For her Spring/Summer '26 show, "Private Matters", Paula Canovas del Vas transformed a truck into a bathroom, one of the
most private spaces, and parked it outside a Paris sidewalk café, where people
love to watch others pass by. The setup turned the lively street into a
creative reflection on privacy and being seen. The unusual venue highlighted
the collection's theme. This season, the designer explored ideas of intimacy,
gender, and vulnerability in a world where private moments are often made
public.
The truck was fitted with a fully tiled bathroom, complete with a tub, toilet,
and sink. Models performed everyday bathroom actions in unexpected ways,
sniffing a T-shirt, having a snack and changing outfits. The three models
helped each other get dressed, scroll through their phones, and laughed
together, not seeming to care about anything, least of all the flashing
cameras around them. This gave the scene a surreal feel, as right in
front of the truck was a café terrace full of customers, photographers, and
passersby, all watching the private moments like curious voyeurs. But it
also reflected exactly what we do in today's online world, watching each
other's videos and pictures, sharing everything we do; even private things.
Online it can feel less intrusive, but seeing these private moments in real
life, in front of the truck, felt strange and a bit bizarre and too intimate
to watch. By showing something very personal in public, Paula Canovas de Vas
turned it into strength. "In a world where exposure is currency, privacy
becomes an act of resistance", the designer explained in the show notes. "By
showing our most private space, we turn vulnerability into power".
The collection focused on contrasts, as the designer feels we live in a very
divided world and wanted to show that through the clothes. There were simple
dresses decorated with fun handmade pompoms, casual patchwork skirts with
uneven hems, shirtdresses with sprayed floral prints, and loose joggers with
tuxedo style ruffles running down the leg. The designer presented a
balance between casual style and craftsmanship, adding a touch of social
commentary, as she highlighted; "I work with amazing women, and that’s very
important to me, especially in an industry where almost all major fashion
houses are still led by men".
Paula Canovas del Vas is a Spanish-born, London-based designer who founded her self-titled label in 2018 after completing both her BA and MA in Fashion at Central Saint Martins. Her work draws on a wide range of cultural references and traditional crafts, blending experimental shapes, textures, and fabrics. Paula and her team design in 3D, creating prototypes on-site using mostly deadstock and recycled materials. Before starting her own brand, she worked as a creative consultant for Kanye West and held positions at Maison Margiela under John Galliano and at Gucci. Paula'Canovas de Vas' youthful collections are developed around a rich array of references, research with patterns, shapes, fabrics and cross-disciplinary collaborations with artists. All collections are made using primarily deadstock and recycled materials.
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| The scenery in front off the bathroom |
Show notes:
For Spring/Summer '26, Paula Canovas del Vas presents "Private Matters", a
public intervention exploring the tension of intimacy and visibility. The
project transforms a functional truck into a surreal mobile bathroom,
confronting how acts once private (dressing, grooming, preparing the body)
have become public performances shaped by surveillance, spectacle, and
self-curation. By placing a bathroom, one of the most intimate domestic
spaces, in the public sphere, the presentation questions who has the right
to privacy, and what it means to reveal oneself in a world where exposure
has become a form of power. The work reflects on how intimacy, gender, and
vulnerability are constructed and negotiated in contemporary life. An
invitation to reclaim softness and self-expression in a climate of
constant scrutiny.
Details of Paula Canovas del Vas Spring/Summer '26 collection extends
Paula's sculptural language. One-off pieces are constructed from hand-cut
jersey strips, meticulously layered into voluminous pompoms. Laser-printed
and embroidered denim introduces new surfaces, while distorted floral
prints appear across shirting. Deconstructed knitwear slips from the body,
revealing fragments of skin, echoing the show's exploration of exposure
and intimacy. The collection debuts new Diablo flat sandals, a reimagined
Diablo sneaker now with laces, and elongated draped jersey skirts that
wrap and twist around the body. "In a world where exposure is currency,
privacy becomes an act of resistance. By bringing the most intimate space
into the public eye, we reclaim vulnerability as a form of power".
This season also introduces a special partnership with Converse,
reimagining the Chuck 70 and Chuck Taylor All Star XX Hi silhouettes
through the brand sculptural lens. Adorned with intricate 3D flowers and
herringbone detailing, the handcrafted customizations celebrate the
Converse legacy as a canvas for individuality and rebellion.
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