For autumn/winter 2026, Taus presents a tightly-curated salon style show that expresses female rage through carefully crafted garments
In some ways, Taus is very much a Copenhagen brand. There’s the emphasis on craftsmanship, the unwavering commitment to using upcycled materials, not to mention the ongoing exploration of how the art of dressing reflects one’s identity. In practice, however, it doesn’t exactly fit in. Not that founders Freyja Taus and Juho Lehiö would have it any other way. “Copenhagen is known for these cool, commercial girly brands and quite a light mood,” says Lehiö, noting that even when dealing with inclusivity and sustainability, the tone still tends to be less than serious.
Taus, however, dares to take itself seriously. For autumn/winter 2026, the brand presented a tightly edited salon-style show – its first runway show, in fact (the past two seasons, the designers has opted for a presentation format). “We always go back to the past to build the present for us,” says Lehiö. “We’re very influenced by the salon shows – like old school Dior. It’s a much slower walk, so in that sense, it does have the essence of a presentation. We’re not talking about a Balenciaga strut where you can’t really see anything.” Carefully choreographed by movement director Thea Schott, the slow, deliberate pace and gravity of the cinematic soundtrack encouraged attendees to really consider those garments.
In researching the collection, the designers looked towards the groundbreaking gender studies which took in the early 20th Century at Berlin’s Institute for Sexual Science. The institute performed some of the first gender-affirming surgeries before it was ultimately destroyed by the Nazi regime. “Often when we reference or talk about queer identities or queer history, it’s easy to go to the 80s,” says Lehiö. “But there were many beautiful trans women in Berlin back in the day – they lived their life, they had their spaces, they had El Dorado, which is a bar, they had community and it was quite progressive.”
To that end, the garments – demi-couture pieces sewn by hand in Taus’ local atelier over the course of six months – reflect a darkly romantic femininity and an unapologetic aura of self-expression. Take, for instance, the exquisitely tailored opening suit, crafted from discarded home textiles (backside up, for extra texture). “It’s very inspired by the Dior Bar Jacket,” says Taus. The silhouette is made modern by way of slim cigarette pants (to my eye, it was more Alexander McQueen than Dior, but who’s counting). Home textiles weren’t the only upcycled material. “We’re also working with my late granddad’s suits,” says Lehiö. The oversized jackets, with the plunging necklines, and floor skimming narrow skirts were a standout.
Elsewhere, everyday jersey gets the gala treatment by way of two statement gowns, a snatched corset beneath the clingy material revealing body-ody-ody as the models slowly made their way around the black box room at The Lab. “There’s something quite beautiful about the support coming from within,” notes Lehiö.
Aside from their exquisite craftsmanship, the pieces reflect a potent sentiment. Last season’s collection, with its delicate lace and gentle palette, was an expression of female joy. AW26, however, expresses female rage. “It’s the urge to do violence towards all of the people who oppress us,” says Taus (Lehiö adds that the idea is never to incite violence, but more to speak to the fantasy of expressing rage).
But amidst this rage, there is a delicate beauty; a fastidious commitment to living out loud both spiritually and aesthetically. Or, in the cause of Taus, a will to create technically complex, made-to-order garments, by hand – the sort of pieces that speak to one’s very identity – in a fiscally unfriendly landscape. “It’s about celebrating the beauty and the light in those moments that are hard,” says Taus. “For example, right now, I’m living a trans life in a world that hates us, and my life is beautiful. It’s about showing that.”
See the full Taus AW26 collection below.
