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Parisian life has always functioned as a theatrical display and for the Dior Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, Jonathan Anderson decided to place the audience directly into the scene. Guests arrived at the Jardin des Tuileries to find a glass greenhouse erected around the Bassin Octogonal, its structure painted a soft laurel green to mimic the foliage of a garden in wait. 

Outside the windows, artificial water lilies floated upon the surface of the fountain, a nice visual reference (or recreation) to the Impressionist obsession of Claude Monet, whose masterpieces hang in the nearby Musée de l’Orangerie. This setting acted as a park within a park, blurring the boundaries between what is natural and what is manufactured. As Anderson put it before the show, there is something quite “miraculous” about water lilies, which explains why they became such an anchor for the season.

The concept of the promenade defined the collection, looking back to the era of Louis XIV and the strict habit décent codes where every walk was a performance. Anderson moved away from the weight of the archives, suggesting that Dior can get very heavy in history and simply has to release itself. 

This feeling of release manifested in ruffled tulle mini skirts that trailed into soft trains, mimicking the way petals fall or water ripples across a pond. They were paired with Donegal tweed Bar jackets that felt longer and looser than their predecessors, showing a shift towards a more relaxed type of dressing. Something similar appeared first at the January haute couture show, where nature was treated as a beating heart and the magical force driving the collection. There’s a return to that ‘fairy aesthetic’, but this time, there are sharper silhouettes enveloping the softer elements.

The colour palette drew heavily from a sunlit garden, featuring candied almond shades, butter yellows and a washed-out iridescence that made fabrics look as though they had been submerged in water. Peplum silhouettes and bustle skirts inspired by the figures in Georges Seurat’s paintings brought a historical depth to the lineup, yet the use of technical fabrics and sheer lace kept the energy contemporary. 

Accessories provided the most playful elements of the afternoon, starting with the invitations, which were tiny replicas of the iconic green metal chairs found throughout the Tuileries. On the runway, shoes were decorated with delicate porcelain flowers, water lilies, and bows that appeared to be becoming undone. This intentional imperfection appeared elsewhere in the form of asymmetrically fastened skirts and dresses that evoked the overlapping layers of a bloom. Anderson’s interest in the everyday meant that even ivory silk track pants were elevated with bridal buttons, while jeans featured crystal detailing that carried a botanical shimmer.

The bags for the season moved between the iconic and the completely surreal. A velvet frog bag with a vintage, charming look became an instant talking point, alongside a frog-shaped minaudière. More classic silhouettes like the Lady Dior were reworked with a lighter touch, featuring lace overlays and botanical references that appeared to bloom directly from the leather. One of the more unexpected additions was a bag shaped like a peanut, adding a splash of humour to the otherwise regal atmosphere. 

Anderson remains a self-described tourist in Paris and it is this outsider’s fascination that allows him to see the city’s institutions through such a fresh, uncomplicated lens.

Discover the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection here.

photography. courtesy of Dior, Adrien Dirand
words. Gennaro Costanzo

A’ja Wilson is the kind of force that makes statues look like they are standing still. Long before she was conquering global capitals, she was the pride of Hopkins, South Carolina, a hometown hero who turned the University of South Carolina into a basketball powerhouse. Since signing her first deal with Nike back in 2018 during her rookie year, her ascent has been a total takeover. She has collected three WNBA championships and four MVP titles, yet her relationship with the game remains pure. “It brings me joy, obviously, because I get to play it,” Wilson tells us with an infectious smile that suggests she is still having as much fun as the day she first picked up a ball. “There’s nothing like when you look into the stands and the passion that the fans have; we feed off of that as players.”

Wilson is carrying the physical and metaphorical weight of a record-shattering year, though she moves with a lightness that suggests she is only just reaching her stride. Her 2025 season remains a historic benchmark, as she became the first player ever to sweep the WNBA Championship, Finals MVP, league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards while also claiming the scoring title. This level of dominance often creates a barrier between an athlete and the public, yet Wilson remains remarkably open, leaning into a new chapter that feels more personal than anything she has achieved before. 

The athlete is currently navigating her first global tour with Nike Basketball, making stops in Paris, London, Berlin and Hilversum. This journey serves as a bridge between her American roots and a European basketball culture that she finds surprisingly inclusive. “I would say the thing I have observed when I’m thinking about basketball and the culture would have to be that it’s literally for everybody,” Wilson explains. “It’s like a family-oriented type of thing. Anyone can come to a game, young, old, man, woman. It’s a sport that brings a lot of people together and brings a lot of people joy.” 

Her mission on this tour focuses on spreading that joy through the debut of her second signature shoe, a project that represents a significant leap forward from her debut silhouette. “The A’One was a journey – a real blessing,” says Wilson. “It did exactly what it was meant to do and put people on notice. The A’Two is a level up of that strong foundation.” 

The A’One was perceived by the community as a long-awaited cultural reset – and it was for a certain aspect. It arrived as a milestone for representation, marking the first time in years that a Black woman in the WNBA was granted a Nike signature line, and becoming a symbol of the growing commercial power and visibility of women’s sports.

The transition from the A’One to the A’Two involved a specific focus on technical advancement and aesthetic luxury. Wilson was adamant about certain requirements, primarily the necessity for comfort. “I wanted to make sure that we always made a comfortable shoe, because nothing’s worse than an uncomfortable shoe. You have to play a game and you have to perform at a high level,” she says.

The new model introduces a Nike Air Zoom unit in the forefoot, which she believes provides the sustainability needed for the duration of a match. A midfoot shank helps control torsional rotation and maintains energy flow, while the Cushlon 3.0 midsole ensures springy takeoffs and soft landings. Wilson describes the look of the silhouette as sophisticated. “The look of it is just very sleek,” she says. “It looks very luxurious, it looks very expensive. And the work that we put into it goes a long, long way.”

Personal touches are scattered throughout the design in a way that feels intentional. Tiny details, or Easter eggs as she calls them, are tucked away for fans to discover and to feel a piece of her story. An embroidered star sits on the front toe of the shoe, a detail she finds particularly meaningful. “We have a star in the front toe of the shoe that is incredible,” Wilson shares. “I feel like that’s a message that everyone is the star in their own journey.” 

The launch colourway, known as A’Pink, uses iridescent finishes on the Swoosh and heel clip to reflect her playfulness. A moulded upper inspired by her signature pearl motif provides a personalised fit over time, proving that high performance can coexist with high style.

Her second signature apparel collection with Nike consists of seven pieces designed for both adults and kids. Wilson insists on top-tier materials that she refers to as ‘A’grade’ to meet the needs of athletes who refuse to choose between function and a fashionable appearance. “We wanted each piece to be top-tier, meeting players’ every need in performance and style,” she notes. “I poured my whole heart into the shoe and the collection, creating something that everyone can continue to feel a part of, from the girlies to the kids to the fellas.” 

The collection also includes a reversible single-leg tight that champions her distinctive DIY look on the court, alongside an oversized hoodie featuring a sateen-lined hood to protect hair.

Wilson’s wardrobe often serves as a form of communication. She famously wore a shirt labelled ‘Regression Year’ during a championship parade to playfully answer her critics, highlighting how she uses style to navigate the world and clear out the noise. “Every single day, particularly as a Black woman, we are the standard in a lot of ways,” Wilson admits. “You have to uphold that standard every single time you step outside. I love being versatile in style. You can shake things up and still make it look cute, still make it look like you.”

The stop in Berlin is a particular point of interest as the city prepares to host the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in September 2026. The question is: will the city’s reputation for avant-garde fashion and club culture influence her creative thinking? Wilson thinks so. “I will be very aware of my surroundings and picking things,” she says. “I love bringing unique pieces and having them brought to life through a shoe or through clothing. I would not be surprised if there was a piece of something from Berlin in the next collections to come.” 

Hilversum, situated just outside Amsterdam, acts as the nerve centre for Nike’s European operations and serves as a living archive of athletic achievement. This campus is the heartbeat of the brand’s design and sustainability efforts in the region, providing an entirely new lens for an athlete accustomed to the American landscape. “I’m excited just to dive into the history of it and realise how special those moments were leading up to where you are,” Wilson shares. “I want to just take it all in. Life gets fast and sometimes you don’t have time to reflect, so hopefully I can just be in the moment.”

The basketball clinics dotted throughout this tour focus on the psychological hurdles that often cause young players to walk away from the court. These sessions move beyond simple drills, creating an environment where a young girl in London or Berlin can see her own potential mirrored in a global icon. “I never want young girls to lose the fun of the game,” Wilson explains. “We want sport to be a happy place. When we talk about a safe space, we want that for young girls to feel like their true selves. I want you guys to have fun. It’s okay to let your guard down, make mistakes, fail, learn, grow.”

Wilson prioritises the advocacy work she performs through her foundation and her partnership with Nike, viewing equity as her true north. Trophies and MVP rings are significant, but the legacy of being a person who helped others believe in their own potential carries more weight. “I always say I want to help shatter that glass ceiling,” Wilson says. “I want people to just believe that they can do things, do good things in the world. I hope people look at me as also a great person, someone that’s willing to help. I hope people remember that and also go get their A’Twos for sure.”

The entire A’Two collection, including the high-grip traction trainers and the signature apparel, arrives online and at select retailers on May 2. The European tour is currently ongoing until March 8. Find out more here.

photography. courtesy of Nike
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Something changes in the Swedish air as autumn arrives, bringing a weight that feels like more than just a drop in temperature. The coastal winds around Varberg start to carry whispers of the old world, where the wilderness is a living, breathing force of nature. Monica Kylén and Mats Johansson, the founders of L:a Bruket, have always understood this primitive sensation. 

Founded in 2008, the Swedish brand grew from a functional need to protect the skin from the harsh elements of the West Coast – the salt, the wind and the biting cold. Before they became a global name in coastal skincare, Kylén was a ceramicist and that history of shaping clay by hand is what gave the brand its soul. They have spent nearly two decades perfecting sea salt scrubs and seaweed baths, but they are now moving into a more ethereal space.

The duo has just launched a new fragrance collection that looks back towards the myths and elemental powers of their heritage. “Swedish folklore has always grown from our relationship with nature – its power, its unpredictability, its mystery,” says Johansson. He believes that the stories of spirits and unseen beings were once the only way to explain the monumental shifts in the world around us.

The transition from ceramics to scent felt like a necessary step for a brand so obsessed with the environment. Kylén and Johansson wanted to capture the feeling of the Swedish landscape without the usual artificiality that plagues modern perfumery. They collaborated with perfumers Mylène Alran and Grégoire Balleydier to build something that felt honest and unembellished. “Fragrance has always linked us to this heritage,” says Johansson, noting that there is a fine line between the real and the unreal in their corner of the world. 

They have opted for compositions that use over 90% natural ingredients and a plant-based base with no synthetic dyes or UV filters involved, meaning the liquid inside the bottles will evolve naturally over time. “Slight changes in colour over time are part of the experience, while the scent itself remains fully stable – reflecting the living, changing quality of nature,” explain the founders.

A shared thread runs through the heart of the trio in the form of Geosmin. Most people know it as the smell of rain hitting dry earth after a long dry spell, a scent that triggers something ancient in our brains. “We included Geosmin in all three fragrances because it carries the smell of rain on earth – the freshness after a downpour, the living scent of soil and forest,” says Johansson. Humans have a remarkable sensitivity to this compound, often perceiving it as a memory or an instinct rather than just another ingredient. It acts as a physical bond to the world outside, pulling the wearer back to the basic elements of survival and life-giving water.

‘Blixt,’ the first of the scents, focuses on the electric tension of a storm. The name itself speaks of lightning and the composition tries to bottle that fleeting moment of atmospheric change. “Blixt was born from the moment a thunderbolt strikes water, a flash that shakes the air and hums across the forest,” says Kylén. The goal was to create a sensation that felt electric, almost like the smell of a hot iron. Grégoire Balleydier used aldehydes to achieve a metallic brightness, but the addition of black powder is what gives it a crackling sparkler effect. Mineral tones of rain-soaked stone and warm amber provide a counterweight to the ozonic top, creating a vibrant diffusion that feels like the air is humming.

Descending from the sky into the depths of the woods, ‘Övernatur’ takes its cues from the damp richness of the forest floor. This fragrance aims to evoke the air of the trees after a heavy downpour, where evergreen foliage unfurls with a fresh, raw intensity. “The slightly swampy nuance in Övernatur comes from geosmin, which is present at a relatively high level in this composition,” says Johansson. 

He admits that the real challenge was to prevent that humidity from feeling dense or heavy. Thus, to keep the scent from becoming overly humid, they built a structure with verticality, using aromatic top notes of fir needles and spruce resin to create a sense of open space. Patchouli sits in the middle to provide a dry, woody dimension that balances the wet impression of the oakmoss and lichen. The scent feels like a walk through a wilderness that is busy regenerating itself, a gentle reminder that the earth is always alive beneath the fallen leaves.

Meanwhile, ‘Dísir’ offers a much softer perspective, looking towards the ethereal light of a Nordic morning. The inspiration came from a very specific scene Kylén witnessed: mist hovering over a dry meadow at dawn. “Dísir is the expression of a landscape’s texture: light, mist, earth and warmth coexisting in natural harmony,” says Kylén. To capture that delicate haze, the team used a powdery floral texture built around iris bloom, balanced with a watery green facet from cucumber essence to bring a sense of transparency. A subtle rice steam effect provides an airy warmth, mimicking the sensation of humid morning air being kissed by the first rays of sunlight.

The bottles themselves are a tribute to where it all started. Their sculptural lines echo the classic ceramic forms Kylén used to create in her workshop. “The bottle is an ode to Swedish craftsmanship and our origins,” says Kylén. Every detail has been considered, from the tinted glass made in France to the biodegradable wood and cork caps. The design sits in that paradox between primitive forms and Nordic modernism, feeling warm and honest in the hand. It was important to the founders that the physical object reflected the same lack of artificiality as the scent inside. They wanted a bottle that felt like it could have been pulled straight from the earth or shaped by the elements over centuries.

Launching three scents that are so elemental and raw is a bit of a departure from the polished, synthetic world of commercial fragrance. Kylén and Johansson believe that people are looking for something wilder and more connected to the outdoors. “There’s a magic in the natural world that we rarely notice today,” they explain. The duo sees these fragrances as an invitation to pause and feel the subtle presence of the wind shifting or the water moving. 

Stories are being told through their scents, carried by wind and water, echoing with words from Old Norse and the superstitions that continue to shape Swedish life. They are meant to be worn by people who want to carry a bit of that untamed wilderness with them into the everyday.

Whether you find yourself drawn to the electric charge of Blixt, the forest floor of Övernatur (our personal favourite) or the misty sunrise of Dísir, the fragrances offer a way to inhabit a landscape that is both real and unreal. They represent a continuation of the vision L:a Bruket has had since that first lump of clay was shaped in Varberg.

Discover all the new fragrances here.

photography. courtesy of Julius Bohlin
words. Gennaro Costanzo