Heliot Emil’s spring/summer 2026 collection, presented digitally as a see-now-by-now presentation, celebrates the function-forward beauty of the horse and its accoutrements
The Year of the Horse is well and truly upon us and the latest brand to get in on the equine action is Heliot Emil. Its spring/summer 2026 collection – released today as a digital see-now-buy-now presentation – finds its roots both in the elegant aesthetics of these majestic creatures and their spiritual power and significance.
It’s a new in-season format for the brand, which previously showed on schedule at Paris Fashion Week. “We’ve always had an approach that focuses on community and the people that, in the end, are going to appreciate and buy the clothes,” says creative director Julius Juul, who co-founded the brand with his brother, Victor. “We thought that a runway show can be a bit of a tease, like ‘this is something you can buy in six months’. So we’re doing this more for our fashion community.” It’s not a long-term approach; the brand hopes to join the Paris Men’s schedule next season.
Though Heliot Emil’s sleek, mostly black, tech-forward universe may be somewhat stallion-coded, the brand doesn’t exactly scream ‘horse boys’. Yet when viewed through a less yee-haw lens, it becomes clear that Heliot Emil does, in fact, horse around. “We’ve always had this design philosophy called ‘industrial elegance’,” says Juul. “And I feel like horses are the encapsulation of industrial elegance, because it was introduced as a very industrial use case.” He has a point – these days horses are largely associated with rarified leisure and sport activities, but once upon a time they were an industrial tool for farming and warfare.
Wider ethos aside, the collection indeed draws direct inspiration from horses. Black shearling collars harken to a horse’s mane and sharply structured silhouettes speak to the animal’s powerful form. Elsewhere, leather harnesses and fastenings – a Heliot Emil signature – bring to mind bridles and reigns. In this fresh context, the brand’s signature covered leather boot instantly becomes footwear fit for a rider. There’s even a cowboy hat. “We thought, ‘Should we do this or is it too straightforward’,” admits Juul. “But I thought it was interesting, with the suit and the cowboy hat. It’s an interesting mix.” The look instantly brings to mind Ed Harris’ Man in Black in HBO’s Westworld adaptation.
Overall, the looks are more pared back – less complex – than previous outings. Fewer straps and complications; sharply-tailored pieces with one signature flourish. “It’s always a balance, right?” says Juul. “Because you want to keep it interesting enough that people are intrigued, but not so complex that people are thrown off.” The women’s offering, meanwhile, leans closer to the men’s. Gone are the teeny tiny black dresses and bra tops (mostly, anyway) replaced with structured blazers and borrowed-from-the-boys shirting. “We’re growing up with our customers as well,” says Juul. “The customers we’ve had for years are getting into the era of having serious jobs and going places where they need to wear something formal.”
Funnily enough, neither Juul nor his co-founder brother have had much experience with horses themselves. “I was never really around horses – our dad is severely allergic to horses,” says Juul. “But aesthetically I think they’re super cool.” He has a bucket-list dream of going off-grid on horseback for a few days, perhaps living off the land. “I would love to build my own house and grow my own vegetables,” he says. “But then on the other side, I really love Formula 1.” Horses and horsepower – how utterly Heliot Emil.
See the full Heliot Emil SS26 collection below.
