AXEL ARIGATO PRESENTS SS26 - GREEN SPACE - AN EXPLORATION OF MAN-MADE NATURE

For Spring/Summer 2026, Axel Arigato introduces Green Space, a collection that investigates the contradiction of man-made natural spaces. Conceived by Creative Director Jens Werner, Green Space explores how we shape and arrange our environments, creating natural spaces that are designed and constructed rather than organically generated. 

Inspiration stems from the communal spirit of 19th-century public parks, hubs of diverse human activity within the metropolis. Werner imagines their modern counterparts: skate parks, concrete planters, curated flower beds, and duck ponds. These are ecosystems by design, where people, animals, and the memory of nature co-exist within the bounds of human purpose. This vision informs not only the themes but also the silhouettes and surfaces of the collection, including references to mould-making, structure, and sculpture.

A standout sneaker for the SS26 collection is the Squish – a sneaker that blends craft and form. It features rubber soles that appear caught mid-pour, creating a shell that encases the laced upper. Ready-to-wear follows this sculptural formation - knits are crumpled to recall sun-dried textures, while jackets are shaped to freeze the motion of bodies reclining on the ground.

Functionality and form go hand in hand, with workwear-inspired elements that nod to park-life apparel. Apron-cut jackets, garment-seamed overcoats and distressed fabrications allude to the labour of landscape design. Motifs including botanical labels and flowerpot silhouettes run throughout – symbolic of how we categorise and contain the natural world.

Fabrics and surface treatments deepen this narrative. Crisp shirts feature hand-drawn gingham, nostalgic picnic checks reimagined in urban browns and sun-faded blues. A bomber jacket, bleached as though by hours of sunlight, evokes the feeling of time spent outdoors. Cardigans, with hand-textured finishes, appear worn-in and enduring - and a pair of jeans are blemished with green patches, reminiscent of grass strains.These are clothes that seem to carry the imprint of nature itself.

The collection also revives and reimagines brand signatures. The Frey polo is refreshed in shades of pale blue and warm brown - earth and sky tones - offered in rugby-based silhouettes. A much-loved emblem, the bee-bird, returns this season. Emblazoned across T-shirts and jumpers, the bird is set to become a greater emblem for the brand in 2025.

Visually, the collection’s identity continues to evolve. The Axel Arigato logo appears in softened, sculptural forms- bubble-like, rounded shapes inspired by the organic work of brand collaborator Jon Buck. His influence, already present in Axel Arigato’s flagship spaces, now extends to this renewed visual language across garments and accessories.

The accompanying lookbook presents this vision as a garden-in-progress. Wheelbarrows, watering cans and life-size sculptural plant labels suggest the messy undercurrent of design and the tension between construction and chaos; The natural and the man-made.

“We romanticize green space, but it’s often entirely shaped by us. We mould, pour, plant, and arrange what we then call nature. This collection is about that strange illusion, how the manmade becomes the organic simply because we design it to be so. We aimed to capture this duality, a tension that’s become central to our brand.” Jens Werner, Creative Director – Axel Arigato.

Axel Arigato's SS26 collection, Green Space, is available to buy from January 2026 both in-store and online at axelarigato.com