A well-conducted chaos at the Sacai show

Kicking off the final day of a rather lackluster men’s fashion week, Chitose Abe unveiled her Sacai Fall/Winter 2026-2027 collection at the Carreau du Temple in Paris. A show inspired by boxing, but also by the idea of reconstruction…

By Nathan Merchadier.

A Sacai show built around the notion of reconstruction

For the Fall/Winter 2026-2027 season, Japanese designer Chitose Abe reconnects with the runway format she skipped last June to present a powerful menswear collection. Inspired by the world of boxing, the central theme of her wardrobe is reconstruction born from destruction. This concept was obvious right from the start. Guests, including Pharrell Williams and Catalan rapper BB Trickz, entered a minimalist space with shattered doors and scattered rubble.

As the first silhouettes stepped onto the runway on January 25th, 2026, the notes of Queen’s I Want to Break Free (1984) echoed beneath the glass roof of the Carreau du Temple. A choice that was anything but incidental. “I wanted a collection that breaks free from norms,” Chitose Abe explained in her show notes. Her vision literally took shape through a genderless wardrobe, which appeared completely destroyed, before being reborn in a new form.

The standout piece of the season was undoubtedly the hybrid skirt-trouser. Cut like wide-leg pants, then cropped, it questions the traditional volumes and references. Meanwhile, it seems that the jackets have been assembled horizontally, thus creating silhouettes of an entirely new kind.

A genderless wardrobe inspired by boxers

While layering has always been an undeniable part of Sacai’s identity since its founding in 1999, it reaches new levels of intricacy here. Proof is in the meticulous work on materials, like faux fur, leather, suede. A simple flannel plaid shirt is revamped in an accumulation of silver charms and paperclips, lending an almost precious quality to it. Craftsmanship, such as knitting and crochet, gives rise to colourful sweatshirts and hoodies. Besides, the workwear dear to Chitose Abe’s vision resurfaces through denim silhouettes born of a renewed collaboration with Levi’s.

Finally, pieces directly borrowed from the universe of boxing, as an explicit homage to the legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, round out this well-rounded fusion of styles. Regarding accessories, a bag shaped like a boxing glove makes a striking impression. A new collaboration with J.M. Weston introduces a new Derby shoe reworked with a platform sole.

With this Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show, Sacai delivers yet another invigorating collection, once again driven by a masterful command of volume and material.