Rick Owens FW26 Blends Industrial Armor With Sharp Parody
Reimagining military authority through bloated silhouettes and radical craftsmanship.
Summary
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The Rick Owens Fall/Winter 2026 TOWER collection serves as a dual monument at the Palais de Tokyo, acting as a hopeful prayer for the future while simultaneously using exaggerated military details and police boots as a satirical take on modern authority
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Materiality bridges the gap between high-tech defense and traditional craft, utilizing Kevlar and heavy Japanese cowhides alongside handcrafted Himalayan wool and sustainable boiled wools from Tuscany
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The show highlights a community of radical collaborators who contributed specialized pieces like shearling net flight jackets, hand-crocheted cashmere knits, and intricate macramé masks that each require thirty hours of labor to complete
Rick Owens took over the Palais de Tokyo for Fall/Winter 2026. The collection acts as a bit of a contradiction: it’s named after the “Temple of Love, Tower of Light” as a hopeful prayer for the future, but it also pokes fun at the harshness of modern authority. While Owens used to strip away military details like epaulets to avoid looking aggressive, this time he brought them back as a total parody of power.
The look is protective but definitely weird. Models stomped out in “police boots” that were blown up to huge, bloated sizes in colors with names like Butch Black and Mincy Mauve. The clothes themselves feel like high-fashion armor. Owens used Kevlar (which is five times stronger than steel) and heavy gloss leathers for lab-style coats. He also used thick cowhides from Japan for modular jackets that can be peeled apart to reveal long vests underneath.
To balance out the heavy, industrial vibe, the collection features some incredible hand-crafted pieces. There are thick wool coats from India that show off the natural texture of Himalayan wool and soft, sustainable knits from Italy. The whole vision was a team effort with a crew of “radical collaborators.” Designers like straytukay created flight jackets out of shearling nets, while Lucas Moretti spent thirty hours hand-knotting each macramé mask. It’s a “Goon Squad” aesthetic that is tough enough to handle a protest but soft enough to offer a sense of hope.
