Hugh Barton

The 26th of March marks Nike Air Max Day, an annual celebration that marks the legacy of Nike’s Air Max technology and commemorates the 1987 release of the Air Max 1, the first sneaker to feature visible Air cushioning. To mark the occasion, Nike Australia will be partnering with yuth, a collective that creates spaces, products and experiences in support of the next generation.

There was a Lynchian air about the Lemaire show, where models stumbled across a theatre stage as if wandering into the stage lights of Club Silencio in the 2001 David Lynch film Mulholland Drive. As one of the greatest surrealist filmmakers, Lynch was concerned with the uncanny and transformed otherwise familiar spaces into nightmarish scenes by making subtle adjustments: the glazed eyes of an actress, an unexpected movement, or an unexplained symbol.

There is always a sense of anticipation surrounding a label’s first collection without its founder’s guiding hand. The passing of Giorgio Armani last September was met with deep sadness and an outpouring of tributes honouring his enduring influence. Although he was absent from the Spring/Summer 2026 womenswear presentation, Armani had still contributed to its design prior to his death. This, then, marks the first collection shaped entirely under new leadership.