oakley | ellipse

At the 108th edition of Pitti Uomo in Florence, AlphaTauri revealed its Spring–Summer 2026 collection — an exploration of solitude and community, set against the elemental backdrop of Namibia’s desert. Inside the Costruzioni Lorenesi, the brand’s immersive installation translated the landscape’s stillness and scale into a physical experience, inviting visitors to consider how contrast shapes both clothing and identity.

The collection moves between technical function and refined form. Earthy stone, soft blue, and dry yellow hues echo the terrain that inspired them, while shifts in texture — from matte to shine — bring subtle movement to the surface. Signature AlphaTauri elements return with thoughtful updates: packable outerwear, weather-adapted fabrics, and silhouettes that balance purpose with polish.

For Spring, the emphasis is on smart coordination: in the men’s collection, 2-in-1 blazers are paired with elasticated track trousers, and styled with 3D-engineered knit tees in matching tones. Women’s looks feature new wide-leg trousers made from power-stretch fabrics, styled with sculpted bodysuits that follow the body’s lines without restricting it.

Summer sees an emphasis on layering, with matching sets in four-way stretch fabric and breathable materials. Highlights include seamless Wholegarment® knitwear in dual tones, anti-odour finishes, and cotton-linen blends with reimagined fits. For women, a cropped overshirt and tailored short in soft stone tones are paired with viscose or cotton-linen knit tops in a vibrant yellow accent (a small signal of sun).

Innovation continues as a through-line. Whether in motion-fit engineering or subtle technical trims, AlphaTauri remains anchored in functionality without letting it overshadow form, and always asking what a garment can do, but never forgetting what it should feel like.

That sense of balance carries into a new chapter off the runway. This season also sees AlphaTauri deepen its presence in sport through a new partnership with Atlético de Madrid. The brand will dress the club’s men’s and women’s first teams, as well as Atleti B, bringing its performance-minded design language into the world of elite football. It’s a natural evolution of the relationship between Red Bull — AlphaTauri’s founder — and the Spanish club, which signed a sponsorship deal earlier this year.

“As a brand, we don’t chase trends,” says AlphaTauri CEO Karl-Heinz Lauterbach. “We design for longevity, clarity and function. Atlético de Madrid represents these same ideals in sport.”

Óscar Mayo, the club’s COO, echoes the synergy: “It’s proof that when a partner shares your spirit and ambition, barriers disappear and collaboration multiplies.”

Find out more here.

photography. AlphaTauri
words. Gennaro Costanzo

Pharrell Williams continues to stamp his signature on Louis Vuitton with the launch of the LV BUTTERSOFT Sneaker — a plush, dandy-inflected runner unveiled as part of the Men’s Autumn-Winter 2025 collection.

Crafted from ultra-soft, “buttery” leather, the sneaker lives up to its name both in feel and finish. Each pair is made by Italian artisans and designed to channel both streetwear and tailoring (a fusion that’s fast becoming Pharrell’s hallmark at the House). Set on a Damier-inspired rubber sole and embellished with refined leatherwork details like enchape patches and hand-painted bruni edges, the LV BUTTERSOFT balances casual attitude with couture-level construction, giving it a padded, almost pillow-like feel.

Design-wise, the tongue features the ‘Phriendship’ silhouette, a stylised graphic of Pharrell’s face that’s become a recurring emblem this season, while a hidden embossed lobster on the heel enchape recalls the personal friendship and creative dialogue between Pharrell and co-designer Nigo. It’s a subtle easter egg for those who know their fashion history.

In a palette that ranges from subdued neutrals to high-impact pastels, including Monogram-clad versions, the sneaker speaks to a broad spectrum of wearers. The LV logo sits proudly on the side of the upper, while the overall shape reminds of the leather runners popularised in the 1960s and revived by hip-hop culture in the early 2000s — two style eras that continue to inspire Pharrell’s LV universe.

Fronted by House Ambassador Callum Turner, the accompanying campaign taps into the sneaker’s refined but relaxed spirit. Captured in a series of sleek portraits, Turner embodies the contemporary dandy the LV BUTTERSOFT was made for: at ease in both a sneaker and a suit.

Offered in a bold set of twenty-four variations, the sneaker is now available for pre-order online and on the LV App, ahead of its official in-store drop on 10 July.

photography. Rosie Marks (campaign), Kodai Ikemitsu (still life)
words. Gennaro Costanzo

If there’s one designer who knows how to orchestrate chaos with style, it’s Charles Jeffrey. For Spring/Summer 2026, the LOVERBOY founder traded the catwalk for cables and soundboards, staging his latest collection inside the legendary Abbey Road Studios. The show played out as a live ‘happening’, where fashion, music, and performance collapsed into one another in real time. But beneath the anarchic surface, SS26 reveals some of Jeffrey’s most considered design to date.

“Our project embodies that spirit of experimentation, blending the sound of our creative process with the iconic legacy of Abbey Road, offering a 360-degree experience of what LOVERBOY is all about,” says Jeffrey.

Named Prepared Piano after John Cage’s technique of modifying instruments into unpredictable sound machines, the collection treats garments much the same way: re-tuned, interrupted, and reimagined. Jeffrey pulls from Abbey Road’s visual history and archetypes, such as studio execs, shaggy-haired musicians, lab-coated engineers, and filters them through a distinctly LOVERBOY lens. That means sharply tailored suits warped into trumpet shapes, oversized hoodies fuzzed out like bedroom beats, and shirts with extra sleeves that double as makeshift belts. Ties come pre-attached, sunglasses wiggle like soundwaves, and trousers are already belted (for those too busy mixing tracks to bother with a buckle).

The concept is rich with art-school references (John Cage, Fluxus, Oldenburg) but there’s nothing academic about the execution. Think of distorted classics that feel lived-in, slightly melted, irreverent. As the name implies, these are garments ‘prepared’ like Cage’s piano — tampered with, bent out of shape, made unpredictable. A white coat becomes architectural; a rockstar flare is pushed until it’s absurd. Banana-yellow boots peel at the sides.

There’s an intimacy to this process too. Jeffrey and his team designed to the rhythm of Abbey Road recordings, treating silhouettes and details like samples to be looped, layered, and remixed. That experimentation continues with the show itself: performances from friends and collaborators including Planningtorock, Allie X, Francesco Risso, and Tom Rasmussen blur the lines between audience, artist, and model. The show culminates in an EP built from the day’s live recordings and a free sample plugin that will be available to music producers globally.

“In 2025, fashion for fashion’s sake feels vulgar,” Jeffrey says. So instead, he gives us fashion as dialogue, fashion as noise, fashion as unfinished experiment.

Find out more here.

photography. Ladislav Kyllar
words. Gennaro Costanzo