John Richmond turns vampiric fantasy into punk reality
With Bob Geldof in the front row, the designer presented a daring blend of punk attitude and razor-sharp precision
If there’s one London Fashion Week show you’d expect to find Bob Geldof propped up in the front row, it’s John Richmond. Titled The Savage Heart, the designer’s Autumn/Winter 2026 collection brought the morbid crypt of St Martin-in-the-fields to life with leather, studs, and neon pops of neon. A defiant blend of attitude and glamour, made for rock’n’roll royalty.
Soundtracked by Depeche Mode’s Personal Jesus, the show revelled in New Wave attitude, amplified to stadium scale. Leather gloves clung like a second skin; leather boots stalked the runway with predatory precision. This was a wardrobe built for the vampires of Jim Jarmusch’s Only Lovers Left Alive. Slick and decadent, with the right dose of romance.
The collection felt like rummaging through a treasure trove of frilled shirts and delicate lace, each piece layered with careful bondage detailing that elevated the garments from nostalgic references to modern statements of style.
Richmond knows better than to wallow in nostalgia. Pops of fuchsia cut through the black like neon signs on rain-slicked streets. Safety pins were no longer anarchic afterthoughts but proudly, arranged like medals across lapels. Here, rebellion is reframed as regalia.
If this was punk, it was punk evolved. Richmond kept its spirit alive but traded DIY dishevelment for precision. Italian tailoring came razor-sharp, sculpting the body before subverting it with industrial chains serving as provocative notes of anarchy.
The tension between polish and provocation felt deliberate – a reminder that subculture, when handled by the right hands, never really dies. It simply dresses up, steps back into the spotlight, and dares you to look away.