AVAVAV once again shattered conventions at Milan Fashion Week with a Fall/Winter 2025-2026 presentation that blurred the lines between runway spectacle and raw artistic expression. Beneath a seemingly serene grass-covered runway lay an unsettling undercurrent, revealed as models emerged from grave-like openings in a chilling, theatrical display.

Creative director Beate Skonare Karlsson, known for her subversive approach to fashion, drew inspiration from a deeply personal place—her own confrontation with mortality. A recent health scare ignited a lingering unease, which she translated into a collection steeped in vulnerability, resilience, and existential contemplation. “The creative process has always been my therapy,” she reflected, shaping fear into something tangible, something undeniably evocative.

The collection oscillated between strength and fragility, fusing AVAVAV’s signature goth-streetwear aesthetic with unexpected femininity. Rib cage cutouts on hoodies and oversized, deconstructed denim juxtaposed against boucle blazers, sheer cable-knit illusion dresses, and bow-draped asymmetrical skirts. Elements of protective sportswear—American football shoulder pads and boxing gloves softened with satin bow ties—added to the tension between armor and exposure. Models, their bodies dusted in soil and smeared with blood-like pigment, moved with a zombie-esque gait, heightening the show’s visceral impact.

Karlsson’s vision was not simply to provoke but to process—to transform private anxieties into a fearless artistic statement. With its eerie yet poignant narrative, AVAVAV’s Fall/Winter 2025-2026 collection left audiences captivated, unsettled, and undeniably engaged in its hauntingly beautiful dialogue between fashion and fear.