Designer Duro Olowu presented his fall 2026 ready-to-wear collection at the Sadie Coles gallery in London, emphasizing clean lines and black fabrics. The show drew from 1970s influences tied to his Jamaican heritage. Attendees praised the modern reinterpretations of vintage styles.
Duro Olowu's fall 2026 ready-to-wear collection was showcased at the white-walled Sadie Coles gallery on Bury Street in London, a departure from his usual vibrant settings. Olowu explained, “I like that it’s no nonsense, no distractions. You can really see the clothes against the plain background. It’s been quite nice to see things in motion in that way—even for me.” This setup highlighted the precision of his designs and the textures of his fabrics.
Many outfits featured head-to-toe black, used in an emotional manner rather than somberly. Highlights included voluminous sleeves and trumpet skirts cut from hand-embossed brocade silk mimicking palm fronds, richly textured black bouclé pieces that were structured yet flexible, and separates adorned with downward-sewn shimmering black paillettes, such as a swishy hip-length cape. Olowu noted, “Really, it was using black in a very emotional way.”
The collection drew inspiration from Olowu's memories of visiting his mother’s Jamaican relatives in London during the 1970s. His cousins, part of the lovers' rock scene, wore ’40s-inspired pencil skirts, bomber jackets, and culottes, which he reimagined modernly. “I really wanted to make them not feel laden with nostalgia; to make them quite modern,” he said. Additional influence came from Jamaican-born British photographer Armet Francis's 1970s photos of women in Brixton Market. Olowu described them as “elegant, but it was also kind of determined and cool. Cool in a good way—they weren't copying what they saw in magazines.”
The overlapping morning appointments turned the event into a social gathering for editors and creatives. Standouts included argyle wool jersey knits reassembled into hats and scarves, and white-and-toffee brown jackets and dresses with an abstract coral-like print. Olowu reflected, “I like the fact that the presentations are about the fashion, but we can also have these conversations about art and politics and film, everything rolled into one. Even though it’s work, it doesn’t feel like work.”
