Ease Does It
Review of Auralee Spring 2026 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Pops of popsicle, transitional timing, escape essentials
Set against the naturally cool stone interior (a welcome reprieve from the city’s heatwave) of the Archives Nationales, Ryota Iwai’s Spring 2026 Auralee collection unfolded like a meditation on modern ease. Known for super-styling the everyday, Iwai stayed true to the cause of considered calm—but this season, he invited us further in, deepening the brand’s lifestyle narrative with a fresher take on all-weather dressing which had an undercurrent of the ‘charmingly undone’ as it said in todays notes.
This season it wasn’t just about superiority in simple garment form, it was about how fabric carried the story forward: signature cottons, garment-dyed cashmere, and silk organza—each piece was engineered for lightness yet grounded in the way the looks appeared thrown together, yet still worked. An effortless demonstration of how the brand makes dressing for all eventualities a no-brainer. Choosing to tackle spring – as one of the last of the four seasons which can be relied upon – the designer was considering the way dressing becomes a much more freeing activity where we can add tactility to our rotation, ‘well worn favourites [can] meet new additions; fine wool, cashmere, and silk mingle without formality’ and harmony can be found through contrast.
Menswear and womenswear blurred into one relaxed conversation, united by loosely tailored silhouettes punctuated with the occasional cinch or sleek line—just enough to remind that form still matters. Swimwear served as a multi-purpose foundation here, reflected in breezy tops and drawstring trousers that suggested a packing list for a chic beach escape. Hand-printed aloha shirts, bucket hats, and calf-leather bucket bags for swimwear gave a sense of gentle wanderlust—of travels yet to be documented in a new uniform for detaching from the chaos.
And yet, for all the fabric innovation and timeless tonality, there was a subtle undercurrent of commercial caution. At times, pieces risked feeling more retail-ready than runway-relevant. As the fashion landscape becomes increasingly saturated with refined basics, Iwai’s challenge will be to continue threading innovation into his modern tapestry— in order to prevent the brand from being lost among the collections of his contemporaries, particularly from the East Asian design vanguard.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
Auralee Spring 2026 built on its super-basics from last season and continued in the vein of understated refinement—where fabrication spoke volumes and coastal ease met with a polish which can only come from being an urban native.
Ryota Iwai remains a purist of mood and material, crafting clothes that float through life rather than fight against it. But going forward, subtlety will need a sharper edge. Because, when even the biggest luxury brands are also opting to play in this world, moving as they are with the customer seeking long-term purchases that last – in design and make – even the quietest voice must sometimes find a new way to be heard.
