Pipenco Fall Winter 2026 examines modern dating through the visual language of Romanian embroidery and dress. The collection treats each stitch as a record of emotional experience, tracing curiosity, illusion, connection, heartbreak, and renewal. Pipenco connects these gestures to the cyclical nature of relationships shaped by digital communication. The garments translate personal and collective experiences into physical form, allowing emotion to exist through textile structure and surface.
FALL WINTER 2026
The collection draws from the Romanian ie blouse, historically used to reflect stages of a woman’s life through embroidered motifs. Pipenco adapts these symbolic systems to reflect contemporary patterns of intimacy shaped by technology and shifting social behavior. Archetypes such as the player, the love bomber, the ghosted, and the wanderer appear through coded visual details embedded in garments. Hand-stitched elements interact with synthetic materials, creating a dialogue between inherited techniques and present-day references.
More than seventy percent of the garments use reclaimed textiles sourced through FABSCRAP, integrating reuse directly into the collection’s structure. Donated fabrics carry previous histories, allowing each garment to hold multiple layers of meaning. Pipenco frames reuse as both material practice and narrative device, connecting physical remnants to emotional memory.
Scent contributes to the installation and deepens the sensory environment. Developed in collaboration with MUJI, notes of grapefruit and lavender move through the space. The fragrance introduces contrasts between sharpness and softness, mirroring emotional instability and tenderness. Because scent connects closely with memory, its presence reinforces the collection’s focus on emotional recall. Jewelry by Martine Ali appears throughout the presentation in the form of subtle heart pendants and fine pieces.
For Fall Winter 2026, Lorena Pipenco draws directly from her personal history. The collection references formative experiences, including a first exchanged love letter, extended periods of longing, and the emotional weight of separation. Pipenco translates these moments into textile form through coded motifs and structural choices. She avoids literal narration and instead allows garments to carry emotional information through material and construction.
The runway takes place at BOOM at The Standard, High Line, within an installation titled “our Dirty Dishes” by Romanian artist Ioana Aron, curated by Daniela Holban. The installation transforms the space into a bedroom-like interior built from domestic objects. Everyday items form an environment shaped by accumulation, repetition, and release. Models move through this setting as garments interact with the constructed environment.
Pipenco Fall Winter 2026 exists between inherited tradition and contemporary experience. Romanian embroidery functions as both reference and tool, allowing garments to record emotional cycles shaped by digital interaction. The collection considers whether contemporary relationships follow new patterns or repeat familiar emotional structures.
