Pieter Mulier’s Alaïa Winter/Spring 2026 collection was a masterful study in continuum, moving away from the cyclical, throwaway nature of seasonal fashion to build upon an enduring, radical aesthetic. Described by the designer as an “evolution of last season, which in turn builds on the one previous,” this outing was a precise, uncompromising expression of simplicity and extreme luxury. Mulier delved into the house’s core language of intimacy and sculptural beauty, exploring the idea of tension—between covering and revealing, history and future, and the body’s stillness versus its movement. The clothes themselves became “machines for living,” drawing inspiration from Azzedine Alaïa’s uniform and methodology, yet pushed to an extremity through bold, taut silhouettes and groundbreaking craft.
The Ideology of Continuum and Intemporelle
In a fashion industry obsessed with the next big thing, Pieter Mulier’s vision for Alaïa is a profound act of defiance, emphasizing “continuum” as the most radical gesture of all. For Winter/Spring 2026, he consciously avoided reinvention for its own sake, instead choosing to deepen the house’s ideology. This approach echoes the methodology of the late Azzedine Alaïa, who championed the intemporelle—the timeless. Each collection under Mulier is viewed as a layer added to a permanent, evolving body of work, rather than a discardable novelty.
This commitment to permanence was evident in the collection’s reduced and precise aesthetic. The silhouettes were instantly recognizable as belonging to Mulier’s era at Alaïa, defined by a focus on the innate sensuality of the woman’s body. The designer spoke of the collection being “sculptural, precise,” yet also exhibiting an extremity through heightened colors and bold shapes. This balance between the familiar and the uncompromising is the essence of his current work, proving that evolution through refinement can be more powerful than revolution through spectacle.
The Power and Relief of Tension
The central theme woven into the collection’s fabric was tension—a concept Mulier found deeply relevant to the current cultural climate. This tension was multifaceted: a subtle pull between genders, the drama between excess and restraint, and the literal torsion integrated into the garments themselves. In the show’s staging, this idea was highlighted by the models being caught between a filmed and a mirrored image of themselves, creating a disorienting performance of simultaneous presence and reflection.
In the clothes, tension manifested in a palpable way. Garments were drawn around the body, suspended from unexpected points to redefine a streamlined, ergonomic silhouette. Knit dresses stretched and released as if taking a breath, while trousers held a defined pull, only to offer a palpable relief of letting go. This deliberate use of material tautness—the sculpture pulled against the skin—ensured that the presence of the moving, alive, female form was always the core focus. Other pieces, conversely, were deliberately sliced open or presented as fragments of dresses laid against the skin, using negative space and exposure to heighten the sense of deliberate control and release.
Invention Through Craft: The New Workwear
Mulier’s commitment to radical craft ensured that the simplicity he spoke of was a highly technical achievement, not a lack of detail. He described the collection as being inspired by the uniform—specifically, the function and pragmatism of Azzedine Alaïa’s own iconic look. This resulted in workwear that was beautifully reworked and elevated, treating clothes as “machines for living.” The material list itself emphasized this duality, featuring only essential, uncompromising materials like cotton, python, leather, and silk.
The collection achieved technical impossibility, notably in the form of “imaginary feathers and pearls” executed entirely in macramé. These intricate, crafted embellishments were engineered to move and flow around the form, translating traditional luxury adornment into a language of tactile, modern invention. Further innovations included choreographies of fringe that seemed to fracture the pieces with movement, only to have the silhouettes regroup, creating a dynamic interplay between structure and chaos that requires the highest level of atelier skill.
Sculpture, Purity, and Emotional Resonance
Mulier consistently frames his collections through the language of sculpture, an homage to Azzedine Alaïa, who famously described himself as a builder rather than a designer. For Winter/Spring 2026, this focus on form was evident in the geometric shaping of the garments and the purity of their lines. The designer’s vision carries a rare stillness, which in today’s fast-paced fashion cycle, feels like an act of quiet rebellion.
Mulier spoke of creating “clothes that cry,” pieces that carry the weight of emotion and offer solace in their meticulous making. This sensibility pushes back against the dopamine loop of fashion’s attention economy, positioning beauty and sincerity as values that hold power over speed and instant gratification. The collection ultimately asserts that purity and intimacy—the core tenets of the house—are the highest forms of radical beauty, creating clothes that resonate with the body and the soul long after the runway lights fade.
