Cucculelli Shaheen unveiled Collection Twenty-One: Flaming Hearts at New York Fashion Week, a presentation shaped by the brand’s dialogue with craft, music, and narrative design. Staged at The Picnic House on Pier 40, the show featured a live performance by New York band The Thing, whose raw sound drove the energy of the runway. Photographer Katie Borrazzo captured the energy behind the scenes at the Cucculelli Shaheen Spring Summer 2026 show, exclusively for DSCENE Magazine.
Embroidery, hand-worked textures, and sculptural tailoring defined the season, enriched by inspirations ranging from Renaissance paintings and Victorian portraits to Led Zeppelin and late-night concerts. The combination of visual and sonic references created a charged atmosphere that set this show apart within the New York calendar.
Referencing works like Over the Hills and Far Away, Time and Fame by Veronese, Kashmir (1975), and the portrait of Lady Meux, the collection explored romance, longing, and the pursuit of beauty. Each look carried layers of detail: intricate embroideries, embellishments, and fluid fabrics that gave movement to structured forms. The palette shifted like flashes of light, underscoring moods instead of fixed color stories, while contrasts of strength and fragility shaped the silhouettes. These choices reinforced the brand’s focus on depth and texture, allowing the garments to convey emotion as much as form.
Discover Cucculelli Shaheen SS26 Collection and Interview on DSCENE
The staging amplified the atmosphere. Pier 40’s open view of the Hudson set a dramatic frame, while The Thing’s live soundtrack transformed the runway into a shared rhythm of sound and design. Cucculelli and Shaheen captured a vision of romance tied to rebellion, delivering a moment of intensity that felt alive and immediate. The audience experienced not just a fashion show but a performance that placed clothing, music, and cultural reference in direct conversation, underscoring the duo’s ability to create collections that feel both personal and universal.
