The Spring/Summer 2026 Fashion Week season will go down history for the unprecedented number of debut shows. 15 new creative directors presented their first collections across major luxury fashion brands in New York, Milan, and Paris.
It has been a week since Paris Fashion week has ended, and we have finalized our thoughts on these collections. So, to commemorate one of the most exciting fashion months that we’ve had in a while, here’s our ranking of the debut collections for the S/S 2026 season – from our least to most favorite.
15. Duran Lantink at Jean Paul Gaultier
Lantink caught the eye of the fashion crowd with his namesake label that plays on avant garde shapes that exaggerates the human body. However, his debut collection for JPG leaves much to be desired.
It was absent of the cultural wit that the brand is known for, and what is left are caricature interpretations of the house’s codes. A sliver of hope is seen in the jackets with rounded sleeves and the colorful motocross-inspired looks.
14. Mark Thomas at Carven
Carven was a competent showing, and Thomas picked up where previous creative director Louise Trotter left off.
The collection’s highlights were on the deconstructed slip dresses and the clean tailored pant suits – which have been staples for the brand in the past seasons. However, we are still yet to see Thomas’ pure vision for the brand.
13. Miguel Castro Freitas at Mugler
For a house founded in maximalist theatricality, this debut for Mugler seemed paired back, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The collection is reminiscent of Nicolas Formichetti’s tenure with its emphasis on skirt suits with exaggerated silhouettes. The showgirl inspiration manifests in the use of feathers and draped jewelry. Hopefully, Freitas will soon let loose and bring the excitement that makes the house so special.
12. Dario Vitale at Versace
Vitale’s Versace debut is one of the most polarizing shows of the season. Gone is the overt sensuality that the Versace siblings championed.
As a student of Miu Miu, the show stood out for its quirky styling and referencing the 80s. It would be interesting to see if the current customer of the brand will resonate with this new vision of Versace.
11. Nicholas Aburn at Area
Aburn’s first collections for Area brought back a sense of street with the denim looks at the beginning. However, the showstopping pieces were not left out as seen in the voluminous tinsel looks that ended the show. It’s nice to see that the brand has not left its NYC roots.
10. Demna at Gucci
Demna presented a cast of characters for his Gucci debut. After years of witnessing the designers worldbuilding in brands like Balenciaga and Vetements, this collection does not come as a surprise.
With that said, it still is an intriguing start, especially with how it captures the campy essence that Gucci as a brand has become known for in pop culture.
9. Glenn Martens at Maison Margiela
Martens has already presented a collection under the Maison during Couture Week, but this is his first ready-to-wear collection.
The house codes are in full effect from the deconstructed tailoring, printed scarf prints, and plays on transparency. But there is something haunting about Martens’ Margiela – seen in the masks during couture and the mouth pieces this season. It would be nice to more of the grit that the brand was known for in the 90s.
8. Michael Rider at Celine
Similarly, this is Rider’s second collection for the house – the first shown in the women’s calendar. With that, the collection does feel like a sophomore outing rather than a debut.
It continues on his vision of mixing the codes by former creative directors Phoebe Philo and Hedi Slimane while infusing his preppy Americana sensibilities. There’s something refreshing about the overzealous styling he’s been presenting and it would be interesting to see if he continues on this or the people would become sick of it for succeeding seasons.
7. Rachel Scott at Proenza Schouler
Scott’s debut collection was one of the stronger showings during New York Fashion Week. It combines the brand’s experimentation with silhouette with her sense of textile and craft that she is known for in her brand Diotima.
It’s amazing how she’s able to present a compelling vision for the brand in a 29-piece collection- other brands should take note that it doesn’t take much to
6. Pierpaolo Piccioli at Balenciaga
Piccioli is an instinctive choice to helm Balenciaga. His penchant for shapes and volume is akin to Cristobal himself.
The collection is very Pierpaolo; it’s a clean slate from Demna’s apocalyptic vision for the brand. But his strength is definitely couture, and we can’t wait to see what he has in store.
5. Jonathan Anderson at Dior
It’s a fascinating choice from Anderson to center his womenswear debut for Dior in a sense of horror.
The collection is filled with references from Christian Dior himself, but also from previous creative directors of the brand. There’s something folkloric in this collection, which is interesting especially for a brand that is about romanticism. His menswear collection is personally stronger.
4. Simone Bellotti at Jil Sander
One of the most subtle debuts in the whole 2026 fashion week, Bellotti brought Jil Sander to its core. There’s something so confident in showing such a minimal collection. But at the same time, the diagonal slashes on skirts, bejeweled bras, and pops of primary collection seem to signal that there’s something more underneath.
3. Matthieu Blazy at Chanel
Blazy’s first Chanel collection is not as flashy for a show closing Paris Fashion Week but it puts out a clear statement.
There were the nods to tweed, the camellia flower, and costume jewelry, without it feeling overbearing. The collection felt modern, but at the same time, harken to the origins of the brand of creating working clothing for the women. Instead of a theme, the collection’s overall selling point is a strong sense of craft and minimal ease.
Blazy did a similar thing with his Bottega Veneta debut – clean but concise. We can’t wait for him to have more fun with his work in the house.
2. Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez at Loewe
The design duo had a hard act to follow at Loewe, but they delivered. There was none of the surreal quirkiness that the brand had under Anderson’s tenure.
Rather, the collection has its own sense of optimism with its bright colors and experimental textures. It felt like taking a summer Mediterranean trip but in leather, which is not a bad concept for a Spanish leather house.
1. Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta
Louise Trotter’s debut collection for Bottega Veneta was fashion with a capital F. The strong craft that the brand is known for is see
The color palette is far more subdued that previous collections from the brand but do not be fooled. The strong craft that the brand is known for is there in full force, seen on the sharp leather coats and the intrecciato weave on clothing and bags. There were still hints of showmanship in the collection, especially feathered fringe and PCV skirts and jackets.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if this collection will fly off the shelves once it hits the stores.
Photos from WWD
