What does 20 years of creativity look like - when you refuse to look back?

For AW26, Erdem Moralıoğlu didn’t create a retrospective. He created a conversation. The Imaginary Conversation wasn’t about nostalgia - it was about memory colliding with modernity. Archive pieces were cut apart, reworked and reassembled. Past muses met present energy. Familiar silhouettes felt entirely new.

And backstage, the same philosophy was unfolding in the hair.

Hair Without a “Look”

Led by Eugene Souleiman, Pro Ambassador for KEVIN.MURPHY, the brief wasn’t to create a signature style.

It was to avoid one.

In a fashion industry that often thrives on uniformity, this was a radical decision. No identical parts. No repeated silhouettes. No over-styled perfection.

Instead: individuality.

“It was really about every girl looking like herself,” Erdem explained backstage. “Texture, romance, a wispiness - but always their own character.”

The result felt intimate. Personal. Almost cinematic.

   

The Art of Doing Less (But Doing It Brilliantly)

Souleiman approached the hair the way Erdem approached his archive - by deconstructing and rebuilding.

“I absolutely loved the collection,” he said. “Erdem cut up his classics and stitched them back together in unexpected ways. I applied that same philosophy to the hair.”

The foundation was intentionally simple:

• Freshly washed hair

• Naturally air-dried texture

• Minimal visible styling

Hair was lightly misted before ANTI.GRAVITY was sprayed from a distance - not worked in, not manipulated heavily - just allowed to settle. The product enhanced what was already there: curls expanded, straight strands sharpened, updos softened at the edges.

For select looks, POWDER.PUFF was diffused at the roots to create subtle porosity - a soft haze that gave depth without heaviness.

Nothing felt forced. Nothing felt “done.”

But everything felt considered.

Real, Yet Slightly Unreal

The clothes carried drama - archival splicing, rich detail, emotional weight. The hair needed to ground that.

“It needed to feel real,” Souleiman explained. “Like hair women could do themselves. But at the same time, it had to have something otherworldly - something light and textural.”

That tension - between effortlessness and edge - is where the magic happened.

The styling was deliberately imperfect. A flyaway left untouched. A bend that wasn’t symmetrical. A finish that felt human.

“I always like there to be something in the hair that isn’t too perfect,” he said.

Because perfection isn’t personal. And this show was deeply personal.

Why It Mattered

With models of different ages, textures and backgrounds walking the runway, AW26 didn’t just talk about individuality - it showed it.

Hair became an extension of identity, not an accessory to fashion.

In an era where trends travel at the speed of a scroll, this felt refreshing. It reminded us that true modernity isn’t about uniform coolness - it’s about authenticity.

And perhaps that’s the real conversation Erdem started 20 years ago.

Not about what a woman should look like.

But about who she already is.

If AW26 proved anything, it’s this: the future of hair isn’t louder. It’s lighter. More personal. More intentional.

And sometimes, the most powerful statement is letting someone look exactly like themselves.

• #erdem
• #fashion week
• #kevin murphy