One year into his role as creative director at the Guangzhou-originated label Mithridate, Daniel Fletcher is becoming visibly more confident, offering a solid fall 2026 collection and a compelling story to back it up.
In the grand hallway of Tate Britain, he erected a giant wisteria tree, a symbol of the anecdotal historical fact that the first Chinese wisteria was brought from Guangzhou to London in the 1800s and is still blooming in Chiswick today.
“This idea of bringing this Chinese heritage to the U.K. and seeing it grow and bloom is my hope for the future of Mithridate,” said Fletcher, who has formed a close working and personal relationship with the brand’s founder, Tina Jiang.
Having explored various aspects of Englishness over the years, Fletcher envisioned the fall collection as a character study, as one journeyed up the River Thames, observing bankers in Canary Wharf, intellectuals in Bloomsbury, revellers in Mayfair, and recreational fishermen in Richmond. He whipped them into one big, comprehensive collection filled with considered details.
Updated pea coats and duffle coats carried countryside and maritime references, while fly-fishing-inspired feathers and tweeds underlined the riverbank theme. Aran and Fair Isle knits were paired with appliqué and printed skirts for textural contrast.
Evening was handled through two-piece minidresses and a silk jacquard, bead-embroidered dress echoing the wisteria motif. Accessories skewed more commercial, with structured bags, belts, and watch-strap-style jewelry refining the city-facing offer.