COLLINA STRADA
Collina Strada Spring/Summer 2026: Embracing the Shadow Self
On September 11, 2025, Collina Strada took NYFW outdoors, staging its SS26 show on a Manhattan helipad at golden hour. Under a cloudless sky overlooking the East River, models emerged in pairs: a pastel-colored outfit followed steps behind by an identical cut in jet black. Each model quite literally carried her own “shadow” down the runway. The collection – aptly dubbed “Shade” – invited the audience to confront hidden facets of self. As Hypebae observed, Taymour’s designs explored “our shadow selves and the selves of others,” urging us to “face the darkness” by walking alongside a mirrored twin.
The idea echoes Carl Jung’s notion of the shadow – the unconscious side of personality that contains what we repress. Jung himself called the shadow “those parts of our psyches that are hidden and that we find difficult to face”. In Aion Jung even described it as “the dark side of [the] soul, the unadmitted, the inadmissible”. Taymour made this Jungian metaphor concrete on the catwalk. Every look was made twice – a “pink floral dress” was paired with an identical black floral version – so that “everything we do has something that follows it,” she explained. In Taymour’s words, “The shadows represent the policies, histories, and systems that trail behind – invisible to some and glaring to others,” turning each mirrored pair into a commentary on personal and societal shadows.
The visuals underscored this duality. Soft lilac and butter-yellow dresses appeared first, then immediately re-emerged in matching black tulle or lace. The effect was high-contrast theater: delicate pastels were tempered by their somber doppelgängers. The silhouettes themselves were boldly exaggerated. Taymour played with “big shapes and volume in a strange way,” creating ’80s-inspired opulence via empire waists, balloon hems and cargo pants bloated into architectural forms. Even the fabrics felt sculptural: a standout cobalt-blue plaid coat was built from layered textiles and frayed square cutouts, recalling a James Turrell light sculpture. True to Collina Strada’s eco-conscious ethos, nothing went to waste – scraps became appliqués and patchwork elements – so that every wedding-dress-like frock had a tongue-in-cheek “funeral” twin in black.
The beauty styling amplified the show’s philosophy. Hairstylist Mustafa Yanaz literally transformed hair into sculpture – braiding it into baseball caps and beanies – while makeup artist Isamaya Ffrench added wild, ultra-long lashes and gritty smoky eyes. These choices felt like an extension of the theme, merging “downtown grit with wild, animalistic artistry” and making each model seem part street-tribe, part ancient spirit. In ensemble, every element – from fabric to hair to makeup – underscored that we all carry a hidden double, demanding to be acknowledged.
Collina Strada SS26 ultimately felt like a philosophical exercise in fashion form. Under the open sky, Taymour offered an invitation to introspection. By facing their own shadows (and those of others), models and viewers alike became part of a larger dialogue. It was a reminder that duality lives both in us and around us, and that acknowledging it can be a step toward unity. In a world hungry for connection, Collina Strada wove together art and activism: celebrating individuality even as it insisted we embrace the darkness that makes us whole.
