New York is once again the fashion capital. In the run-up to the official New York Fashion Week schedule, Ralph Lauren and Cult Gaia presented their Spring/Summer 2027 collections – two ranges with seemingly contrasting styles that found unexpected common ground in romanticism, sensuality and the value of craftsmanship.
Ralph Lauren returned to some of the codes that have defined his world for decades, reinterpreting them from a freer perspective. Guided by an irreverent take on romance, the American brand crafted a collection in which menswear-inspired tailoring coexisted with flowing dresses, sheer fabrics and delicate finishes.
The dialogue between the masculine and the feminine ran through much of the collection. Structured jackets, generously proportioned trousers, waistcoats and ties — an inevitable nod to the designer’s professional roots — were paired with lighter, more sensual silhouettes. White and navy blue dominated a deliberately restrained colour palette that shifted the focus to the materials, proportions and surface finishes.
Denim, seersucker, velvet, silk lamé and feather detailing were presented from a sophisticated perspective, confirming Ralph Lauren’s ability to update the American aesthetic without straying from his signature style. The collection thus struck a balance between familiarity and renewal: recognisable garments subjected to subtle shifts in scale, texture and attitude.
The choice of an understated setting in Manhattan reinforced this intention. In contrast to the spectacular nature of some of his previous shows, this time the venue took a back seat to the clothes and a more understated notion of luxury. Guests included the likes of Viola Davis, Cynthia Erivo, Elizabeth Debicki and Rachel Brosnahan.
Just a few kilometres away, conceptually speaking, Cult Gaia opted for a far more exuberant narrative. Jasmin Larian Hekmat presented ‘Behesht’, a Persian term that can be translated as ‘paradise’ – a collection conceived from a personal experience of loss and the search for beauty that follows grief.
This emotional journey found direct expression on the catwalk. The opening looks featured browns, deep greens and natural tones, accompanied by woven textures, relaxed silhouettes and sculptural hats. Gradually, colour took over the collection, culminating in intense reds, pinks, sky blue and soft greens.
The way the garments behaved also changed. The fabrics took on movement through long fringes, ruffles, petals and hanging elements that transformed the silhouettes with every step. The most elaborate dresses took a recurring feature of Cult Gaia’s design language to the extreme: turning the body into a canvas for objects that lie somewhere between fashion, craftsmanship and sculpture.
Nature was present without relying solely on prints. Three-dimensional flowers, constructions evoking plant fibres and handcrafted-looking accessories carried this reference into the very structure of the pieces. The result was a collection with a strong visual impact, in which decoration also functioned as a construction technique.
Despite their differences, the collections by Ralph Lauren and Cult Gaia shared several common threads. Both drew on texture, artisanal craftsmanship and movement as counterpoints to an excessively austere conception of luxury. Flowers appeared as a recurring motif, whilst the exposure of the body and the relaxed fit of certain silhouettes lent a sensuality far removed from rigidity.
Above all, the two houses approached romanticism from different perspectives. Ralph Lauren did so through continuity, memory and a re-examination of a vocabulary built up over more than half a century. Cult Gaia, through transformation and the transition between darkness and light.
Two distinct approaches which, at the start of the New York season, point in the same direction: a Spring/Summer 2027 luxury that is less reliant on ostentation and more focused on emotion, materials and craftsmanship.
