RABANNE SS26: DIVING INTO A SEA OF SUNLIGHT AND SPARKLE

Camz
Oct 9, 2025
3 min read

A sunny disposition amidst fashion’s chaos

While some creative directors seem to be having collective existential crises, Julien Dossena has chosen the simplest yet bravest route for his latest Rabanne collection: to stay true to himself.

In a season where the industry appears torn between nostalgia and algorithmic anxiety, Dossena’s sun-drenched world feels like a much-needed vitamin D shot. “In a time that’s really complicated, you can’t avoid the tension. But at the same time, you just really want to have that floating, sunny feeling around,” he said backstage. And indeed, his girls looked as if they were suspended somewhere between a 1950s Riviera postcard and a metallic dream sequence from a vintage sci-fi film.

Couture meets the coastline

The show felt like a fashion baptism: diving headfirst into a pool of pastels, sparkles, and kitsch done right. Dossena, who grew up by the coast of Brittany, channeled his love for diving into a sartorial underwater fantasy. Think 1960s scuba-mask sunglasses with mirrored rims, rubber daisies sprouting from shoes, and crystal-studded swimwear that wouldn’t last a second in salt water but would absolutely dominate a sun-drenched terrace in Saint-Tropez.

He started with vintage swimwear as his muse, those sculptural bathing suits from the ’40s and ’50s that were built like couture gowns and then exploded the silhouette into something deliciously eccentric. Picture flouncy skirts with unexpected volume, bras shaped like giant cartoon leaves, and an avalanche of florals and Liberty prints competing for attention but somehow staying in perfect harmony.

The palette was pure Miami daydream: pale lilac, sorbet yellow, seafoam green, and shell pink; each tone shimmering under the stage lights like sunlight refracting underwater.

When femininity gets playful

What could have been a chaotic cocktail of color and texture turned out to be surprisingly controlled. Dossena doesn’t design clothes; he engineers joy.

Every look seemed built on a secret architectural logic. Open-sided chiffon skirts revealed cheeky printed swim shorts underneath, while capri leggings were draped with asymmetrical swags reminiscent of 1940s cocktail dresses.

The kind of detail you notice only when the model turns, and then you can’t unsee it. Accessories played their part too: flower brooches perched saucily on hips, giving the whole show a wink rather than a lecture.

The ghost of Balenciaga past

Those who have been in fashion long enough might have felt a whisper of déjà vu. The scuba references, the metallic whimsy: it all echoed Nicolas Ghesquière’s iconic spring 2003 collection for Balenciaga, that revolutionary mix of surf and sport. And there he was, sitting in the front row, watching Dossena reinterpret the aesthetic with a more playful, girlish hand. Instead of minimal futurism, Rabanne’s future sparkled.

Metallics came in the form of crushed chrome skirts, conceptual leis, and sequined panels that caught every flash of light. It was less “space odyssey,” more “beach disco at the end of the world.”

A house reimagined, a summer remembered

Rabanne will forever be linked to chainmail dresses and futurist fantasies, but Dossena’s evolution of the brand feels both rebellious and respectful. He’s not erasing Paco Rabanne’s metallic DNA; he’s letting it breathe, tan, and dance a little. This collection was about letting go,about joy, movement, and the unapologetic pleasure of dressing up even when the world feels heavy.

Conclusion: sparkle against the gloom

As the models took their final walk, one couldn’t help but smile. It’s refreshing, in a season of tortured conceptualism, to see a designer embrace lightness without losing depth. Dossena’s Rabanne is a celebration of contradiction: polished yet carefree, nostalgic yet forward-looking. It’s the kind of collection that reminds you why fashion can still make you feel alive. And let’s be honest, after scrolling through another doomsday headline, who wouldn’t want to dive into a pastel sea of sequins and rubber daisies?

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