Imane Ayissi Spring 2026 Couture: The Show Must Go On

Imane Ayissi hurt his back a week ago, and was absent from his couture show Monday afternoon. His team soldiered on, presenting the collection in a salon in the Hôtel Meurice with the staging intended to evoke the couture presentations of yore.

Business partner and managing director Jean-Marc Chauve and an assistant dressed four models each in turn, with outfit changes in front of the audience resulting in a few mishaps that the models navigated with charm — one dress refused to fasten, a second proved a challenge to put on, and the clothes rack that provided the backdrop collapsed partway through.

Chauve said the collection, called “Bissakarak,” which means “scribble” in Ayissi’s native Ewondo tongue, was intended to reference traditional ways of dressing in parts of Africa, with spans of fabric draped, knotted and wrapped around the body, likened to the designer’s creative process. As such, the staging made sense, allowing a greater understanding and appreciation of how the outfits were put together, despite the mishaps, and the length of the show, which stretched to the best part of an hour.

Crisp or textured silks in vivid jewel tones were stitched as structured column dresses or tailored pantsuits, then layered, wound and draped with giant stretches of the same, some tipped with Ayissi’s signature raffia fringing. Lighter fabrics were cut on the bias for more diaphanous looks where draping and knotting also played a role in silhouettes combining fluidity with structure. New this season were graphic dresses sewn with squiggles of cord strands, beaded fringe skirts and open sections highlighting the waist, particularly striking in a combination of pale pink, blue and cream. “Festival-ready,” summed up one front-row guest. The final looks made from hand-painted, frayed-edged sheets of ivory satin evoked the designer’s trip to the U.S. last year and his wonder at discovering Mark Rothko’s paintings at the MOMA. As art-to-wear, they made for a striking tableau.