After a two-year absence, maverick couturier John Galliano has returned to the design space in an unexpected way, teaming up with Spanish label Zara for an upcoming unconventional collaborative collection that will see the designer “re-author” the brand’s archives and create seasonal collections over the next two years. He’ll deconstruct garments from Zara’s past seasons and update reconfigure them into new pieces.
As Fashionista reports, the partnership brings Galliano’s legendary theatrical flair and technical mastery to the high-street giant’s global platform. This new project allows a broader demographic to engage with his unique design language. The collection is expected to be one of the most anticipated releases of the year, signaling Zara’s continued ambition to bridge the gap between luxury design and affordable retail.
This marks Galliano’s first major gig since he stepped down as creative director of Maison Margiela in December 2024. He worked at the French luxury house for 10 years, where his distinct design language helped drive double-digit year-over-year sales growth for the label. Prior to that, he was the creative director at Dior from 1996 to 2011, when he was fired for spouting antisemitic and racist remarks.
Despite his controversial past, the designer has more or less been able to successfully rehabilitate his image. He’s still deemed a creative genius among most industry insiders, and despite remaining mostly out of the spotlight, is welcomed to major events. (Galliano-era Maison Margiela had a huge presence on the 2024 Met Gala red carpet). Although many speculated Galliano had left Margiela to join another European luxury house, Zara is evidently the next stop on his redemption arc.
“I’m super excited, because it’s not something I’ve done before, so that kind of tickles me — the newness, the excitement, the actual process,” Galliano told Vogue Business. “Even with my team, I have to keep reminding them daily: ‘No, it’s not this, and it’s not that. We are re-authoring.’ It’s been quite fun, and I just think it’s a very positive thing to be doing at this time, and really sustainable from a creative point of view, which is super interesting to me.”
As WWD reports, Galliano and Zara have described their new project as a “creative partnership” where the designer will be working directly with clothes from Zara’s past seasons, “deconstructing and reconfiguring them into new seasonal expressions and creations,” a joint statement said. “Guided by a couture process and authorship, the collections will be released seasonally,” beginning in September, 2026. Further details will be announced in due course, the statement added.
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