In a scorched landscape where ritual meets rebellion, McQueen turns fire into silhouette and power into posture.
The Spring Summer 2026 campaign by McQueen tightens its focus under Creative Director Seán McGirr. Shot through the high heat of Harley Weir’s lens and staged within a crepuscular set by Shona Heath, the story sits in amber light, where the primitive and the urban press against each other. It is not a backdrop so much as a mood: charred ground, ritual geometry, and the suggestion that nature can overtake the polished world at any moment.
McGirr gathers five women who read as a collective portrait rather than a line up. Musician Caroline Polachek brings an experimental precision to the visuals, while Celeste channels the emotional weight associated with her album ‘Woman of Faces’. Amy Taylor adds punk velocity from Melbourne’s underground. Model Alex Consani, fresh from being named Model of the Year, disrupts the frame with a restless presence, while Sora Choi sharpens the narrative with an androgynous charge.
The wardrobe reintroduces house signatures with intent. Bumster trousers return in a daringly low cut, fastening with polished buckle hardware to elongate the torso. Cropped military jackets, inspired by traditional uniforms, are slashed and braided in gold, their patch pockets displaced like deliberate glitches. That severity is offset by the motion of billowing parachute silk gowns. A standout dress appears caught in a permanent flicker of flames, achieved through a spray paint dégradé and orange embellishment that melts into black chiffon.
Heath’s set draws from the 1973 film ‘The Wicker Man’, centring a maypole like structure built from metres of hessian ribbon and foliage, a signal of ritual and renewal. The soundtrack by A.G. Cook heightens the tension, blending elemental water and fire sounds with syncopated techno. Corsetry is reimagined as decorative lacing on jacquard dresses and tall leather boots. The horn heel from the 2003 archives returns in sculptural leather and suede, while the Manta bag is revisited with talismanic charms and fringe. McGirr’s McQueen is visceral and controlled, shaping tailoring into a language of power and transformation.
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