YANINA Couture Spring/Summer 2026: Wheat, Raffia, and the Language of Craft

Paris Couture Week

1 Feb

YANINA Couture's Spring/Summer 2026 collection is an homage to Gabrielle Chanel the woman, rather than the designer—her early life shaped by discipline, solitude, and the instinct to define elegance independently. The opening silhouettes—fitted bodices, long straight skirts in black and white—recall the austere environment of Abbaye d'Aubazine, the orphanage where Gabrielle Chanel spent part of her childhood, though subtle details, like hints of ribbons and pearls, quietly reference objects Chanel valued. As the runway progresses, the palette shifts to ivory, beige, and soft gold, marking a gradual emergence of self-assurance and inner strength, with embroidery and texture tracing a narrative of resilience and refinement.

"I wanted to reflect the idea that strength grows from circumstance, not from inheritance," Yulia Yanina explained while emphasizing that the collection channels the celebrated designer’s personal resilience rather than stylistic quotation.

The collection's central motif is the wheat ear, crafted in gold and natural raffia, a new technique for the designer. Raffia threads are worked using couching and are hand-woven into stems, while individual grains are built around beads wrapped in raffia. Gold threads and raffia cords define delicate awns, and seed beads (glass bugle beads) give the motif a three-dimensional presence.

Floral motifs appear in chiffon ribbons arranged as petals, camellias in satin stitch, and openwork flowers realized with Richelieu embroidery, a cutwork technique where portions of fabric are removed and the edges reinforced to create lace-like patterns. Yanina also incorporates traditional Russian hand embroidery, using gold thread, chain stitches, and raised satin-stitch florals to add subtle texture and depth. These techniques work in concert with straw and raffia details, creating surface complexity while keeping the silhouette clean and disciplined.

The silhouettes are precisely proportioned, with fitted torsos, defined waists, and straight or subtly flared skirts. Sheer overlays, overskirts, and capes introduce depth and movement without changing proportion. Beading, raffia, and lacework are integrated with the silhouette, tracing curves and folds rather than covering them.

The palette evolves from black and white to soft neutrals and gold, letting embroidery, texture, and material interplay take visual precedence.

The finale—a bridal gown in nude-toned tulle embroidered with wheat and floral motifs—distills the collection's motifs into a single image. It emphasizes line, proportion, and movement, showcasing the technical innovations of raffia, macramé, and layered sheers.

Compared with previous seasons, this collection emphasizes texture and materiality over dramatic silhouette. Yanina uses embroidery, raffia, and layered fabrics to tell a story through surface and movement, keeping each gown closely tied to the body rather than relying on volume or theatricality.