For designer Rachel Scott’s Diotima fall/winter 2026 collection, she was greatly influenced by the Afro-Cuban artist Wifredo Lam. Her label partnered with Lams’ estate. His colorful, surrealist art was a reflection of, as the show notes state, “Histories of displacement, resistance, and decolonization. To approach them demands care, research, and reverence.” And these works have stayed with Scott.
The modern woman leans slightly divine, femme cheval. She is willful and completely autonomous, and utterly chic. At the whimsical and soft sound of an orchestra audio, models walk down the runway in timeless silhouettes, framing the body. Textures of mohair, sheer knits, and fur-like viscose enter the runway. Lam’s works are tastefully featured on Scott’s designs, such as La Jungla, Omi Obimi, and Femme Chevel, the collection’s namesake. The horse-headed woman in Femme Chevel is featured on the body of a full-length skirt. “The woman who emerges in this collection is incandescent and intellectually free, elegant and insurgent. Her sensuality is not an invitation; she refuses domination,” Scott reflects.
Models continued to walk the runway in warm tones of greens, burgundys, and tans. Cool blues and grays also filled the runway in intricate knit sets and dresses. An asymmetrical hemline on a chocolate brown coat caught attention; meanwhile, form-fitting silhouettes and cinched waist coats were also presented. From the very first look, the show was breathtaking, with a full-textured halterneck gown, and another look that included the textured fabric in a skirt and a tan, slightly sheer button-down shirt. Fringe escaped the edges of the reconstructed dresses and top, and reappeared again in a rope accessory in the hands of models in the shades of green, black, and cream.
The collection is also in collaboration with the Refugee Atelier in New York, a nonprofit organization that empowers and equips women refugees through skillful craftsmanship. This collection is not one devoid of meaning, as we’re in a polarizing political landscape. This collection is about “a woman who moves through it with radiance, force, and radical self-definition. Not in spite of the times, but within them.”
