It’s The Year Of Ann Demeulemeester, According To Dua, Charli & More

“Yeah, I think I’ll be alright if I look good in the clothes” might be the most fashion-girl lyrics of 2026, sung by none other than Charli xcx in her new single “SS26” (insider-fashion Angels got the title immediately). The accompanying video was rife with designer clothing from her go-to brands — one of which is Ann Demeulemeester. It was the cherry on top of the banner year for the brand, which has become a go-to for our favorite ladies across all styles and ages.

There are enough fashion brands to wear a new designer everyday for the rest of your life and not get through them all, so when enough A-listers decide on one in particular, it’s the high-fashion equivalent of “when you’re chill with everyone” and deserves a callout. In a sea of rainbow tulle and sparkle at the most recent Cannes Film Festival, Halsey, Oklou, and Ariana Greenblatt went against the grain and wore rocker-lite looks from Ann Demeulemeester. It was an unlikely choice for the typically high-octane glamour expected for Cannes red carpets, but it shows the subversive nature of the label and the way modern celebrities want to feel at major events; that is to say, relaxed, comfortable, and sexy in their own way. It was great to see the brand represented in such a heavy field, with brand contracts and partnerships making the non-conglomerate-owned labels feel like small fish in a large pond. People across all style phenotypes are reaching for the label, like Renate Reinsve (who has the best abs for such a low-rise skirt), Suki Waterhouse, and even Kylie Jenner at Coachella.

The recent love for the brand might feel new, but the brand has been supplying rockers and punk artists with band jackets, graphic T-shirts, biker-inspired boots, and naif-like dresses for decades now, both under the eponymous designer herself and with others at the helm. The most recent iteration of the brand is under the vision of creative director Stefano Gallici, who has been smart to lean full-force into the brand’s Y2Chaotic mode of mish-mashing references, taking a bit of glamour from French girls and mixing it with the brash, all-black energy of American rockstars and the gentle glamour of Belgium, Demeulemeester’s home country. It feels right in line with the resurgence of skinny jeans, platform boots, and punk-rock femininity spreading across both other high-fashion runways and the high street. The brand’s front row has been stacked more than ever at Paris Fashion Week, drawing in Lourdes Leon, Jenna Ortega, and Gabbriette.

Gallici showed off the Fall/Winter 2026 collection in Charli xcx’s latest music video, as part of Charli’s reclamation of the early-aughts fashion-editor vibe promoted by Carine Roitfeld (and loved by other designers like De Pino). She sported a backless shearling dress and a flowing long-sleeve sheer number that could easily be worn by Florence Welch or Patti Smith. It’s the blurring of genres, moods, and eras that make Gallici feel at home in Ann Demeulemeester’s ateliers, and makes someone like world traveler Dua Lipa one of the best spokeswomen for the brand in its current iteration.

What’s old will always find a way to be new again in fashion, and pieces like the single-breasted band jacket Lipa made her unofficial vacation uniform this year are finding new light with her easy-yet-intentional approach to fashion. Indeed, the name of the game for the brand this year is leading with what they know. It’s easy to for a creative director to feel like they need to come in and shake things up, but when the formula is so good, why mess with it? It is, after all, a sign of a great designer if your pieces can be recognized instantly, and there is no mistaking this current era of Ann Demeulemeester.