According to Julia Fox, nobody is doing it like Dilara Findikoglu. The Turkish designer closed day four of London Fashion Week with a bang on September 22 with her Spring/Summer 2026 collection, titled ‘Cage of Innocence’. The collection explores freedom and power, ancestral trauma, and the good, bad, and ugly of womanhood. In a feature with WWD right before her collection debut, Dilara briefly explained some of the intentions behind her tour de force. “I have been remembering all of the women from my past who never had freedom and who were put in cages of innocence.” Show notes and explanations have been minimal in the days following her presentation, but the clothes speak for themselves.
Models ambled down the runway inside a staged village house, creating a lovely contrast between the rich, warm interior and the sharp intensity of the looks. A beautiful blend of English Victorian blouses, raw sex appeal, touches of fetish gear, and ornamental jewelry, signaling her foray into accessories, which began this season with the release of her debut handbag. Some models’ faces were entirely covered with Turkish jewelry, referencing the designer’s heritage. One model’s facepiece was paired with a printed Edwardian jacket and a flesh-colored latex miniskirt with lace trim, combining sweetness, salaciousness, and grit. Others were shrouded with dirt. One look created a busty display with a low-cut distressed khaki corset, matching panty, and studded belt, completed with straw adhered to the model’s legs. Her allover dusting of earth cuts a warlike, idealized figure. Depictions of Lara Croft-ian action heroines come to mind, where the sweat, dirt, and unearthly beauty all come together. All had feverish cheeks, tousled hair, and looks of steeled determination. Motifs of purity and virginity, such as the white dress, and cherries, were turned on their heads and reclaimed as vestiges of power. Corsetry, a Dilara signature, was still featured heavily, with sheer panels, contrasting boning, and distressing, giving it an updated spin. The brand’s classic color palette of blacks and reds was softened this season with the addition of nudes, whites, and breaths of pink so small and delicate, you’ll miss them if you blink. The roughed-up glam calls to mind being buried alive; suffocated and rendered silent, the way countless women throughout time have had their voices taken. Parading down the runway, freshly exhumed, the models are almost like the female ancestors Findikoglu referenced as inspiration, resurrected to walk the earth on their own terms.
Many fashion houses design for a hypothetical woman who represents the ideals of the brand. The likes, dislikes, passions, and interests of the hypothetical woman are subject to the whims of the creative director, the shareholders, and the constraints of the brand. While some womenswear brands spend entirely too much time reinforcing their ideas of womanhood, regardless of feedback, Dilara is putting the tools in women’s hands to create exactly who they want to be in their clothes. Findikoglu has often gone on record saying she designs for herself, which I believe is an underrated strategy for female designers, when applied correctly. There is an unmistakable confidence in a woman who is wearing her perfect outfit, and Findikoglu has figured out how to create an entire brand around this feeling of assuredness and capability.
Dilara’s unique portrayal of women as wild, fierce, and ancient echoes that of Lee McQueen, with many online users calling for her appointment at the acclaimed house. Similar to McQueen, she is an expert at creating clothing for women to feel sexy, yet dangerous in, without pandering to the male gaze. Their Gothic and romantic parallels, as well as their joint commitment to manipulating the body and creating a world within their clothing, reinforce this opinion.
However, Findikoglu is just getting started at her eponymous label. If Findikoglu can hold her ground as an independent brand in the current economic climate, she could quickly be elevated to cult status on a platform of being by and for women. In a world where creative director success is often measured by adherence to house codes, it’s refreshing, inspiring, and even radical to see a female designer who has the level of self-possession and unapologetic brand imagery that Findikoglu has attained.
Words by Lola Barajas
Graphic by Sahara BJ Cumberbatch