Initially, I felt like I was watching a scene from a horror film. I’m usually quite diligent about curating my feed to feature lighthearted cats and healthy recipes, but somehow, darker interests have crept in.
Matières Fécales, which translates to “fecal matter,” was the brand’s initial title before the designers opted for a French name to make it more marketable.
The unsettling sight of thin, hollow-eyed figures shuffling through desolate streets, while captivated onlookers gather in the shadows, is hard to dismiss.
As I was browsing IMDb for the new Dante’s Inferno, it hit me: this pandemonium wasn’t Hollywood’s nightmarish take on the underworld, but something eerily real—Paris Fashion Week.
Devilish Design
Fashion has always been about expressing oneself, but in 2026, that expression seems to lean heavily towards a dark allegiance. This trend isn’t new; we’ve seen similar themes in the music realm. Contemporary artists often incorporate witchcraft, occult elements, and overtly sinister spectacles into their performances.
Much like these musicians, today’s prominent fashion designers unabashedly embrace their fascination with dark themes, even amidst much-sensationalized media. The cultural battleground is well-established on the runway.
So, let’s dive into this year’s most chilling collections, which have shifted from ghostly to outright demonic.
3. Noir Kei Ninomiya
Taking the bronze for the most devilishly delightful collection is Noir Kei Ninomiya. This Japanese women’s fashion label, launched in 2012 by Kei Ninomiya, is known for its unique style.
This year’s collection has been described as dark, poetic, and reminiscent of gothic romance. The accompanying music has even garnered praise for its harrowing intensity.
Vogue seems to be sharing the same enthusiasm as film detractors who hail Emerald Fennell’s audacious take on Wuthering Heights as a romance. Tulle and lace can’t hide an underlying glorification of madness.
Fashion critics might label Ninomiya’s work as imaginative and avant-garde, but for those peering beyond the upper crust, it’s more a reflection of bondage, primal fear, and an unsettling obsession with morbidity.
2. Enfants Riches d’Prime
The silver medal goes to Henri-Alexander Lévy’s Enfants Riches d’Prime, which debuted with none other than Marilyn Manson himself, the self-styled Antichrist superstar, strutting down an icy catwalk. If the collection’s underground aesthetic didn’t already spell out Lévy’s dark sensibilities, Manson—decked in Gothic makeup—certainly did.
As if that wasn’t enough, the performance featured a model nearly nude, bound to an obsidian statue. It was a dramatic embodiment of bondage and ritualistic sacrifice.
While many designers claim to be anti-elite or anti-capitalist, Lévy doesn’t fit that mold; he revels in privilege. He once remarked that “no two pieces are the same, and everything is limited. Affordable pieces for the masses? Not interested.”
The brand name, Enfants Riches Déprimés, literally translating to “depressed rich kids,” stems from Lévy’s experiences with elite youth during his rehab days.
A luxury brand that mocks luxury? It feels disingenuous. Perhaps it’s a convoluted way to excuse one’s peculiar tastes, like his infamous “cashmere noose.” This begs the question: if one were to end their life, would they prefer a $7,000 cashmere rope? It all connects, doesn’t it?
1. Matière Fekar
Yet, the most grotesque collection of the year belongs unequivocally to Matthière Fekar. Founded in 2025 by Hannah Rose Dalton and Stephen Raj Bhaskaran, this provocative Parisian label certainly makes a statement.
The original name, Matières Fécales, evokes a strong reaction, and now, under its French moniker, it pushes boundaries even further. There’s some appeal in the clothing, buried beneath layers of morbidity. It’s as if body horror, vampiric themes, and sinister aesthetics collide in a disconcerting way.
The designers intend their collection—dubbed One Percent—as a biting satirical critique of elite wealth and the corrupting nature of power and inequality.
The designers suggested that “this struggle for power can overshadow our humanity. Perhaps that’s why we aren’t born as deities.” But hasn’t that narrative been spun by many elite figures? They often claim their unique visions are critiques of the very darkness they provoke—yet it feels hollow when viewed up close.
During the show, models appeared as distorted representations of the elite, clothed in black hooded robes, moving in a cult-like circle. It went beyond satire; it teetered into a celebration of something deeply unsettling.
The Devil Wears Haute Couture
While romanticizing darkness may not seem significant to everyday individuals, especially amidst the high-fashion crowd, it carries weight. Each time something pure, like creativity, veers into the dark, it demands a toll. Evil, in its essence, seeks replication. It knows no limits, sneaking into every nook.
A recent example is the Balenciaga controversy surrounding ads featuring children with BDSM-themed teddy bears, exacerbating an ongoing trend of child sexualization.
Even the fashion world’s most renowned labels often have sinister ties—Coco Chanel’s collaborations with the Nazis come to mind. Accusations of exploitation and moral decay are common, and yet, traditional values often get lost in the chaos of trends.
There’s an unspoken truth in the fashion industry. Beneath greed and vanity lurks an even darker entity: a reverence for the grotesque and disturbing.
The fusion between beauty and darkness has connections that trace back to Luciferian roots. We must remember, the most stunning angel fell into the greatest abyss.
When designers parade their dark creations, they inevitably reveal their allegiances. Just like some may deny a connection to their darker influences, it’s questionable if they even recognize who they’re bowing to in the end.
I find a strange sense of appreciation for these eerie collections. Rather than keeping these shadows hidden, let them unfurl on the runway and elsewhere. It’s high time the public sees the threads binding the realms of fashion, art, politics, and entertainment. When the spiritual shadows become visible, perhaps people might start yearning for the light.
