The AllSaints renaissance is here
Creative director Aaron Esh is bringing the East London high-street giant back to its rock'n'roll roots
Since 1994, AllSaints has been synonymous with a particular brand of London rock’n’roll, with its Spitalfields flagship a mecca for skinny jeans, distressed denim, and leather jackets built for the stage. But even icons need reinvention, and when designer Aaron Esh was appointed the brand’s creative director last year, there was no denying a refresh was overdue.
After much anticipation, the Aaron Esh era has finally arrived. A new logo, a new campaign, and a new collection inspired by East London have us looking twice at the high-street giant. From reworked archive staples to a cast of London’s own faces, Esh delivers a debut that’s unmistakably AllSaints, and unmistakably his own.
“London is about attitude; how people wear clothes in unpretentious ways,” Esh explains. “You can mix high and low. You can wear things that are new. You can wear things that are thrifted. We’ve really tried to think of all the touchpoints that make London so specific and recreate that within how we design the clothes, and how we show what AllSaints is”.
The Autumn/Winter 2026 collection started with perfecting the basics. The perfect white T-shirt, classic denim, and leather jackets form the foundations of a wardrobe that’s timeless rather than nostalgic. Think modernised proportions and considered details, all in service of a wardrobe built to last.
Famed fashion photographer Alasdair McLellan shot the first campaign under Esh’s direction, with styling by longtime Alexander McQueen collaborator Katy England. At its centre are Esh’s muses Kiki Willems and Lux Gillespie, son of Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie. A street-cast of Londoners spanning fashion, art, and music joins the 17 portraits, establishing the new identity from the ground up.
‘I’m less interested in defining an AllSaints customer by age or demographic. I’m interested in character,’ says Esh. ‘Ultimately, I want people to see someone walking down the street and say “they’re very AllSaints.” That’s what real fashion is – creating an identity. No branding on them, but very AllSaints.’
While Esh only established his namesake label in 2022 after finishing his MA at the esteemed Central Saint Martins, he has quickly become one of London Fashion Week’s most exciting rising talents, thanks to his blurring of Savile Row-level tailoring and youth subculture.
With music central to his design ethos, it’s no wonder AllSaints came calling. As a custodian for its next chapter, Esh already looks like the right fit.
Discover the Autumn/Winter 2026 collection by Aaron Esh at allsaints.com.