John Galliano’s First Zara Collection Is Here
It has been a whirlwind few weeks for John Galliano. The British designer was announced as the honoree for the 2027 Met Gala at the beginning of August, and before the month came to an end, backlash in response to the tribute forced him to step away from the event. The 65-year-old isn’t just disappearing into the abyss following the resurfaced discussion of his prior antisemitic and racist indiscretions, however. He is back in the spotlight once again with the launch of his two-year collaboration with Zara, titled Re{form}.
The first volume of the collaboration sees Galliano in conversation with the Zara archives. Wardrobe staples are rendered in new materials using techniques native to haute couture. But Zara’s history isn’t the only reference in this new body of work. He also pays tribute to his 1984 Central Saint Martins graduate collection, titled “Les Incroyables” and inspired by the French Revolution. Eighteenth-century France was once again on the mood board, as Galliano returns to “the defiant dandies and divas of post-Revolutionary France,” according to the collection’s press release. And Galliano was not confined to just one time period. Characters from throughout the modern era emerge in the wardrobe, with other references to the bourgeois spirit and film-noir glamour.
It is a collection made for layering. An emphasis on tulle and netting allows for dresses, coats, and tops that don’t hide, instead highlighting what lies underneath. He calls the technique the Flix, named after flipbooks, which create moving images out of still frames. Another method, The Shift, highlights trompe l’oeil garments. One shirt is designed purposefully oversize and finished with a foil-print technique. It resembles a leather coat, but maintains the lightness of a shirt. Elsewhere, an archival Zara lace dress turns into a ruffled neckpiece and a jumper is worn back-to-front as a stole. There are numerous techniques at play, all with whimsical names. In-Cut-Yable features a hacking of outerwear. Wrapture inverts Zara skirts, slips, and linings and splices them into wrap skirts. And Plume Zoom employs a fabric that, from afar, looks like feathers.
Materials range from chiffon voilant, georgette, point d’esprit, charmeuse, tulle, and net, with the inclusion of foil-printed lace and vinyl sleeve trims. The outerwear, suits, and breeches are tailored in wools, shirts are in poplin, and skirts are rendered in leather. Faux fur pops up throughout the collection, alongside the georgette faux plumes. The palette is also distinctly Galliano, moody with its use of black, navy, dark green, brown, and burgundy. Horticultural inspirations bring forth olive green, khaki, mint, pale blue, golden brown, and ochre, while cinematic colors of orchid pink, purple, turquoise, and acid green round out the collection.
And it’s not just ready-to-wear for sale. Accessories are scattered throughout the offerings. The most notable is undoubtedly the Tri-Chic bag. Inspired by bin liners, it could have been plucked from Galliano’s controversial spring/summer 2000 “Clochard” collection for Dior. Constructed with straps and a metal chain fastening, the bag can be worn in three ways, including as a backpack. Shoes take a cue from the Zara archives: naval boots play into the military elements, while leather T-strap heels embody the film noir inspiration. Accessories are rounded out by opera gloves, knee-high socks, and, possibly most importantly, hats. Galliano worked with milliner Stephen Jones to reform Zara headwear. Together, they turned caps into bonnets of lace, created waxed bucket hats, and made unraveling knit beanies. The latter, by the way, is woven into every piece of the collection. It’s a celebration of the bygone with a simultaneous embrace of the future.
Volume one of the Re{form} collection is available to shop on Zara.com on October 1. Prices range from $29.99 to $999.99.
