Castaneda Spring/Summer 2026 / SS26 during Paris Fashion Week presents A Collection Entitled “Arx-Imaginaria”
Paris, September 29, 2025 – Castaneda presents a collection inspired by the story of a character who daydreams about living in a grand castle. While many would consider this an illusion, for Castaneda, it is the courageous voice that inspires us to accomplish great things in life. After all, to do so, we must first believe that we are important and that we have the power to change reality. That’s why the brand invites guests to the fashion show to enter a castle interior built with their own hands, and designs clothes with the mission of making the wearer feel like they are the most important person in the room, inspiring them to go out and change the world.
Castaneda SS26 / Spring/Summer 2026 collection features an increasing emphasis on tailoring. This season, tailoring research focuses on highly distinctive details such as slanted piped pockets, pointed elbows, and arched hems. Although invisible, extensive research has been conducted to find our own methods of incorporating horsehair to add structure to tailored pieces. The color palette revolves around navy blues, browns, a touch of red, sky blue, and various shades of green; neutrals also take on a more prominent role in this collection.
A wonderful discovery, reflecting the brand’s enduring love of 3D decorative elements, was the use of a very unique type of neoprene with a thick layer of foam between the central fibers. This fabric allowed the team to add more detail to the pieces without weighing down the base garment. On some pieces, the neoprene is covered with luxurious Leavers lace, allowing the fabric to be worked with as if it had a more structured drape. A new addition to the headwear range: the beret or golf cap, adorned with different types of horns. Twisted ram’s horns are also added as new decorative elements to the brand’s hat collection, while a Chihuahua Dragon-shaped newsboy cap is the soft accessory of this collection. The designers allowed themselves to play with new types of fabrics, both for fun and to tell the story of the collection: knits and tweeds, always decorated with 3D elements in the same material.
Castaneda SS26 / Spring/Summer 2026 collection was presented in a room with wooden floors, where the interior of a castle had been constructed from recycled cardboard, while the models walked the runway to different versions of the Sarabande, inspired by the soundtrack of Kubrick’s film Barry Lyndon. As they walked, the models would pause, and two knights in cardboard armor would shower them with real red rose petals.
About Castaneda, Castaneda is a Paris-based fashion brand that embodies whimsical elegance and encourages self-expression for those who live in their own world—free spirits—who are happiest when their style reflects their playful imagination.
All images Castaneda SS26 / Spring/Summer 2026 by the brand. Credits To Artistic direction and photography Ivo Barraza Castaneda. Production Gautier Rouquette. Video & photography Melvin Laguerre. Head set decorator Anna Olsen