The models performed walks that captured this mood, with some even teasing the audience. The small venue was filled with heat, offering a different kind of excitement from a grand show.
Continuing from Spring/Summer 2025, they are collaborating with GUESS.
Matières Fécales is the brand of the artist duo “Fecal Matter,” which debuted last season with support from Dover Street Market. It possesses a unique gothic sensibility with white makeup and shaved heads.
Inspired this season by the name of one of the designers, Hannah Rose, various types of people appeared as models. As always, the impeccable tailoring and dresses adorned with rose motifs were simply beautiful. It was a show that praised true diversity, not just poses, and appealed to the heart.
The hats were handled by Stephen Jones, and the shoes were a collaboration with Christian Louboutin.
HODAKOVA, founded by Ellen Hodakova Larsson in Stockholm, Sweden in 2021, is a brand that won the Grand Prize at last year’s LVMH Prize and is gathering attention. Based on memories of growing up on a farm, its hallmark is surreal creations that upcycle second-hand items. Last season featured violins on heads and double basses resembling dresses. Yet, it never feels like a school arts festival, exuding a mysterious dignity that makes it impossible to look away.
This season incorporated umbrella ribs, zippers, books, straw, etc., but with the skill of stylist Lotta Volkova, it maintained an elegant presence. The combination of metal items with warm knits makes one want to imitate it immediately.
