At Milan Fashion Week on March 1, 2026, Beate Karlsson's Avavav presented its Autumn/Winter 2026 collection through a reversed runway titled 'The Female Gaze,' where guests walked past observing models. The show debuted collaborations with adidas Originals and Oatly, blending fashion with performance and innovative drinks. This format explored themes of femininity and perspective in the industry.
Beate Karlsson’s Avavav brand, known for disrupting traditional fashion week presentations, staged its Autumn/Winter 2026 show on March 1, 2026, in Milan. Titled “The Female Gaze,” the event inverted the runway format: attendees entered one by one and walked through two parallel lines of models dressed in the new collection, becoming the observed subjects in a “living runway.” The experience was soundtracked by male voices discussing their “female muses,” highlighting how women are often framed through a male lens.
According to the show notes, Karlsson approached the season as “a research project, exploring what happens when women dress for other women and the codes that emerge when clothing is no longer performing for approval.” The collection reassembled feminine design details with masculine elements, such as basketball shorts styled as A-line skirts, oversized T-shirts that cinched and contoured, and suit trousers merged with pencil skirts.
The show also introduced a collaboration with adidas Originals, featuring tailored track jackets paired with mini shorts and a reinvented 1990s Megaride sneaker with a cut-out upper. In partnership with Oatly, the world’s original oat drink company headquartered in Malmö, Sweden, three exclusive oat-based drinks were created, inspired by the collection’s materials and themes: New Fashioned, a clarified bourbon oat drink; Lace Bottoms Up, a non-alcoholic drink in a cocoa butter-laced glass; and Jell-OAT Shot, combining Oatly Matcha, apple, and herbs.
Beate Skonare Karlsson, creative director of Avavav, stated: “For me, fashion is about creating worlds - not just clothes... Working with Oatly felt natural because they don’t just make oat drinks, they build culture.” Rowena Roos, Head of FADE at Oatly, added: “We wanted to support Avavav’s show in a way that felt meaningful... It wasn’t about pouring drinks, it was about building something unexpected together.” Both Swedish brands emphasized shared values of experimentation and boundary-pushing in their industries.
