The Cruise 2026 of Louis Vuitton is an explosive cocktail that we are not sure can be digested

Last night, as the sun slowly set over the city of Avignon, a scene quite different from the nursery rhyme about the City of Popes that lulled our childhood began. Far from the Paris Fashion Week runways and the halls of the Louvre where it usually parades, the house of Louis Vuitton settled in Avignon to present its Resort 2026 collection. Ignoring the protesters from the Attac association, who demonstrated Thursday night against the show held in the Honor Courtyard of the Palais des Papes — privatized for the occasion — Nicolas Ghesquière revealed to the fashion world a surprising collection, though not necessarily in a good way.

It all began in the 2000s, when Nicolas Ghesquière visited the Palais des Papes in this small southern French town for an exhibition on the millennium theme. It only took a few moments for this 14th-century historic building — the largest medieval structure in Europe, once the seat of Western Christianity and now renowned as a UNESCO World Heritage Site — to capture the heart of the man now the Artistic Director of Women's Fashion at Louis Vuitton. Two decades later, it was naturally this place, rich in magic, religion, and history, that Ghesquière chose to unveil his 2026 Cruise Collection. A collection with a strong religious and historical heritage, yes, but also with many influences that suggest this mix may have gone a bit too far.

Comprising 45 looks, the collection resembles an explosive cocktail of influences and aesthetics, which, rather than just making us dizzy, may well give us a fashion hangover. The first outfit — a barely describable dress fit for a campfire night à la Tiger Lily or an interstellar voyage — immediately sets the tone for a festival of textures, colors, patterns, and styles parading before our eyes. From futuristic silver to earthy tones, glittering fabrics to colorful leathers, designs evoking both Native American and Ancient Egyptian styles, including houndstooth prints and front-open sandals seemingly straight out of Ancient Rome, the collection ends up losing us. While the craftsmanship is undeniably impressive, the whole thing takes us from distant past to hypothetical future, so much so we lose sense of space-time. The only thing we’re sure of is that we’d like to get off the ride.

Although the collection is composed almost exclusively of dresses and skirts, with only 4 pants among 45 looks, it’s hard to believe it was designed in a cruise spirit. Materials like fur, wool, or suede seem somewhat ambiguous; the symbolism is unclear, and the storytelling, confusing. While the idea of drawing on medieval aesthetics and its rich history is interesting — especially given the show’s setting — it’s clear the execution falls short. Let's hope that Pharrell Williams, who is expected to present his SS26 collection for Louis Vuitton during the men’s fashion week in Paris in June, will be able to bring the brand back into this century.