Paolina Russo - Fall 2026
On the day of departure, boxes half-packed and rails still crowded with clothes, Paolina Russo’s Central London studio felt like a crossroads. The brand, founded by Canadian designer Paolina Russo and French co-designer Lucile Guilmard, was in the final hours of leaving its Paul Smith Foundation residency at Smithfield Studios, preparing to show its Autumn/Winter 2026 collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week. The mood was both nostalgic and anticipatory, fitting for a collection inspired by the feeling of a first journey. The show, titled On a School Trip, draws on memories of coach rides, pockets filled with keepsakes and the wide-eyed wonder of seeing the world anew.
Russo and Guilmard have always treated fashion as a living ecosystem rather than an industry. Their work is rooted in community, craft and material innovation, blending hand-knit nostalgia with future-facing experimentation. The duo have collaborated with Maison Anaychay, a Franco-Peruvian studio connecting designers with artisans in Peru, and their latest pieces are made from 100 per cent wool jersey ethically produced in Portugal. Yet this season, the textiles also carry a whisper of technology: woven badges embedded with NFC chips that unlock digital content when scanned. “We don’t see technology as separate from craft,” they explain. “It’s what allows it to survive.”
Accompanied by a live performance from French singer Oklou at the French embassy, the collection unfolded in a palette of softened corduroy, rainbow-washed denim and folkloric embroidery. Hearts and flowers, hand-drawn across brown and fuchsia fabrics, recalled childhood doodles, while uniform silhouettes hinted at friendship and belonging. Since launching their partnership in 2022, Russo and Guilmard have built a brand grounded in collaboration, sustainability and creative intimacy. On a School Trip is both a collection and a philosophy: a reminder that progress in fashion begins not with spectacle, but with connection.
