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| Japanese star Raul walked the runway at Miguel Vieria's elegiac show. Photograph (above) by Jay Zoo for DAM |
At the Fondazione Sozzani in Milan, amid the minimalist interiors, Portuguese
designer Miguel Vieria presented Garden in the Night, a midnight-hued, evocative collection that whispered rather than shouted and was all the more powerful for it. Yet it wasn’t all
restraint: among the most talked-about moments of the Spring/Summer 2026 show was Japanese idol and fashion star Raul, who walked
the runway sending waves of excitement through the
audience and drawing crowds of devoted fans to the venue long before the show
began. While the scene outside was chaos, inside on the runway, it was poetry. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photography by Jay Zoo
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Lustrous black with fine draping and gleaming fringes which move with the wearer. |
MIGUEL VIEIRA carved a more introspective path with his new collection, exploring a palette of black that was not merely a colour but a concept, an atmosphere, a state of being. It cloaked sharply tailored suits, swept across columnar dresses, and
enveloped coats and sculptural separates with a sense of hushed
confidence.
For both men and women, the silhouettes were streamlined yet
precise, and with sleek leather lilies and roses pinned to lapels, it was all suggestive of a garden at midnight: secretive, waiting to bloom.
With only faint glimmers of silver and whispers of white breaking through the
dark hues, the feeling was meditative rather than mournful. Rather than relying
on prints or ornamentation, Vieira allowed structure, drape, and texture to do
the talking.
The designer created a collection that unfolded like a visual sonata, with dresses falling in graceful swathes or cut short and sharp, while men’s outerwear introduced volume, especially in
the form of oversized jackets with a subtle architectural slant. The
second movement: softness, sheer overlays, delicate leather fringes,
and draped shoulders, hinted at fragility beneath the surface. Every piece
was meticulously constructed, a nod to Vieira’s commitment to technical
excellence, but nothing felt rigid. Instead, there was a rhythm to the
collection, one that moved between concealment and revelation, austerity and
emotion.
Raul's presence on Vieira’s runway symbolised more than star power; it spoke to the brand’s evolving narrative, one that welcomes global voices into its cloistered, finely tailored world
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Raul modelled a silvery, mesh top that glimmered in the light. |
And then came Raul: a presence that changed the alchemy in the room. Already
a household name in Japan thanks to his work with the group Snow Man and a
breakout star in cinema and modelling, Raul brought a worldly resonance to
Vieira’s vision. His first look, a minimalist silver top paired with gleaming, black trousers was designed to be like a flash of moonlight across the
collection’s otherwise dark landscape.
Later, he returned in one of the show’s
most memorable pieces: a voluminous black quilted jacket with a single leather rose
blooming at the collarbone. It was as if he had stepped out of the collection’s
imagined garden, not as a guest but as its most elusive flower. With his
striking height, distinctive walk, and presence, Raul embodied the
Miguel Vieira ideal: elegant, composed, enigmatic.
Outside the venue, a throng of fans, many flown in from
Tokyo, Paris, and beyond, called his name and crowded the entrance holding flowers,
underscoring Raul’s magnetism. But inside, the atmosphere was hushed,
reverent even. The collection commanded stillness. The audience, seated beneath pools of light, leaned forward not out of spectacle but curiosity. Who are
these figures dressed for night? Where are they going? Who are they meeting? Vieira gave no answers, only suggestions.
Raul’s inclusion in the show wasn’t merely about celebrity casting, it was a statement. At 21, he represents a new generation of talent unbound by borders. Venezuelan and Japanese by heritage, raised in Tokyo, and now modelling internationally, he bridges cultures, disciplines, and aesthetics. His presence on Vieira’s runway symbolised more than star power; it spoke to the brand’s evolving narrative one that welcomes global voices into its cloistered, finely tailored world.
Every piece is meticulously constructed but nothing felt rigid, rather there was a rhythm to the collection, one that moved between concealment and revelation, austerity and emotion
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Voluminous, gauzy draping added a note of romanticism to Vieira's collection. |
While many designers this season have leaned into nostalgia,
hyper-femininity, or flashy revivalism, Vieira’s approach stood apart. The
Garden in the Night was modern but appeared timeless, emotional but composed. Black here
was never flat ~ it shimmered, moved, and breathed.
Vieira manipulated it with
such control that it felt like another language. Even the rare
injections of white, seen in a sequined singlet top or a diaphanous blouse, felt
less like contrast and more like an inhale before plunging back into darkness. In the closing looks, Vieira introduced movement with
full-length coats in billowing silk, worn open over stark black.
At the finale, the models walked out as a group to upbeat, exhilarating music, the sheen of the black fabrics catching the light before they disappeared backstage. It was a fitting metaphor for a
collection that asked us not to look everywhere, but to look closer. The Garden
in the Night was not about grandeur but gravitas, not about commanding
attention, but holding it.
As the audience filed out into the humid Milanese summer morning,
the crowds still waited outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of Raul. But inside,
those who witnessed the show left with something quieter, more lasting: a
memory of shimmering black in all its luster, something expansive, mysterious, and exquisite.
Scroll down to see more highlights from Miguel Vieira's Spring/Summer 2026 show in Milan
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