With a few exceptions, fashion designers remain shy about referencing far-flung dress customs —
lest they be accused of cultural appropriation.
On Tuesday, Nicolas Ghesquière took another tack at Louis Vuitton: using folkloric clothing as a symbol of what unites people around the world — mountainous people, at least — as fuzzy capes, cow bells, shearling caps and muddy-looking felt were among ingredients he used to tell a nomadic fashion tale.
Before the backstage briefing, weary editors at the tail end of fashion month could be forgiven for thinking that some outfits had strayed off the runway of Rick Owens — the master of shaggy, pointy-shouldered mantles — or even Chloé, where Chemena Kamali told her own folk tale for fall 2026, charmed by late 1900s Dutch costumes with their stiffened cotton shoulder yokes.
Alas, it was difficult to know blind if Ghesquière’s mind was off in the Swiss Alps, Nepal, the Andes or the Low Countries. Forgive our tired brains.
Turns out he sought to find the commonalities in the clothing that protect hardy folks from all high-altitude places, making subliminal statements about endurance, protection and the freedom of movement.
“I wanted to highlight that Nature is the greatest designer,” he told a scrum of reporters. “And folklore is an attempt to explain the forces of Nature and the elements.
“We wanted to work on architectural clothing that could express different cultures around the globe… clothes that bring us together — an anthropology of fashion,” he continued. “I thought that was very interesting for Louis Vuitton to take that journey.”
Despite the down-to-earth inspiration, Ghesquière continues to wave the flag for avant-garde design, conscripting “Severance” production designer Jeremy Hindle to design a futuristic range of verdant prisms and pyramidal peaks, and parading clothes that looked like nothing else this European season — or any season, for that matter.
Offbeat styles included patchwork rompers, cone-shaped hats and stiff capes with shoulders out to there. But ultimately the show impressed with its variety of silhouettes — from long-john-like jumpsuits and cropped leather jackets to flaring candy-wrapper rain capes — and the wealth of textures on display.
Ghesquière was bang on-trend using a wealth of hairy textures, and dabbling in black pantsuits, uniting these motifs in tuxedo trousers with strips of fluff on the out seams instead of satin stripes.
The handbags were terrific, some displayed at the end of a walking stick. They were more streamlined than the clothes in smooth leathers, some decorated with a simple knot, the ends jutting out like bunny ears.
There were multiple new versions of the Mini Malle, which Ghesquière introduced in his first collection. Here it came in a range of soft versions, plain as polished mountain peaks or dangling more belts than the cargo-toting donkeys sherpas use.
A few hours later, the fashion pack moved on to the Miu Miu show. Lo and behold, its runway was reminiscent of a forest floor that groomers refreshed with twigs and clumps of moss.
So Vuitton was also on trend with its use of moss, which was also seen at Hermès — and Gucci, if you count Kate Moss.