March 2026 fashion news was, in a word, a lot. In a world increasingly at war, the shows (including Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai) went on, the usual creative director chaos continued. But the currently unfolding geopolitical situation is quietly reshaping how and where luxury operates. Here’s all the fashion news that mattered; a reference list at the bottom of the page takes you to the articles used to create this fashion news recap; these will provide further details on each March 2026 fashion news story that unfolded.

The Revolving Door Keeps Spinning: Creative Director Shake-Ups

January and February this year were already full of creative director change; this March 2026 fashion news proves that the end of the chaos is not here yet. The never-ending creative director merry-go-round is still at play, with a few announcements this month.

Harris Reed/Nina Ricci

Announced pretty soon after the Fall 2026 show in Paris had wrapped up: Harris Reed is stepping down from Nina Ricci. Reed cited a desire to focus on his own brand and projects.^[1] His work for Nina Ricci didn’t always seem to connect (at least according to the mixed reactions on social media for each of his collections). Owned by Puig, Nina Ricci has been cycling through designers and is considered to be less successful than other brands of the conglomerate such as Rabanne and Carolina Herrera, though Puig does not publish revenue by individual fashion brand.

Nicolas Di Felice/Drew Henry/Courréges

Meanwhile, a quick out-with-one-in-with-another this month, as Courrèges confirmed that Drew Henry is in, and Nicolas Di Felice is out.^[2] Di Felice brought many new customers to Courrèges through his dark, clubwear aesthetic in what can arguably be called some of the more interesting space-age-meets-intellectual fashion to come out of Paris in recent years. There are rumours he will go to AlaÏa to replace Pieter Mulier. Drew Henry comes with experience at brands including Burberry, Phoebe Philo-era Céline, and JW Anderson.

Christopher Kane/Mulberry

Christopher Kane is taking the creative lead at Mulberry’s revived ready-to-wear line,^[3] which is really exciting news (to me at least). Kane’s own brand was closed in 2023, so having him in a design position again feels both promising and exciting. Pairing him with a brand that has strong British identity and is clearly trying to move upmarket feels like a real opportunity for something new and exciting. I’m cautiously optimistic about this one.

Marco De Vincenzo/Etro

Etro parting ways with Marco De Vincenzo is being reported as a mutual decision to align with a new direction for the brand;^[4] in 2025 the brand’s founding family sold its remaining minority stake to a group of investors including Turkish group RAMS Global. The majority shareholder remains L Catterton, a private equity firm backed by French luxury giant LVMH.^[5] His departure follows a successful period of revitalizing the house’s prints and textile heritage.

Matthew M. Williams/Oakley

Matthew M. Williams has been appointed fashion creative director at Oakley, where he’ll work alongside Travis Scott.^[6] Oakley has been quietly building a case for itself as a legitimate fashion player rather than just a performance brand, and Williams — who has done this kind of technical-meets-luxury positioning before at Givenchy and his own brand 1017 ALYX 9SM — seems a fitting choice.

Whether the Travis Scott partnership works out remains to be seen. And when looking at the overall fashion landscape, with sportswear brands gaining more traction (see also: MM6 Maison Margiela‘s Heikki Salonen moving to Salomon) this move makes even more sense.

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On the Runway: Paris, Rome, and the Houses Making Headlines

Multiple fashion weeks took place in March 2026, including Paris, Tokyo, and Shanghai… but not everyone stuck to the schedule.

Valentino in Rome

Valentino‘s Fall 2026 collection at Palazzo Barberini in Rome^[7] saw 1980s references everywhere — big shoulders, baroque excess, gilded opulence — but filtered through a contemporary lens that kept it from feeling like pure nostalgia. Showing in Rome rather than Paris was itself a statement: this is a house that knows its identity, and can create enough hype on its own terms, outside of the main schedule fashion weeks and cities.

Another Cancellation

Back in Paris, Giambattista Valli pulled out of the womenswear schedule at the last minute — again.^[8] This follows a similar last-minute cancellation at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week Spring 2026 in January. Let’s just say what a lot of people are thinking: a pattern like this is not just logistical; it raises real questions about the health — and future — of the house.

Pitti Line-up

March 2026 fashion news also included most of the announcements for guest designers at Pitti Immagine Uomo: DSM Kei Ninomiya, Simone Rocha, and Danish brand Sunflower, in celebration of 20 years of Copenhagen Fashion Week. (April 1st saw another name added: Korean brand JiyongKim).^[9]

Australia Announcement

The designers on the schedule for Australian Fashion Week have been announced; the event will run from May 11-15, with brands including Aje, Nicol & Ford, and Courtney Zheng on the schedule.

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Business, Turbulence, and the Industry’s Bigger Problems

Fashion’s business news this month ranged from merger discussions to the inescapable effects of the Iran war.

The Middle East and the Effects of War

The ongoing conflict in Iran has brought devastating human consequences, with civilian casualties continuing to mount. Beyond the humanitarian toll, the war is also having a significant effect on luxury retail in the wider region, particularly in Dubai which is one of the markets driving the most growth for the luxury sector right now. Sales in the region — the fastest growing luxury market in 2025 — could drop by half, and stocks have dropped by at least 15%; this has caused a market cap drop of US$100 billion in luxury companies including LVMH and Hermès.^[10]

Estée Lauder and Puig Merger?

The Estée Lauder/Puig merger talks are the March 2026’s biggest story in beauty, with implications that ripple well into fashion. If this deal goes through, it would create one of the most powerful beauty-to-fashion conglomerates in the world. The transaction would be mostly be paid in shares, with Puig executive chairman Marc Puig expected to join the board of the combined conglomerate while having a key role in the integration.^[11]

Nothing is confirmed as yet, and the entire deal could still break down and be cancelled. While this merger would be a win for the companies involved in the current situation of tense geopolitics, disrupted supply chains, changing customer behaviour, such deals always come with speculation and worry about whether they are good for creativity and quality: consolidation at this scale tends to produce efficiency and sameness in equal measure.

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Redundancies at McQueen

On that note, McQueen has confirmed 54 redundancies in Italy, with unions raising the alarm: this number represents 30% of the country’s workforce. Kering has been under significant financial pressure, and the McQueen brand has been targeted for heavy cuts under the new direction of Luca de Meo; these are not confined to Italy as October 2025’s strategic review tabled the possibility of reducing 20% of the company’s employees at its London HQ.^[12]

Aeffe For Sale

Aeffe — parent company of brands including Moschino and Alberta Ferretti — is looking for a buyer by the end of May. Offers have reportedly been tabled by companies both local and foreign, with the next meeting about the sale scheduled for April 28th.^[13]

Startup Fraud

The CaaStle fraud case: Christine Hunsicker, founder and CEO of CaaStle, a fashion-tech clothing company, pleaded guilty to defrauding investors of over $300 million. She presented falsified financials — fake audits, fabricated bank records, inflated revenue figures — to disguise the fact that the company was in serious financial distress, while publicly valuing it at over $1.4 billion.^[14]

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Everybody’s Talking About…

Last but not least, the fashion news that got everybody talking this month.

Zara x John Galliano

Zara has tapped John Galliano to redesign items from its archive in a series of seasonal collections starting in September.^[15] This is the news that the internet has had the most opinions about, and fairly so. Whether it’s an example of so-called ‘luxurywashing’ or an attempt by Zara to move upmarket, this is definitely one to watch.

Zara x Willy Chavarria

Zara are really getting serious about collabs! Their collaboration with Willy Chavarria, VATÍSIMO, was launched with a telenova-style campaign starring Christy Turlington and Alberto Guerra, directed by Glen Luchford. Whether you think this is Chavarria celebrating or appropriating the culture is up to you — and this has certainly been debated before^[16] — but what cannot be questioned is the scale of the collab: over a hundred pieces including tailoring, denim, footwear, and jewellery.^[17]

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The Exhibition…

The Antwerp Six exhibition opened on March 28th in Antwerp, Belgium, and will run until January 17th, 2027. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the designers’ international success, the exhibition will present works from all six: Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, and Marina Yee.

…and The Book

Also making headlines is Oscar van den Boogaard’s The Six: The Untold Story of the Antwerp Six — a book several members of the group have publicly distanced themselves from despite having participated in interviews for it. Reportedly the issue arose because material the designers believed to be off the record ended up being included in the book.^[18] The controversy has only heightened interest, particularly as the book appears to surface tensions within the group.

It’s worth remembering that the “Antwerp Six” label was always somewhat arbitrary — coined because their names were deemed too difficult to pronounce when they showed their collections in London — so the assumption they were ever a unified collective was always a simplification. That said, having private remarks made public is understandably uncomfortable.

The book is currently available only in Dutch, with the English-language edition due on May 19th.

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References

[1] Spencer, M. (March 11, 2026). “Harris Reed Exits Nina Ricci.” Business of Fashion. [Link]
[2] Olaechea Landa, A. (March 31, 2026). “Courrèges Appoints Drew Henry as New Creative Director.” VMagazine. [Link]
[3] Mower, S. (March 26, 2026). “What Will Christopher Kane Do Now That He’s At Mulberry?” British Vogue. [Link]
[4] Schulz, M. (March 12th, 2026). “Etro Creative Director Marco De Vincenzo Exits.” Vogue Business. [Link]
[5] Reuters. (December 19, 2025). “Etro founding family exits group as new investors including Turkey’s RAMS Global join.” Reuters. [Link]
[6] NSS Staff. (March 26, 2026). “Matthew Williams will now design Oakley’s apparel.” NSS Magazine. [Link]
[7] Thatcher, K. (March 13, 2026). “Alessandro Michele transforms Palazzo Barberini for Autumn Winter 26/27.” Russh. [Link]
[8] Guyot, O. (March 3, 2026). “Giambattista Valli cancels yet another runway show at the last minute.” Fashion Network. [Link]
[9] Pitti Immagine Uomo News Section [Link]
[10] Frank, R. (2026, March 27). “Iran war wipes out $100 billion from luxury stocks.” CNBC. [Link]
[11] Vimal, S. (April 2, 2026). “Estée Lauder and Puig advance merger talks.” Yahoo! Finance. [Link]
[12] Modaes. (March 15, 2026). Kering Tightens Reins at Alexander McQueen, Cuts Over 50 Jobs in Italy.” Modaes. [Link]
[13] Ansa (translated by Mira, N.) (March 3, 2026). “Aeffe aims to identify buyer by end May as expressions of interest put forward.” Fashion Network. [Link]
[14] United States Attorney’s Office. (2026, March 4). “CaaStle Founder Pleads Guilty to $300 Million Fraud Scheme.” [Press Release] [Link]
[15] Phelps, N. (2026, March 17). “John Galliano Returns to Fashion Via a Creative Partnership with Zara.” Vogue. [Link]
[16] Meierhans, J. (2025, August 10). “Adidas designer sorry for shoes ‘appropriated’ from Mexico.” BBC. [Link]
[17] Ortiz, G. (2026, March 26). “Zara and Willy Chavarria Unveil a Fully Realized Menswear Universe.” GQ. [Link]
[18] Haroon M, (2026, April 1). “Antwerp Six biography drama; MoMA struggling with Duchamp exhibit; you can now stealth watch IG stories; and more.” Welcome Magazine. [Link]