This summer, fashion is anything but quiet. As the industry braces for a wave of designer debuts and departures, the typically low-key cruise, menswear, and couture seasons have become high-stakes stages for transformation. With names like Demna, Glenn Martens, and Michael Rider marking defining moments, and legacy houses such as Dior, Gucci, and Celine in creative transition, the months ahead will reshape what’s to come this September and beyond. From lakeside resort shows to emotional hometown farewells, this is the season where the future of fashion begins.
Gucci’s final archive moment before Demna
On May 15, Gucci staged a reflective yet pivotal show in Florence’s Palazzo Settimanni—a location rich in brand history since 1953. The collection, designed by Gucci’s in-house studio, arrives in the wake of Sabato De Sarno’s recent exit and just before Demna’s highly anticipated debut this autumn.
With no plans to participate in the June menswear shows, this resort presentation serves as a symbolic farewell to the pre-Demna era. The studio’s archival homage may mark the quiet before a creative storm and the last look at a transitional Gucci.
Louis Vuitton and the grandeur of preservation
On May 22, Nicolas Ghesquière will unveil Louis Vuitton’s Resort 2026 collection at the Palais des Papes in Avignon. As a creative force of stability at Vuitton for over a decade, Ghesquière continues to use monumental, historical backdrops as a stage for fashion—this time bringing the first-ever runway show to the nearly 1,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site.
It’s a signature move that blends fashion with preservation, reinforcing the house’s commitment to legacy while offering a visually majestic canvas for its latest designs.
Dior’s emotional homecoming and future speculation
All eyes turn to Rome on May 27, when Maria Grazia Chiuri presents Dior’s Resort 2026 collection in her hometown. Amid ongoing industry speculation about Chiuri’s future at the maison and Jonathan Anderson’s newly announced role at Dior Men—many insiders believe this could be Chiuri’s final show for the house.
The emotional significance of presenting in Rome adds a layer of depth, making this runway moment feel less like a resort show and more like a personal epilogue.
Max Mara’s enduring voice of quiet confidence
On June 17, Max Mara will host its Resort 2026 collection at the grand Royal Palace of Caserta in southern Italy. Creative director Ian Griffiths, who has helmed the house for over two decades, continues to champion architecture and heritage as part of the brand’s identity. The baroque palace—a site of opulence and Italian history—echoes Griffiths’s consistent, sophisticated vision for Max Mara. In a season defined by flux, his calm leadership offers rare continuity.
Jonathan Anderson’s Dior Men debut
One of the most anticipated shows of the summer lands on June 27 in Paris, as Jonathan Anderson presents his debut collection for Dior Men. Following Kim Jones’s departure, Anderson’s appointment marks a turning point—one that could also signal a unification of Dior’s men’s and women’s divisions for the first time since Marc Bohan. Though it remains unclear whether Anderson will take on both categories, this menswear collection is already being positioned as a defining moment in the house’s evolving creative narrative.
Michael Rider revives Celine’s live runway presence
On July 6, just before Haute Couture Week kicks off, Celine will return to an IRL runway format under the new creative direction of Michael Rider. Rider, formerly of Polo Ralph Lauren and a design alum under Phoebe Philo, will debut his vision in Paris a symbolic homecoming for both designer and brand.
Following years of cinematic video releases under Hedi Slimane, this live showcase will not only reintroduce Celine’s tactile elegance but also set the tone for a more emotionally present, design-forward future.
Glenn Martens brings couture to Margiela’s evolution
Maison Margiela has confirmed that Glenn Martens’s debut collection for the house will arrive during Haute Couture Week (July 7–10) instead of the usual ready-to-wear calendar. This strategic decision carves out spotlight space for Martens, avoiding the congested debut-packed RTW season in September. More importantly, it draws a symbolic through-line from John Galliano’s last collection to a new chapter. By starting with couture, Martens signals a reverence for artistry over commercial buzz—an artistic bow before the business begins.
Demna’s couture finale at Balenciaga
Also slated for Haute Couture Week is Demna’s final show for Balenciaga—his fifth couture collection for the house and a full-circle moment, given he reintroduced couture to the brand after Cristóbal Balenciaga. With Demna confirmed to be heading to Gucci next, his farewell collection at Balenciaga is set to be a swan song of sharp construction, conceptual drama, and legacy reflection. No successor has been announced yet, but whoever steps into the role will inherit not only a high fashion house—but the weight of a designer who turned disruption into Balenciaga’s DNA.
This summer, the runways are more than stages—they’re thresholds. What plays out between cruise and couture will not just bridge fashion’s past and future but will shape its very structure for seasons to come.
