23 February 2026 |
Youth culture, horse girls, and a surprise Adidas collaboration made for a strong showing.
It’s currently the Year of the Fire Horse, at least according to the Lunar calendar, a time destined for rapid change fueled by momentum. And while Simone Rocha (who is a quarter Chinese) may not be referencing the holiday exactly, horse girls, youthful vigor, and immortality served as undercurrents running through her fall 2026 show. Setting the tone was the invitation, which featured an image from Perry Ogden’s Pony Kids, a series that documented Irish traveller boys and girls alongside their horses. As a representation of the old and the new. It’s a fitting metaphor for Rocha’s work which is also a unique collision of menswear, womenswear, sporty and modern, historical and craft.
Held at Alexandra Palace, the preserved theater served as the backdrop for the expansive 60 look collection. Given the sheer number of models, the pace was rapid but never overly so, allowing attendees to soak in the details of each piece. Opening with a white dress embroidered with a white pony, it not only alluded to the invite but also the myth of Enbarr, the mythological steed that transports those destined for Tír na nÓg, a land of immortality. What is our fascination with youth culture if not a quest for our own immortality? Tír na nÓg could also be seen in the choice of colors, as influenced by the work of Irish artist Jack B. Yeats who painted the realm. Rocha always takes care in her references and to complete the circle, she also looked to Yeats’ siblings Lily and Elizabeth, referred to by James Joyce in Ulysses as “the weird sisters,”
Taking all of this into account, Rocha was able to distill these influences and inflect her own distinctive point of view. You saw heavy coats, trimmed in fur at the chest or forming bustles, as a nod to the Yeats sisters. Dresses looked as if it was plucked from the fabric used for the tapestries while lingerie in the form of visible bras and panties peeked out from sheer dresses or were worn simply. For the designer, it was the idea of shattered memories coming together, never tied singularly to an era but rather existing across time — again, immortality of sorts. To circle back to the idea of horses, there were prize ribbons adorning socks, on lapels, and even transformed into a dress. For the men there was classic oversized tailoring but also plenty of skirt suits, which felt fresh and cool.
Perhaps the most exciting news of them all? After seasons with Crocs, Rocha dropped a new partnership on the runway and it’s a big one with Adidas Originals. These collaborations can sometimes feel forced but not in this case, where the pieces were styled perfectly into Rocha’s existing work. From pouf sleeved track jackets worn with short shorts to long sleeves layered under gowns to a zip-up tossed over a tulle mini, it’s easy to see these being immensely popular come fall. But our bets as to what will sell out first? That would be the ribbon-trimmed mary jane sneakers. Given Rocha’s prior history with her bejeweled clogs, expect these to go the second they drop.
