Hermes Spring Summer 2026 “Free rein”. Story by RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Photo Courtesy: Hermes.

“Free rein.” The title of the Hermès Spring-Summer 2026 collection is not just a poetic gesture — it’s a manifesto. A liberated silhouette, a firm step, and a gaze that meets the horizon without apology. Nadège Vanhee-Cybulski, creative director of Hermès women’s ready-to-wear since 2014, delivered a precise meditation on movement and mastery. This was not a collection for the dreamer lost in reverie, but for the woman who knows exactly where she’s going — and prefers to ride alone.

The collection opens with a sense of ease, but not softness. This is Hermès, after all. The leather is not decorative; it’s structural. Vanhee-Cybulski’s command of the house’s craft vocabulary — from saddle stitching to technical silk — is evident in every hemline. Crisp cottons, bridle leathers, and breezy linens converge in a summer wardrobe built for reality, not fantasy.

Tailored vests worn over fluid trousers. Sculptural halters with razor-cut backs. Colors veer toward the elemental — sun-bleached sand, sienna, clay, rust, and a commanding black. Accessories remain faithful to the equestrian spirit of the house: flat sandals with bridle straps, bucket bags like portable saddlebags, and belts that echo harnesses more than decoration. No frivolity. No distraction. Everything has a reason — and a destination.

Vanhee-Cybulski has long been a silent force in Paris fashion. A decade ago, she left her post as design director at The Row in New York to take up the reins at Hermès. It was a discreet but defining moment — one of those appointments that speak volumes without press releases. Ten years on, she has etched a unique language into the house, one that doesn’t scream luxury but whispers legacy.

And yet, the New Yorker in her lingers. There’s an edge to her minimalism — a sense that under the surface of the silk, something is always moving. She knows the value of restraint. Of silence. Of letting the cut do the talking.

“Free rein” is not a departure. It’s a continuation — of a decade of slow, thoughtful construction. A woman’s wardrobe, but also a woman’s vision. Precise, empowered, and — above all — untethered.

See All Looks Hermes Spring Summer 2026