Supermodel Naomi Campbell opened Richard Quinn’s spring/summer season 2026 show in London to a wave of enthusiastic followers.
Dressed in a black velvet column robe with a sculptural white collar and a single camellia at the chest, she set a gentle tone for what adopted: a group rooted in Quinn’s aptitude for drama however more and more acutely aware of the following stage of his model.
Quinn, who first drew mass consideration when the late Queen made a uncommon look at London Fashion Week to current him with the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, has constructed his popularity on theatrical eveningwear and daring prints.
This season he didn’t deviate from that method, however there was a way of tightening and refinement. The set, accompanied by a dwell orchestra, underscored the formality with out turning the runway into pure spectacle.
What got here down the catwalk was recognisably Quinn: sweeping ball robes, velvet cocktail clothes, off-the-shoulder silhouettes and – all over the place – the rosette.
Pinned at necklines or resting at the centre of large bows, the motif unified the show. Long black gloves added punctuation, giving most of the seems to be a mid-century couture body.
There was a cautious use of color – a palette uncommon for a spring/summer season assortment – deep black and crimson grounded the primary half of the gathering, whereas blues, lilac and cream lifted it in a while.
Some of the simplest items had been those who held again slightly: a pale blue rose-print robe with a softly ballooned skirt, or a lavender cape gown trailing a floral wisteria print. They allowed Quinn’s cloth abilities to shine with out competing with heavy construction.
Still, the extra opulent seems to be had been arduous to disregard. A gold-embroidered nude robe, tightly fitted earlier than flaring right into a tulle hem, urged a contemporary courtroom gown.
Another mixed a scarlet bodice with black tulle panels, cinched at the waist to dramatic impact. The development was robust; these garments aren’t merely designed to {photograph} nicely, they maintain their form and transfer correctly on the physique.
The query hanging over the gathering was wearability. Quinn’s garments have at all times been for occasions moderately than on a regular basis, however the sheer measurement of a few of these items makes them tough to think about off the runway – or crimson carpet.
This rigidity between spectacle and practicality from a ready-to-wear assortment issues as a result of Quinn has spoken publicly about increasing his bridal enterprise.
He already produces bespoke wedding ceremony robes and has hinted that he desires bridal to be a critical arm of the label. In SS26, these ambitions had been seen however not but dominant.
Clean ivory materials, sweeping skirts and phantasm panels nodded to bridal codes, and a number of other seems to be might simply be re-imagined in that context.
It’s a smart transfer. Bridalwear affords stability in a market that may be fickle. It additionally offers Quinn an opportunity to translate his dramatic cuts and floral signatures right into a sector the place clients anticipate spectacle. If SS26 is any information, the designer is studying tips on how to fold these concepts into his major line with out shedding coherence.
Opening with Campbell was a intelligent assertion, aligning Quinn with the custom of British style’s large names whereas underlining his personal rising stature. The dwell orchestra and floral set constructed a body for garments that had been much less about chasing traits than about solidifying an aesthetic.
For admirers of high-impact eveningwear, this assortment delivered.
Quinn is maturing his signatures, signalling future growth and exhibiting that London can nonetheless produce a designer prepared to take up area – actually and figuratively – on the catwalk.
It was a show much less about shock and extra about consolidation, however with Campbell main the cost, it didn’t lack affect.