THE POLITICS OF CREATIVE SURVIVAL: EGONLAB AW26
EGONLAB JUST PRESENTED ITS AW26 COLLECTION DURING PARIS FASHION WEEK, MARKING THE HOUSE’S NINTH SHOW SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 2019. FASHION WRITER HARRY NICHOLSON BREAKS DOWN WHAT UNFOLDED ON THE RUNWAY.
Written by Harry Nicholson
Edited by Gabriel Mealor-Pritchard
For a brand that’s only seven years old, EGONLAB’s FW26 collection, Lazarus, walks with the confidence of a brand that knows exactly where it stands - and more importantly, what it refuses to become. Wednesday’s show was not simply another exercise in dark romanticism, but an almost confrontational statement about what it means to create something today, in an industry where productivity is beginning to eclipse creativity. Kevin Nompiex and Florentin Glémarec have long translated tensions - masculine and feminine, refinement and defiance - yet here that tension is truly woven throughout the collection.
The title Lazarus conceptualises the collection’s positioning of rebirth not as a glorious reinvention, but as an act of survival. EGONLAB’s ‘rebirth’ saw it return to its roots: black dominates, yet is defined by reliefs and texture, achieved through crumpled fabrics. Fluid jerseys and quality wools in dark notes create a chiaroscuro effect, adding sharp tonal depth. Overhead, Jameela Jamil’s manifesto encapsulates the message of resistance to the sanitation of creativity: "Most flee the darkness; we built our sanctuary within it.”
Silhouette - arguably EGONLAB’s sharpest weapon - has been pushed further, with shoulders becoming more defined, and asymmetrical buttoning cinching the form on tailored pieces. Effects of ‘trompe l’oeil’ and doubling of jackets that peek around the edges suggest an unfinished evolution, caught in the act of becoming something. Denim pieces serve as a refreshing switch-up amongst the darker tones, constructed with puzzle-like stitching and oversized collars and buttonholes. I found the fine line between couture and commerce is Lazarus’ triumph. Feathered looks evoke a likeness to the mythical chimaera (welcome back, Mugler’s La Chimère (AW97), iconography that symbolises the marriage of haute couture and urban fashion, seemingly opposites but both possessing the same capacity for creativity in their own right. The tailoring, for all its theatricality, retains a rigour that grounds the collection firmly in wearability. A selection of looks wear deep red plaid that cuts through the ashy palette with violent passion, a colourful reminder that emotion is what drives this brand.
A collaboration with Converse contributed to Lazarus, showing the classic Chuck Taylor redefined as a fully hand-woven ‘artisanal statement piece’. But then there are THE boots: thigh-high, opened leather straps barely containing shearling that erupted from within - not only a standout, but a memorable articulation of EGONLAB’s balance of excess and style.
The inspired namesake of 20th-century expressionist artist Egon Schiele, this collection embraces rawness and bodily expression as he did. Do not mistake this collection as a resurrection, but instead a reassertion of EGONLAB, and by extension, any brand’s right to exist under uncompromising terms. Jamil’s manifesto makes it clear: “Creativity is a blade-thin, sharp, and unforgiving force. Only the bravest dare to reach its edge, leaving their hands stained not with sin but with the raw matter of creation. Make no mistake: the true monsters don’t lurk in the dark; they walk in daylight, smiling as they drain the world of wonder and call it efficiency.” In returning to its instincts - exaggeration, excess, and silhouette - EGONLAB resists the ‘suits’ allergies to risk, offering a vision of fashion instead as resistance and self-actualisation over compliance.
